'Maanthu' an Extinct Word Traced in Sangam Literature

High Technology Letters ISSN NO : 1006-6748

‘Maanthu’ An Extinct Word Traced in Sangam Literature

Dr. B. Jaiganesh Assistant Professor & Head, Department of Tamil, College of science and humanities SRM Institute of science and technology CHENNAI

Abstract:

Of the world’s ancient and classical languages, Tamil language stands apart with it being still in usage. But this language though is in usage and millions of people still read and write and converse in this language, it has some words in it which is no longer in usage. And this particular research paper concentrates upon one such word “maanthu” which had such a versatile usage during Sangam period but somehow over the ages it has got inexistant status in the language.

Keywords: Classical Language, Tamil, Extinct word, Sangam Literature,

The Celebrated Period for the Word “Maanthu”

Tamil is the only classical living language, which has sustained itself with not much loss of words. So many words evolve and many withers off in every language and that’s the mark of every classical language. Interestingly some words have a shift in their meaning and every day usage and yet will sustain in the language and some will altogether have extinction from the language. Listing out such extinct words which totally disappeared from use from the Sangam age till date is an effort is indeed a herculean task. Tamil being a language enriched with vocabulary with plenty of synonyms and the Thesaurus in Tamil language having the potentiality to give us a list of words with multiple meanings and many words with a single meaning, it becomes all the more difficult. But with the passage of time some of those beautiful words dissolved in the time and found extinct. One such word is maanthu [மாந்鏁]. And somehow it is impossible to reason out the cause of disappearance of these words extinct now.

Some words in Sangam literature have widened its usage and contexts; some words have diminished occurrence at present, whereas a word maanthu over used in Sangam classics now used nowhere. This article attempts to list out the usage of maanthu in Sangam literature. Maanthu is used in the meaning of consume a food or a drink. There are other words of the same usage namely, uNNuthal, matuththal, thinnuthal, arunthuthal, parukuthal, kutiththal, aarthal and so on. The word saappituthal [சாப்ꮿ翁தல்] which is used at large nowadays for eating and drinking is nowhere found in Sangam literature1. Concordance shows that uNNuthal [உண்迁தல்] is largely used [200+] for eating in Sangam literature

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At present to eat solids and drink liquids saappitu, uN, thin, kudi, arunthu parugu are used. Two thousand years back these words are used in the following manner:

In Sangam literature uN [உண் ] is used for eating in many places but kudi [埁羿] is used for drinking only in four places. This kudi is not at all used with the drinking of men but with animals and birds. Arunthu [drink]is rarely used for human beings but for the animals and birds. Parugu is the only verb used commonly for the drinking activity of human beings, animals and birds. The meaning of thin [鎿ன் ] has not at all changed in these centuries; it is used for biting and eating crispy snacks from Sangam literature till date. Maduththal is rarely used for drinking. All these words are still in use except maanthu. It is neither used in the same meaning nor in a different meaning3.

So, one can infer, that other than maanthu all other related words are still in usage.

History of ‘maanthu’

Although now ‘maanthu’ is not in use, in olden days it was used in many ways by the poets of Sangam age. Maanthu is found in the texts of eight anthologies like KuRunthokai, NhaRRiNai, Aghaa nhaanuuRu, Kaliththokai, AinkuRu NhuuRu and PuRa nhaanuuRu and ten idylls like KuRinji Paattu, Nhetunhal Vaadai and Porunhar AaRRuppadai. Its various forms such as maanthu, maanthi, maanthiya and maanthum are found in these mentioned Sangam texts.

Maanthu is used as a word denoting for eating and drinking by human beings, animals and birds.

Used for human beings

Maanthu is used in various forms in the eight anthologies and the idylls of Sangam literature. When human beings ate red rice, white rice, vaaLai fish curry with white rice, varaku rice meal, goose berry, fish curry, palm fruit the word maanthu is used.

maanthu is used for drinking toddy and not for any other liquid or liquor.

Used for animals

The word maanthu is used to refer when animals like deer, elephant, bull, boar, otter and fox eat solid food. In the songs of Sangam literature when the deer relish the tender stalks of the grass variety called aRuku, and when the elephants ate the stalks of Arundo donax and the flowers of Marsupium [vaenkai]; boars dug and consumed the tubers, otters enjoyed the fish food, fox ate the flesh the word maanthu had been used.

When the deer quenched its thirst and the cubs were breast fed the word maanthu has been used. In one occurrence a buffalo breast fed an elephant calf wherein also the same is used.

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Birds

maanthu is used for the birds eating too. When sparrows pecked on the grains, bats consumed gooseberries, swans swallowed tiny ayirai fish, crows had fish and the rice meal offered in worship rituals, parrots pecked on the millets and peacocks relished the fruits of the banyan trees the word maanthu is used by the Sangam poets.

Maanthu is also used to consume fluids like honey by the bees and blood by the crows.

Tabular columns showing the usage of Maanthu

The following tables are furnished to show the usage of the word maanthu in Sangam literature

1. The number of times, the word maanthu is used 2. The name of the texts and the number of the line of its occurrence. 3. Usage of its various verb forms 4. Its linkage with other words 5. Number of times used for solids and liquids for human beings , animals and birds

Table 1

Total number of occurrences in the Sangam texts. - 51

Sangam maantha Maanthi Maanthum maanthiyaa literature Eight anthologies 2 38 7 - Ten idylls - 3 - 1 Total 51

Table 2

Texts and lines of the occurrence of maanthu

Eight anthologies Maantha maanthi maanthum ainkuRu nhuuRu - - 165 -2; 263 -2 46-3; 187-2; 201- kuRunthokai 225-1 4;250-1;256-2;277- 170-3 3;317-2 60-6;195-2;213- naRRiNai - 4;258-6;304-1;352- - 6;386-3;388-8

akanhaanuuRu - 56-5;139-9;157- - 3;178-5;182-4;221-

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1;236-3;277-17;313- 14;336-6;346-15;348- 9;349-11 Kaliththokai - 109-2;121-4 - 61-6;67-6;209-4;361- puRanhaanuuRu 225-2 215-5 19;367-7;395-37 pathiRRu paththu - 12-18;81-21 -

Ten idylls Maanthi maanthiya Porunar aaRRuppadai 192 183 Nedunal vaadai 33 - kuRinji paattu 155 - Table 3

Textwise occurrence of different forms of maanthu

Eight anthologies maantha maanthi maanthiya ainkuRu nhuuRu - - 2 kuRunthokai 1 7 1 naRRiNai - 8 - aka naanuuRu - 13 3 Kaliththokai - 2 - puRa naanuuRu 1 6 1 pathiRRu paththu - 2 -

Ten Idylls maanthi Maanthiya

porunaraaRRuppadai 1 1

Netunalvaadai 1 -

kuRinjipaattu 1 -

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Table 4

Maanthu with other words

1 For Human beings – with solid and liquids

2 For Animals – with solid and liquids

3 For birds – with solid and liquids

1 For Human beings – with solid

People Maanthu People of riverside red rice [kuRu. 277-3], Hill side, farmers white rice [aka. 100-17], [naRRi. 258- and warriors 6] gooseberry [kuRu. 317-2] white rice with fish curry [puRa. 61-6] meat meal [PuRa. 395-37] proso millet, curd rice [puRa. 215-5] rice [naR. 60-6] toddy and meat [pathi. 12-18] fish [aka. 236- 3], palm fruit [puRa. 225-2] For human beings with People men liquids Toddy [aka. 157-3; 182-4, 221-1, 346- 15; 348 -9] [puRa. 209-4; 361-19;367-7] [Pathi. 81-21] [naR. 388-8], [kuRi. 155], [nedu. 33] Women Toddy [aka. 336-6]

2 For animals with solids

Animals Food Deer tender stalk of aRuku grass [kuRu. 256-2] Elephant arundo donax [kuRu. 170-3] Marsupium flowers [aka. 349-11]

Buffalo pink water lily, [aka.56-5] new flower [aka. 100-17] Bull grass [kali. 109-2]

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Boar tubers [aka. 178-5] millets [ainkuRu. 263-2 naRR. 386-3] Fox fruits [naRR. 213-4] Meat [naR. 352-6] For animals with liquids Deer water [KuRu. 250-1] [aka 139-9] Deer cub milk [kuRu. 187- 2, 225- 1] Cub of the elephant breast milk [aka. 165-5]

3. Birds with solids Sparrow grains [kuRu. 46-3] Bats gooseberry [kuRu. 201-4] Swan ayirai fish [puRa. 67-6] Birds prey [kali. 121-4] Crows fish [ainku. 165-2] rice as an offering [poru 183] Parrot millet [naRR. 304-1] Pea cock fruits of banyan tree [poru 192] Birds with liquids Bees honey [aka. 277 -17] Crows blood [aka 313 -14] Table 5

Total number of occurrences by people animals and birds in Sangam literature

Consumer type of food no. of occurrence Human being Solid 11 Human being Liquid 13 Animals Solid 12 Animals Liquid 5 Birds Solids 8 Birds Liquid 2

The above tabular columns show the usage of the verb maanthu in 51 instances by the Sangam poets. Maanthu is used for human beings, animals and birds for consuming solids and liquids. The word maanthu is used in 11 places for the human beings eating solids and in 13 places for consuming liquids. Maanthu is used for the animals consuming solids in 12 places and liquids in 5 places. For the birds the verb Maanthu is used in 8 places for them consuming solids and in 2 places the word Maanthu is used to denote their consuming liquids.

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The word Maanthu which is unused in any part of Tamilnadu or by any Tamil speaker in the world was once excessively used in Sangam age. This glorious past of this extinct word needs a documentation so the posterity realizes how next to the verb uN [உ迍] this verb maanthu was used in various situations has totally go erased off all the minds the users of this classical language.

Notes

1. It is difficult to trace this verb’s origin and occurrence earlier than that. This verb is neither found in other Dravidian languages. It is not found in the entries of Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 2. Pulavar Maniyan, Sanga Ilakkiya vinai vadivankaL , pp 63-65 3. P.R. Subramaniyan, B. Ilamaaran, mayil akavum kuyil akavumaa? Sanka ilakkiyankaLil sol iNaikaLin nilai, puthiya panuval pp24-28

Bibliography

1. P.R. Subramaniyan, B. Ilamaaran, mayil akavum kuyil akavumaa? Sanka ilakkiyankaLil sol iNaikaLin nilai, puthiya panuval, quarterly, October, 2011.

2. Pasupathi, ma.vae., semmozhi thamizh ilakkaNa ilkkiyankaL , Thamizh University, Thanjaavuur, 2010

3 Pulavar Maniyan, [thokuppum pakuppum] Sanga ilakkiya vinai vadivankaL, Dravidian Linguistics Association, Thiruvananthapuram, 2007. 4 Maathaiyan, pe., sanka ilakkiya sollataivu, thamizh University, thanjaavuur, 2007 5 Thomas Lehmann & Thomas Malten [comp], A word index for Sankam Literature, Instt. of Asian Studies, Chennai, second ed, 2007 6 Burrow, T., Emeneau, M.B. (ed.), A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary, Oxford, Second ed., 1984. 7 Oxford Collocations, Dictionary for Students of English, Oxford University Press, 2002.

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