Iniya Thamizh Puthandu Vazhthukkal...been travelling in US and teaching in fRance and just got back. Fortunately before the no fly zone of the Icelandic Volcano eruption!!
Princess
Belated Birthday Wishes...
Pavithra blogs as princess kundavai...critic and author....co proof reader of mine in the PS electronic conversion for project madurai....translator of Kalki's SS
Vairam!
That was a great piece of work
Shankar Narayan!
Amazing stuff
SPS!
I really admire your tenacity and enthusiasm amidst your busy schedule to respond to each and every mail!!
Kathie!
Dont worry we will teach you tamil.....btw did try the famous new england clam chowder in california though!
Its really a great honour to be shown around the Bigtemple by Kudavoil Balasumdramaniam sir and I had the pleasure Thanks to our SPS....
Satish!
I totally agree with you....the emphasis must start at thome where kids should be encouraged to read tamil either as first or second and not be given the option of soft second language...
I remember once we decided to talk in chaste tamil for a week...Imagine the response from the PTC conductor when we asked ...' Nadathunare..Devi Thiraiangathirku pathu payanaseetukal tharungal''...
Those were the days!
Will catch up
Sri
If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin, Into his nest again, I shall not live in vain. Emily Dickinson
I fully agree with Sree. We have to start it young. One of my tamil teacherused to speak only in Tamil. he took us for a competition to Pudukkottai and we had food in a hotel. ( near the arch- demolished now)
We asked for "Sirappu Dosai" ( spl dosai.) The teacher refuced to use the word spl. It took 10 minuted for the server to understand.That hotel is clsoed now. Till last year, the owner used to say "Sirappu Dosai" whenever i go that hotel.
One of the ex MLA of karaikudi - used to call the gang as " verahu vandi".
Story: Once that teacher was standing in sekkalai busstand. An old lady asked him to tell, when the express bus to Trichy ( very limited those days. Non stop services) comes. The bus came. The teacher told the lady - amma - "viraivu vandi ". The lady heard it Virahu vandi. Thought that it carries Virahu. ( logs) She patienly waited for another 15 mts and asked again. Another person said, it left 15 mins back and imagine the chaos.
Dear Sir, >>I remember once we decided to talk in chaste tamil for a week... This reminds me also the times during my college days when me & best friend decided to converse only in chaste Tamil and not to use any words from other languages esp. English... This we did for almost one week... In the beginning, our classmates used to look at us as if we are some weird creatures :-) but later they were also interested in listening to us.... However, finally my friend gave up, since she found it very difficult to converse in chaste Tamil! RegardsVardhini
The problem in speaking chaste Tamil are imprudent translations and lack of enough vocabulary.
Let me analysis some of the words in tamil equivalent to words of other languages in daily usage:
Cinema: Therai padam
The Word “cinema’ is ONE word in English. For that our tamil scholars have compensated with TWO words in tamil – therai-padam.
Let us see this in other way. The word “Therai” means “Screen” and “padam” means picture. Therefore, if we put “therai padam” in English the equivalent word would be “Screen Picture”
The Dictionary meaning for the word “cinema” would be “a (motion) picture on screen”. Our tamil scholars have found and coined tamil word only for this “dictornary meaning” but not for the very technical word “cinema”.
So, if my dear friend Mr. Kuppan or Mr. Suppan, wants to express his willingness to watch a movie, he would PREFER English than to Tamil. Because in English he needs only ONE word but in tamil he has to use TWO words.
OLD WORDS:
But our earlier tamil scholars were prudent in trasalation and coining new words. Eg. For “drama” they coined a word “Nadakam”. Please note that Mrs.Kuppan or Mrs. Suppan will use “nadagam” rather “drama”. It is a one word magic.
More Examlple:
I can give more examples in this line.
Photo – Pugai –padam ……. Pugai means “smoke” and padam means “picture”
Bus – perunthu ie Periya + oonthu
Ticket – Payana – cheetu…….payanam means “travel” and “cheetu” means “receipt”
Cheque – kaasu+olai
Theatre – therai + arangam
Train – pugai + vandi…..now there is no steam engine
Flight – vaan + oorthi
Camera – pugai+pada+karuvi…..?????
The list will be very long….my dear friends can analysis on their own
Abbreviations:
In English we have a custom of using abbreviations even in spoken language:
Television – T VAir Conditioner – A CSTD/ISD/PCOElectricity Board – EB
But we are not having such custom in Tamil spoken language
Concatenate:
In English there in another custom of using part of the word to denote one whole object. Such as “cell” for cell phone; “collector” for “district collector”; etc etc.
Therefore, unless we coined some simple words in tamil people would not prefer to use the language. Further, speaking pure tamil means not using the style as what the old tamil films had. Even in English people not using the pure English, the current English language is colloquial. Therefore, for getting tickets in city bus we can use “DEVI kaatchiagam paathu cheetu kudunga” (I took the privilege of coining a word “Kaatchiagam” for “theatre”) We need not to call “Ayya nadathunare..” because in English we would not call “excuse me conductor” to get ticket, we simple ask him the ticket by tendering money.
If we have the real intention of speaking pure Tamil, then we CAN. Please do not bluff, what will happened if we use in city bus …”ayya nadathunare..” etc etc.
As far as I am noticed, tamil peoples form Sri Lanka, speaking pure tamil without mixing English. Did any one noticed???
AN ACHIEVEMENTS;
If we notice we have drastically banished some of the north Indian words from Tamil. Early to 1980s, people used the word “baakky” for balance money. But now we are easily using “meecha kassu”. Similarly, “bazaar”, “busthagam”, and many other words have no place now in Tamil. I can give more example.
Therefore, I am once again retreating when there is a will there is a way.
The problem in speaking chaste Tamil are imprudent translations and lack of enough vocabulary.
Let me analysis some of the words in tamil equivalent to words of other languages in daily usage:
Cinema: Therai padam
The Word "cinema' is ONE word in English. For that our tamil scholars have compensated with TWO words in tamil therai-padam.
Let us see this in other way. The word "Therai" means "Screen" and "padam" means picture. Therefore, if we put "therai padam" in English the equivalent word would be "Screen Picture"
The Dictionary meaning for the word "cinema" would be "a (motion) picture on screen". Our tamil scholars have found and coined tamil word only for this "dictornary meaning" but not for the very technical word "cinema".
So, if my dear friend Mr. Kuppan or Mr. Suppan, wants to express his willingness to watch a movie, he would PREFER English than to Tamil. Because in English he needs only ONE word but in tamil he has to use TWO words.
OLD WORDS:
But our earlier tamil scholars were prudent in trasalation and coining new words. Eg. For "drama" they coined a word "Nadakam". Please note that Mrs.Kuppan or Mrs. Suppan will use "nadagam" rather "drama". It is a one word magic.
More Examlple:
I can give more examples in this line.
Photo Pugai padam . Pugai means "smoke" and padam means "picture" Bus perunthu ie Periya + oonthu Ticket Payana cheetu .payanam means "travel" and "cheetu" means "receipt" Cheque kaasu+olai Theatre therai + arangam Train pugai + vandi ..now there is no steam engine Flight vaan + oorthi Camera pugai+pada+karuvi ..?????
The list will be very long .my dear friends can analysis on their own
Abbreviations: In English we have a custom of using abbreviations even in spoken language: 1. Television T V 2. Air Conditioner A C 3. STD/ISD/PCO 4. Electricity Board EB
But we are not having such custom in Tamil spoken language
Concatenate:
In English there in another custom of using part of the word to denote one whole object. Such as "cell" for cell phone; "collector" for "district collector"; etc etc.
Therefore, unless we coined some simple words in tamil people would not prefer to use the language. Further, speaking pure tamil means not using the style as what the old tamil films had. Even in English people not using the pure English, the current English language is colloquial. Therefore, for getting tickets in city bus we can use "DEVI kaatchiagam paathu cheetu kudunga" (I took the privilege of coining a word "Kaatchiagam" for "theatre") We need not to call "Ayya nadathunare.." because in English we would not call "excuse me conductor" to get ticket, we simple ask him the ticket by tendering money.
If we have the real intention of speaking pure Tamil, then we CAN. Please do not bluff, what will happened if we use in city bus "ayya nadathunare.." etc etc.
As far as I am noticed, tamil peoples form Sri Lanka, speaking pure tamil without mixing English. Did any one noticed???
AN ACHIEVEMENTS;
If we notice we have drastically banished some of the north Indian words from Tamil. Early to 1980s, people used the word "baakky" for balance money. But now we are easily using "meecha kassu". Similarly, "bazaar", "busthagam", and many other words have no place now in Tamil. I can give more example.
Therefore, I am once again retreating when there is a will there is a way.
If SPS amazes us by posting amidst his tight schedule, you never seize to amaze me by catching up all thats happening in the group, amidst your very busy schedules. Every time you write after a long gap, you cover all the threads happening in the group.... :)
Dear Sridhar, I'm not very good at languages. Glad you had the clam chowder. There are two common kinds: New York is red, w water base, tomatoes and other vegetables, New England is white, milk/cream base, w only potatoes, onions & seasoning. kathie
Including you - MOST of our members are fully engaged in Fields - other than History.. yet we are here sharing our happiness ...
Work .. Temple Visits in Cauvery delta .. PS Group.. thatz all.. for me.
Almost all of us (known to me atleast) like you, Sri, Vijay, Satheesh, Vairam, Muruganandam ........ (endless list) are also similarly spending whatever spare time only for our Group ..
I take your point and a lovely analysis and explnations...
the incident I recounted is true which happened in 1999...I have no reason to bluff!
Sri
If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin, Into his nest again, I shall not live in vain. Emily Dickinson
Wonderful analysis.. but your last statement....maybe we left out the words like 'Bazaar' and 'pusthakam', but got used to 'market' and 'book' instead...I dont think anyone is using 'kada theru' (again two wrods instead of one :) ) or 'Edu'/nool'.... Its actually bad to worse...
I regret for using the word "bluff". . My intention is not attached to the very meaning of the word, rather i could have expressed with other good words : I missed out "Kani eruka kaai kavarthadru..."
Further i am thanking you for encouraging my view on speaking pure Tamil.