தமிழ்
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Tamil[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Uncertain. Various hypotheses have been adduced. The main ones consider this word a compound of some sort:
- K. V. Zvelebil (1990) proposes that தமிழ் (tamiḻ) is derived from the verb தகு- (taku-, “to fit properly”) with the evolution tak- > tav- > tam-.[1]
- Koskinen (1996) speculates a relationship with the name of the lotus flower தாமரை (tāmarai),[2] attested also with the variant தம்மி (tammi), and having cognates in Malayalam താമര (tāmara), Kannada ತಾಮರೆ (tāmare), Tulu ತಾಮರೆ (tāmare) and Telugu తామర (tāmara).
- Southworth (1998) suggests a derivation like *tam-miẓ > tam-iḻ “one's own speech”, considering the final part as a reduced form of மொழி (moḻi, “word, speech”).[3]
However, there are problems with each of these attempts. The sounds -k- and -v- are nowhere attested as variants; moreover, the underlying form of மொழி (moḻi) is Proto-Dravidian *moẓ-, not *miẓ-.[4] The etymology of the word remains therefore unknown.
Pronunciation[edit]
Proper noun[edit]
தமிழ் • (tamiḻ)
Derived terms[edit]
- கொடுந்தமிழ் (koṭuntamiḻ)
- செந்தமிழ் (centamiḻ)
- தமிழன் (tamiḻaṉ)
- தமிழ் நாடு (tamiḻ nāṭu)
- தமிழ்நாடு (tamiḻnāṭu)
Descendants[edit]
- → Malayalam: തമിഴ് (tamiḻŭ)
- → Kannada: ತಮಿೞ (tamiḻa)
- → Tulu: ತಮುಳು (tamuḷu)
- → Sanskrit: द्रमिल (dramila), द्रविड (draviḍa), द्राविड (drāviḍa) (although may be the opposite direction)
Notes[edit]
- ^ Zvelebil, K. V. (1990) Dravidian Linguistics: an Introduction, Pondicherry: Pondicherry Institute of Linguistics and Culture, page xxi.
- ^ Koskinen, K. (1996) , “Taamarai 'lotus' and the name Tamiẓ”, in International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics, volume 25, issue 2, pages 141-142.
- ^ Southworth, F. C. (1998) , “On the origin of the word tamiẓ”, in International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics, volume 27, issue 1, pages 129-132.
- ^ Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003) The Dravidian Languages (Cambridge Language Surveys)[1], Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 20-21.
References[edit]
- University of Madras (1924-1936) , “தமிழ்”, in Tamil Lexicon, Madras [Chennai]: Diocesan Press.