Language Learning: Tamil
In this month’s Language Learning Series, we explore Tamil. A member of the Dravidian language family, Tamil is primarily spoken in India. It is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is also an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore with a significant number of speakers in Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, and South Africa. In the early 2010s more than 76 million people spoke Tamil.
In 2004 Tamil was declared a classical language of India. This means that it met the three criteria including: having ancient origins; being an independent tradition; and possessing a considerable body of ancient literature. Early Tamil writing was found from the 5th century BCE. There are now three distinguished periods: Old Tamil, Middle Tamil, and Modern Tamil.
Tamil writing evolved from Brahmi script. Grantha letters were also incorporated and the writing and letter has changed dramatically over time. A script known as Vatteluttu is also commonly used.
Spoken Tamil has also changed enormously over time. This has created a system where there are differences in the languages that are used in formal and written contexts. Additionally, there is a major regional variation between the form spoken in India and that spoken in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and its surrounding area.
Resource: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tamil-language
