We all know the most of the today's languages evolved as hybrids from the old languages. One young fold example is Hindi. It is a hybrid of many languages in the Asia Minor.
I believe, English is also evolved from French and latin. Even now, in any dictionary for any english word there will be a refernce to latin or french word.
In that way, Tamil also has contributed many words to English. I believe that this could have happened after Britishers came to India. But, any idea if English language derived some words from Tamil before that ?
Also, do anyone have information about the age of English language ?
I read somewhere: "When Vasco-do-coma landed at Kerala coast, he saw Ladies selling Cashnewnut(Munthuri) in the streets.. Curious to know what it is, as Vasco-do-coma hadn't seen those nuts earlier, he approached a Lady there asking "what was that" But the Lady without knowing what he was asking, had replied thinking that he may buy "Kasunnu ettu (meaning eight for a kasu)"
Vasco-do-coma thought that as the name, exclamied "Oh..Kasunuett!!!" thus framed the name "cashnewnut".
I don't know the trueness of this..but seems to be acceptable..
when the settlers asked the aborigines what the name of the kangaroo was they replied " i dont know( kanga roo in aboriginal language)
that name stuck
venketesh > > I read somewhere: > "When Vasco-do-coma landed at Kerala coast, he saw Ladies selling > Cashnewnut(Munthuri) in the streets.. Curious to know what it is, as > Vasco-do-coma hadn't seen those nuts earlier, he approached a Lady > there asking "what was that" But the Lady without knowing what he > was asking, had replied thinking that he may buy "Kasunnu ettu > (meaning eight for a kasu)" > > Vasco-do-coma thought that as the name, exclamied "Oh..Kasunuett!!!" > thus framed the name "cashnewnut". > > I don't know the trueness of this..but seems to be acceptable.. > > With regards, > Raj. > > > --- In ponniyinselvan@yahoogroups.com, "Arun Krishnan"
the cashew was introduced by the portugese in indai. so that story is obviouslywrong
The Cashew is native to northeastern Brazil, where it is called by its Portuguese name Caju (the fruit) or Cajueiro (the tree). It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples. Originally spread from Brazil by the Portuguese, the cashew tree today can be found in all regions with a sufficiently warm and humid climate.
This shows that the English language had developed such a huge vocabulary by just "borrowing" from other languages...
You are right about that, Suganya. This is the spcific reason that English has such a wide spread use and hence lives on. The rate at which the English language adopts word from other languages is amazing. The reason why other languages are finding it difficult to survive is beacuse of their lack of adaptability. Tamizh is one such example.How many words has Tamizh adopted from other languages (foreign or Indian) in the past 30 years? The caretakers of the English language add words on a regular basis so that the language remains in the pink of health. Just go through the Oxford dictionary and you would see words like Chicken Tikka,Desi,etc. Can anybody elaborate on the number of words the Tamizh language has adopted in the past 30 years or so? Who has the authority to do this? Dinosaurs became extinct because they could not adapt to their environment. We should ensure Tamizh adapts to the modern Internet era.
We claim that Tamil is a classical language and has not undergone much changes in the alphabets for 2 million years.
This pride can be a crown only if we dont adapt any, from other languages and maintain our originality.
So, its what we want to own the originality or adaptability which makes the users domain wider.
Though we say that Tamil is classical and oldest, we have numerous sanskrit words mixed in Tamil language now. Excusing the colloquial spoken language, the present literary Tamil also has lot of sanskrit words.
> > We claim that Tamil is a classical language and has not undergone much > changes in the alphabets for 2 million years.
20 lakh years ago our anscestors were jumping from tree to tree.
so tamil cant be so old.
can any body list when the first use of tamil could have been reasonably speaking kal thondri man thondraaa kalathE... seems a little too far fetched
"oldest need not mean the best"lingual patriots should realise.
> > This pride can be a crown only if we dont adapt any, from other > languages and maintain our originality. > > So, its what we want to own the originality or adaptability which > makes the users domain wider. > > Though we say that Tamil is classical and oldest, we have numerous > sanskrit words mixed in Tamil language now. Excusing the colloquial > spoken language, the present literary Tamil also has lot of sanskrit > words. > > > --- In ponniyinselvan@yahoogroups.com, "Rahul dhinakaran"
It is not necessary for any language to adapt words from other languages to survive. The english spreaded because of various factors. Not only by adapting words.
Already thamizh has rich vocabulary and not in a position to borrow words from any other language except the new inventions. The problem is with the people who unnecessarily mix other language words while speaking and writing. Why should we use the word 'night' when we already have the word 'iravu'? It is because of the corrupted value system.
The fear that thamizh will extinct over a period of time is unnecessary. It is possible that people lived 6 or 7 centuries back would have feared that thamizh literatures may extinct because of invasions. Inspite of that, didn't we have U.Ve.Sa the great to make sangam literatures revive? Why centuries ago? Just 10 years back, people thought that thamizh has nothing to do with internet. But because of some key steps taken by tamil.net and project madurai team and murasu, eKalappai kind of initiatives made thamizh to be the second largest language in the internet.
Someone from somewhere in the globe will contribute to thamizh till the last thamizhan survives.
The purpose of Language is to communicate �� effectively and efficiently.
We have both Tamil �� Classical and Tamil �� Colloquial. In our colloquial language we discreetly use words from various languages. But Classical Language is something different. We have to retain its originality. We can definitely coin new words but we can not take words as such for the language.
As rightly mentioned by Kamal, Tamil is new and young on internet.
Development of Tamil Language would predominantly depend upon more and more use of ��Pira Mozhi Kalavaadha Sorkal��. It is highly possible in Vazhakkuth Thamizh also.
Yes Rightly Said.People think it is a fashion to mix English words while speaking in Tamil.Also most people think it is the way to show their english knowledge.
Hi, I am surprised when i read that the werd HANUMAN originally goes from Tamil "AAN MANDHI" which means male monkey & the word "PUJA" is from tamil "POO SEI"(worship with flowers) or "POOSU"(as we do when sacrificing animals). I always wonder why Tamil does not have more than one form of a letter(as in ka, kha, ga, gha of devanagiri script). i hope all indian languages other than tamil has four forms. sometimes reading becomes difficult with one form of letter(is it pottu or bottu; palli (lizard) or balli). May be these words are not Tamil but borrowed from some other languages.
I received one mail which I have pasted below. I found such messages in several groups, threads (through search). Titled as ��Proud to be with Indian System��, the message states, "I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation." - Macaulay, British Parliament,1835
The statement purported to be mentioned be Lord Mecaulay was to be discarded on account of two obvious reasons.
1. Mecaulay was in India from 1833 to 1839. This speech could not have been made in the British Parliament in 1835.
2. Even we assume that the year may be wrong, the statement that ��I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre,�� can not be correct, when the state of affairs during that period.
I doubted the message and gone for searching the web and found the following interesting link. It is the famous, Minute by the Hon'ble T. B. Macaulay, dated the 2nd February 1835.
The point I would like to make is that English language in India was inflicted upon Indians only by this great man. In his minute he was categorically saying that the languages in India is not useful for disseminating good education. He concluded that, ��We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, --a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population.��
This minute of Lord Mecaulay was the base for what we are. We still admire and adhere to the education system that creates a class of persons Indian in Blood and Colour but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect. I think Lord Mecaulay achieved what he wanted.
While i was browsing through Britannica Enclpdia i have found a fact. " anaconda " This word derived is from tamil word 'annai konda" means " one which can consume elephant"