Is tamil derived from Sanskrit

[A P MASILAMANI]

Sugarcane is (one of six species of) a tall tropical southeast Asian grass. The plant and its
product features prominently in the history of Europe in the 1700s and 1800s. Whilst the
colonial powers could have introduced large scale growing of sugarcane in parts of India,
it cannot be accepted that any European power introduced the plant for the first time in
especially South India.

The peoples of South India have had connections with SEAsia well before the arrival of
the Europeans. Raja Raja Chozan’s military expeditions covered various parts of South
East Asia. Much before that, it is said that even Karikalan’s forces reached SEA.

“The home of sugarcane is New Guinea and Papuans are thought to be closely related to
the San bushmen, who migrated from southeast Africa in prehistoric times to populate
southern India and, later, nearby Australia.” We are not without recent as well as remote
connections with sugarcane areas.

Tamil literary sources have reasons to believe that Athiamaan’s predecessors introduced
sugarcane to Tamilnadu for the first time from SEA.

The word Karumpu is a Tamil word and sugarcane was so named for its dark green
colour. karu + pu (suffix) > karumpu. The word kannal is again formed from the same
root: karu + nal > (karunal) > kannal (= sugarcane). At this stage, you can compare the
word’s derivation with karunadam> kannadam; the word karu > kaN > kaNNan means
black person (Krishnan). These formations would show that the root word is karu,
meaning black colour. Whilst we still have “kannal” in use today, “karunal” - the
intermediate form seems to have died out. But for cheruppu, you similarly have the
derived form as well, in “cheppal”. Cheruppu > cheruppu +al (a second suffix) >
cheppal. (chappal). Please note the pattern : the dropping of the intermediate “r” as for
kannal.

In a natural language like Tamil, it is usual for certain (intermediate) word forms to
become defunct after issuing out changed forms as shown above. Dictionaries and
literature often fail to keep pace with such developments. I do not think that any
lexicographer has successfully captured Tamil words/ usage such as aLLuuRu (drain),
anchadi (pavement), sivappaalam (red bridge), kayalaa (fever), muudaanku (lid), poRukki
kadai (second hand dealer’s shop ) and others so far. As times change, certain words go
out of use and fashion and others or other forms take their place.

Just like ordinary individuals take time to understand and respond, researchers too have to
go through stages. Anyway, their first reaction against a word would invariably be that the
word might be a foreign word. Even maangaai can be misuderstood as a Malay word
(mangga) because you will find mangga in the Indon and Malay dictionaries. But only
Tamil can give the root word, maa from which maa+kaai, maa+maram, maa+ilai,
maa+thoppu, maa + choolai, maa+kuyil etc flow. If you look at Javanese dictionary,
mangga is not divisible in such manner.

Prior to 1950, it was thought by some exponents in Tamil like K P Santhosh (Makiznan)
that chiini came from word chiinaa (China) because, (presumably), it came from China.
Sugarcane was also known and used by the Chinese. Sugarcane has a prominent place in
some festivals of China.

Sugarcane is traditionally used in Ponggal festival too.
A “siddhar” it seems, can consider himself as successful and as having attained “siddhu” if
a genus of sugarcane known as “peei karumpu” and usually bitter, tasted sweet to him.
This practice too, appears to be an old practice among them.

Other researchers studying the word “kannadam” (language) thought the word “kannal”
was old enough to be considered the root word of kannadam.

In Bharathithaasan’s stanza: “Kandai nikar kannadamennum mozikaL”, kandai means
kalkandu and the poet seems to subscribe to the view kannadam came from “kannal”.

However in the late fifties, researchers were certain that chiini comes from the word chin
(chinna) - small, referring to its granulated form.

Chiini is merely kalkandu (rock sugar) broken into small (coarse) pieces by pounding
(before the advent of machines).

“(kal)kandu” or “kandai” (big pieces) contrasts with chiini (small bits or granules). This
shows the way ordinary people think before they make words. Please note the usage: nuul
kandu ; kandu kandaaka thadiththu vittathu etc.
Chiini is an ordinary man’s word and do not despair if you do not find it in any literature.

Tamil annai stands on two legs: ulaka vazakku ( people’s usage) and seiyuL vazakku
(literary usage).

Our views based on comparative word studies differ from those who disbelieve the ability
of ordinary Tamilans to make thier own words. Of course, these people also use many
foreign words for convenience. But chiini is not one of such words.

Europeans learnt many new words after coming to the East. Englishmen acquired words
such as bangles, bungalow. Similarly the Portuguese learnt new words from us.

IE languages like to borrow either from one another or from the people whom they come
in contact with or place names, like the word “turkey”. The Tamils do not have this last
mentioned habit of giving an item a name derived from a place-name. Furthermore, so
many things came from China, chiinaakkaaram, chinak kalkandu, chinaththukkiLi etc.,
The word china was added in these words to show their place of origin; this is not
padikaaram but chinaakkaaram; this is not panangkalkandu but chinaak kalkandu; that is
not our local kiLi but a kiLi from China!! That is not local vedi but china vedi (pattasu)!!
The word china then functioned as an adjective qualifying the name of the item. Thus
chiini is not the only thing that came from China.

Thus it is more probable that chiini came from the word chil > chin> chinna (small )
meaning grains or granules of sugar. That is the latest and considered view. It contrasts well with rock sugar which is kalkandu and differentiates it.

If a Tamil root word can explain the meaning of the word correctly, there is no reason to
adopt other uncertain courses.