HISTORY OF TAMIL

Tamil has a very rich history dating back to around the 2nd century AD. and is considered one of the longest existing classical languages ​​in the world. Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken mainly by the Tamils ​​of India. Tamil is perhaps the only modern Indian language still recognizable from its traditional past and comprising one of the richest literatures in the world. Tamil contains the oldest non-Sanskrit Indian literature among all other Indian languages.Legend of Tamil languageAccording to Hindu legend, Tamil or its personified form "Tamil Tai" (mother of Tamil) was created by Lord Shiva. Murugan (Lord Kartikeya) is revered as the Tamil god along with Sage Agasthya who brought it to the people.Origin of Tamil LanguageTamil is a Dravidian language originating from the Proto-Dravidian region. The proto-Dravidian language is believed to have been spoken around the 3rd millennium BC, probably in the lower part of the Indian peninsula in the Godavari river basin.According to experts and scholars, the history of the Tamil language can be classified into three. separate periods, as it is the so-called. Ancient history. about the Tamil language (300 BC–700 AD), the medieval history of the Tamil language (700–1600), and the modern history of the Tamil language (1600–present).Ancient history of the Tamil languageThe oldest writings in ancient Tamil are short inscriptions on pottery and caves that date from around the 2nd century BC. The scripts are made in deviation from the Brahmi script known as "Tamil Brahmi". Tolkappiyam, the oldest text in the ancient Tamil language, is a seminal work of Tamil grammar and poetry. The earliest layers date from the 1st century BC. Apart from Tolkappiyam, many other literary works of antiquity have also been found. The most prominent is the Sangam literature, consisting of 2,381 poems. The poems belong to the period between the 1st and 5th centuries, making Sangam literature the earliest available work of secular literature in India. "Manimekalai" and "Cilappatikaram" are two long epics which are among other well-known literary works belonging to the ancient Tamil language. In addition, many didactic and ethical texts written between the 5th and 8th centuries have survived.Medieval History of the Tamil LanguageThe medieval history of the Tamil language began around the 8th century and evolved from Ancient Tamil to the Middle Ages Tamil is characterized by many grammatical and phonological changes. Phonological changes were characterized by the practical disappearance of "Aytam". In terms of grammar, the most important change was the advent of the modern tense.Medieval Tamil also showed an increase in the use of Sanskrit in Tamil. After the reign of the Pallava dynasty, a number of Sanskrit loanwords appeared in Tamil, especially related to philosophical, religious and political concepts. Tamil grammar was influenced by the greater use of Sanskrit letters and the decline of nouns as auxiliaries to verbs and phonology. The Tamil script also changed during this time.Medieval Tamil appears in many inscriptions and in a large amount of religious and secular literature. They consist of religious poems and songs of Bhakti poets like Nalayira Tivya Pirapantam of Vaishnavism and Tevaram poems of Shaivism. They also include adaptations of religious epics such as the Shaivite Tale of 63 known as the Periyapuranam and the 12th century Tamil Ramayana written by Kamban. A 12th-century grammar called 'Nannul', which was a grammar of literary Tamil, and 'Iraiyanar Akapporul', an early treatise on love poetics, also come from medieval Tamil literature.

Modern History of the Tamil Language' Nannul' is still It is considered to be the foundation of modern Tamil literature into a normative grammar based on 13th-century medieval Tamil rather than modern Tamil. Spoken Tamil presents several changes. The negative conjugation of verbs has fallen out of use in modern Tamil, rather negation is expressed either syntactically or morphologically. Modern spoken Tamil also illustrates many sound changes, especially the tendency to drop high vowels in initial and medial positions, and the fading of vowels between declensions and declensions.

Both written and spoken Tamil has also been influenced by Indo-European languages, such as theirs. use of punctuation and consonant groups, which in medieval times was conceptually not allowed in Tamil.