Tamil language

Tamil language
Name	Tamil
Nativename	தமிழ்
States	India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia
Region	Tamil Nadu, Northern Province
Ethnicity	Tamil people
Speakers	~80 million
Familycolor	Dravidian
Fam2	Southern
Fam3	Tamil–Kannada
Fam4	Tamil–Kodagu
Fam5	Tamil–Malayalam
Script	Tamil script, Tamil-Brahmi (historical), Vatteluttu (historical)
Nation	India (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry), Sri Lanka, Singapore
Minority	Malaysia, South Africa, Mauritius
Iso1	ta
Iso2	tam
Glotto	tami1289
Glottorefname	Tamil

Tamil language. It is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia and the Tamil diaspora. Tamil is an official language in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and Singapore, and holds the status of a classical language in India. With a recorded history spanning over two millennia, it possesses one of the oldest continuous literary traditions in the world.

History

The earliest attested form, known as Old Tamil, is found in inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE and literature such as the Sangam literature anthologies. These works, compiled in academies called Sangams in ancient Madurai, include poetic texts like the Ettuthogai and the Pattuppāṭṭu. The language evolved through stages of Middle Tamil, visible in devotional texts of the Bhakti movement like the Tevaram and the Tirukkural, and into Modern Tamil from the 16th century. The development was significantly influenced by contact with languages like Sanskrit and later, Portuguese, Dutch, and English during colonial periods.

Geographic distribution

Tamil is a majority language in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a national language in Sri Lanka, predominantly spoken in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Significant Tamil-speaking communities exist as a result of historical migration and colonial labor, forming the Tamil diaspora in countries like Singapore, where it is an official language, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Réunion, and Fiji. Large diaspora populations are also found in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Classification and dialects

Tamil belongs to the southern branch of the Dravidian language family, making it a relative of languages such as Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu. Its major dialect variations are largely regional. The Central Tamil dialect, based on the speech of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur, is considered standard. Other significant dialects include the Kongu Tamil of the Kongu Nadu region, the Madurai Tamil dialect, the Nellai Tamil of Tirunelveli, and the Jaffna Tamil spoken in northern Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Tamil dialects differ in phonology and vocabulary from Indian varieties.

Writing system

Tamil is written in the Tamil script, an abugida that evolved from the Grantha script and earlier forms like the Tamil-Brahmi and Vatteluttu scripts. The modern script consists of 12 vowels, 18 consonants, and one special character, the āytam. A distinctive feature is the use of pulli (dot) to denote pure consonants. The script is used for writing the classical language, Standard Written Tamil, as well as modern colloquial forms. Historical inscriptions are found on temple walls and copper plates, such as those from the Chola dynasty and the Pallava dynasty.

Phonology and grammar

Tamil phonology is characterized by a series of retroflex consonants, like ṇ, ṭ, and ḷ, which are not found in Indo-Aryan languages. It is a diglossic language, with a stark difference between the formal, literary variety and spoken registers. Tamil grammar is agglutinative, relying heavily on suffixes to denote grammatical relationships. It follows a subject-object-verb word order and uses a complex system of honorifics. Traditional grammar is codified in the Tolkāppiyam, one of the world's oldest surviving grammatical texts, which details phonology, morphology, and syntax.

Literature and media

Tamil literature has a renowned classical corpus, beginning with the secular and heroic poetry of the Sangam literature. The post-sangam period produced the ethical treatise Tirukkural and epic narratives like Silappatikaram and Manimekalai. The medieval period was dominated by the devotional hymns of the Alvars and Nayanars. Modern literature includes the works of Subramania Bharati, Kalki Krishnamurthy, and recipients of the Jnanpith Award like Akilan and Jayakanthan. In media, a vibrant film industry, Kollywood, based in Chennai, produces hundreds of films annually, and there are numerous television channels, newspapers like Dinamalar and Daily Thanthi, and radio stations broadcasting in it.

Status and influence

It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was the first Indian language to be designated a classical language by the Government of India in 2004. It is the medium of instruction in schools across Tamil Nadu and is used in the administration of Sri Lanka. The language has influenced others in the region, contributing words to Sinhala, Malay, and even English (e.g., "catamaran", "curry"). Institutions like the Tamil Virtual University and the Central Institute of Classical Tamil work for its preservation and promotion globally.