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About Google Book Search Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world’s books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at http://books.google.com/ 1 HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY A GRAMMAR THE TAMIL LANGUAGE, AN APPENDIX. BY C. T. E. -RHENIUS,- MISSIONARY, TINNEVELLY. Scronb Wftfon. MADRAS: PRINTED BY P. R. HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS. * 1846. INTRODUCTION. THEfollowing Grammar of the 'l'amil language waa composed several years ago. I had found the grarn- rnatical works, previously published, defective in various respects, espedally in regard to Syntax; and originally proposed to publish only a Treatise on Tamil compo- sition; but having been advised by various friends, to whom I submitted the manuscript, to add the other parts of Grammar and thus form at once a complete work, I yielded to their advice. In constructing the chapters on Orthography and Etymology, I have followed more the order of the native Grammars, than that of European languages, because I judged it expedient to introduce the student at once to the native manner of treating the subject; and to facilitate the study of the native Grammars themselves. I have,. however, everywhere noticed the difference between the Tamil and the European lan- guages, and in the Appendix given a translation of the English particles into Tamil, noticing various other differences between the English and Tamil idioms. It is not the object of the above observation to detract anything from the valuable works of Ziegenbalg, Beschius, and others. They did in their days what they could in Tamil literature, and we are greatly indebted to them for the degree of knowledge they have given us of the Tamil language. But they all have failed in giving us pure Tamil; they have mixed vulgarisms with grammatical niceties, and left us in .(. want of a regularly digested Syntax. The present work will, I trust, supply these defici- encies. It is not a Gramrnar of the high, or rather the poetical, Tanlil language; in order to study this, the learned Beschius' second work will still be neces- sary; but it is a Grammar of the vernacular Tamil, as it is spoken and written by well-bred Tamulians, yet so as to avoid the errors against Grammar which are found among them. It steers between the high and vulgar Tamil, avoids the intricacies of the former, and the barbarism of the latter. The student will, however, find notices of both interspersed in the work for his information, which will be useful to him when he either reads the poetical works or hears the common talk of the illiterate. The Tamulians have many classical books, and these are all in poetry. They are of two kinds; one is called @m&a;m~&,which comprizes the Grammars, such as Gpn&a;nLStulb, m&m&,&c. and the other is called @m&&tum&,which comprises books written according to the former, such as the Poems of ,&njm&m mri, mnmyturri, &c. Besides these two, there are other written books both in prose and po.etry, such as the d&&~mn$$p& qamm ; $6~1mn&&tuiuni~,aa;~$tuljun~&, &c. the authors of which are not known. And, lastly, there are translations into Tamil from the Samscrit Puranas and other stories, such as @~sSlbtun~$y~nmh,@!nun tumlb, ainipiq~nmlb,u&api@~lb, Cuna@ana&aimp, &c. From the poetical writings, Tamil style and diction, as used in common life, cannot be learned: because they contain so many old Tamil words, which are not at all in use now, and so many terminations and modes different from those in common conversation, that it is not at all intelligible, except after hearing the explana- tion of learned men; and even they cannot understand at once any poem written in that manner, without inuch difficulty. Those poetical writings contain indeed explanations in prose; and from them something more of Tamil style and diction may be attained; but they also differ much from the style used in civil life, and not unfrequently require another explanation to make them intelligible. The poems of 8sucun&&uir,qa;$@uriunl-&, &c. are much of the same cast as the former; they contain also vulgar expressions, not at all approved by the learned, simply to fill up the metre. As for the translations of stories from the Samscrit, the idiom may certainly be learned' 'from them to a consideiable degree ; but as the translators seem mostly to have been Brahmins, they have left many Samscrit words in them, and even followed in various instances the Samscrit idiom; not to mention many Tamil vulgar- isms, which they have embodied in their works. In all the Tamil books there are other errors of various kinds, owing to the circumstance of their being all in manuscript. No two copies agree together. The prose works of the learned Beschius have much of the same character. The Tamil idiom may, on the whole, be learned from them; but they contain vulgarisms. We can, on the whole, . understand what he means; but in many instances it will be impossible to analyse the sentence without meeting with difficulties. The copyists, however, may perhaps be charged with a great part of these errors. After what I have said, it will be asked, How then shall we acquire the proper Tamil idiom? I answer, That it can only be acquired by the assistance of a learned Native, who knows the native Grammars well, has had no practice in English and foreign composi- tions? possesses a clear and logically thinking intellect, and is no flatterer. With persons of this character I was early brought into connexion; and to this providen- tial circumstance must be attributed whatever degree of critical knowledge 1 have obtained. It will not be uninteresting to the reader to obtaiu some information about the history of the Tamil gram- matical works, of which the m&m& is the chief. The Madura Province, including Tinnevelly, is con- fessedly the seat of the purest Tamil. Towards Madras it becomes mixed with the Teloogoo and other dialects. About 500 years ago, when Pandiya Rajah was reigning at Madura, Agastier; the famous Muni of the Hindoos, lived; who, upon the desire of the king, wrote the first Grammar of the Tamil language; and called it a.He had twelve disciples whom he in- structed in the language ; one of them was Tolkapiyer, who appeared to be the most clever in acquiring it. Soon after, Tolkapiyer prepared another Grammatical work, called Ggn&a;nbdum&, of which the a;6$@um& was the basis. The former gradually sunk into oblivion, and is now lost, excepting the fragments contained in Tolkapiyer7swork. Sometime after, when Siyagangen Rajah reigned in Madura, urn mk@d,&smn& (Pavanandi Vittuvan) a learned man of the Jaina Sect, abridged the Tolkapiya Nul, and called it m&m&.