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Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes Tamil linguistic tradition. Tamil is a Dravidian (and not an Indo-European) language, spoken mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka. The Tamils have developed an ancient and vigorous linguistic tradition of their own, with particular stress on the notion of “correctness”: the “correct” variety of Tamil is that which follows the traditional, prescriptive linguistic norms of grammar. The two characteristic conceptual features of indigenous Tamil linguistic tradition are the vision of the language as triune manifestation, and the notion of grammar as a fivefold hierarchically organized discipline. In reviewing the first half of the 20th century, four scholars should at least briefly be mentioned: S. Vaiyāpuri Pillai, R. P. Sethu Pillai, T. P. Minatcicuntaram, and M. Varataracan. Each of them was responsible for certain trends and developments in Tamil linguistic thought in modern times. Very important work on the Tamil language from the historical perspective appeared in 1965: T. P. Meenakshisundaran's: A History of Tamil Language. |
