Nellai Tamil

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Nellai Tamil, also known as Tirunelveli Tamil, is one of the dialects of Tamil which is spoken in the districts of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi as well as over the vast area of south Tamil Nadu which was once ruled by the Pandiya Kings. Nellai Tamil is also known as Thenpaandi Tamil. Thenpaandi Seemai refers to the part of a Pandya kingdom which includes the present day Tirunelveli and Tuticorin Districts.

Regions of Nellai Tamil

• Tirunelveli City
• Palayamkottai
• Tuticorin
• Virudunagar
• Tenkasi
• Panpoli
• Kovilpatti
• Ambasamudram
• Alangulam
• Sankarankovil
• Tiruchendur
• Srivaikundam
• Nazareth
• Udangudi
• Thisayanvilai
• Nanguneri
• kadayanallur
• Radhapuram
• Sathankulam

Words of Nellai Tamil

• Annaachi = address a known or unknown elder person
• Yemmaa = address a known or unknown female
• eppadi irukkeeva = How are you
• Chuvamthaana = are you doing well
• chuvamaa irukeyalaa = Are you doing well, Are you in good health
• un velaya pathutu pole = Mind your own business and go
• Elei= Dai, Hi dude
• ava[Aval]= she
• enga thooraama poreeya = are you going somewhere
• avan cholludhamle = He says
• naan cholludhamle dai = I am saying
• engittu[Enge] = where
• ingittu[Inge] = Here
• angittu[Ange] = there
• engittu ponaamle avan = where did he go
• andhaanikku = After that, so
• Kalavaani = Thief
• Avvuha[Avarkal] = Him (respectful form - III-person Singular), They (also used for III-person plural)
• seththa neeram[Konjam Neeram] = After some time
• chollya paaru - do your work
• nikki - waiting
• pessaati iru - keep quiet, be idle
• thinnu vae - eat dude
• Posamutti - thoughtless, Irritating
• kana neram - for a long time
• udayathila - at sunrise or early morning
• anthiku - at sun set or evening
• uchi velai - mid-day when sun is just above the head.
• choli - work
• thondi - a basket made of palyrah leaf to lift water from wells
• alavu panai - a male palmyrah tree (alavu=flower peduncle)
• paduva rascal - a mischievous trouble maker
• thevatti thadian - one who survive without doing any work
• thenda choru - a person who eats but not work or earn for it
• al(r)iyandam - irritating
• mundani - three mahani (1/16 of a measure)
• piruvai - female lamb or goat calf
• shenai - pregnant (animal)
• masakkai - fainting (mainly during pregnancy)
• sappani - lame legged
• sappunnu - without taste
• komattu - vomit
• chillatai - person of baad manners (also the netted fibre in petiole of palmyra leaf)
• chonkipayal - a useless person
• Aatha - Amma and or grandma
• manamketta pulaiappu - a shameful life
• choranai - self-esteem
• vetti paechu - a useless talk
• vakaram - crude or vulcar
• cherkai - association or friends
• muluhamal - (without shower) symptom of early pregnancy
• Kodai - temple festival (mostly in sudalai or amman temples)
• Kaniyan - a male dancer in woman dress (conventional dancers in sudalai or amman temple)
• padaiyal - cooked rice, meat and vegetables heaped in front of statues of sudalai or amman temple
• shenai idly - a stuffed (with pulses) idly prepared for pregnant ladies
• Kadu kaduppaga - bad mood with anger or irritation
• nonjan - a lean person
• vaya kadu - wetlands
• therikadu - red sandy soil tract (like a desert) in south tirunelveli
• Chevakadu - red soil dryland
• karisa kadu - black soil land (cotton belt)
• Vellavi - process of washing clothes using saline soil (bicarb) and steam by dhobies
• suttrumani - mangal sutra or thali or jewels worn by married ladies
• Aruthali - a widow (whose thali was cut)
• Ammanji - an innocent or childish
• vambu - trouble
• cumbam pullu - cumbu - pearl millet
• Cholam - sorghum grain
• mara curri - vegetable curry
• vilai - agricultural land ( like villa)
• Chunai - a stream ( Arunchunai katha sastha near Tiruchendur)

திருநவேலி - திருநெல்வேலி அண்ணாச்சி - பெரியோர்களை மரியாதையாக அழைப்பது

ஆச்சி : வயதான பெண்மணி - Elderly Women;. தமிழகத்தின் திருநெல்வேலி, தூத்துக்குடி மாவட்டங்களில் 'பாட்டி'யை ஆச்சி என்று அழைப்பார்கள். .

பைதா - சக்கரம் ( wheel; In maths (English) pie x Dia(meter) is circumference!!)

கொண்டி - தாழ்ப்பாள்

பைய - மெதுவாக

சாரம் - லூங்கி

கோட்டி - மனநிலை சரியில்லாதவர்.

வளவு - முடுக்கு,சந்து

வேசடை - தொந்தரவு

சிறை - தொந்தரவு

சேக்காளி - நண்பன்

தொரவா - சாவி

மச்சி - மாடி

கொடை - திருவிழா

கசம் - ஆழமான பகுதி

ஆக்கங்கெட்டது - not cconstructive (a bad omen)

துஷ்டி - எழவு (funeral)

சவுட்டு - குறைந்த

கிடா - பெரிய ஆடு (male)

செத்த நேரம் - கொஞ்ச நேரம்

குறுக்க சாய்த்தல் - படுத்தல்

பூடம் - பலி பீடம்

அந்தானி - அப்பொழுது

வாரியல் - துடைப்பம்

கூவை - an owl (bird of bad omen)

இடும்பு - திமிறு (arrogance)

சீக்கு - நோய்

சீனி - சர்க்கரை (Sugar)

மிதியடி - செருப்பு

தாளா - தட்டு

Movies featuring Nellai Tamil

Nellai Tamil has been used in a number of Tamil movies. Some of them are

• Achamillai Achamillai
• Seevalaperi Pandi
• Dum Dum Dum
• Saamy
• Ayya
• Kovil
• Thamiraparani
• Roja
• Thirunelveli
• Kushi
• Sillunu Oru Kadhal
• Raman Thediya Seethai
• Pidichirukku
• Kannum kannum
• Dasavatharam
• Seval
• Thoothukudi
• Veeramum Eeramum
• Gentleman
• Anniyan
• Saadhu
• Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naatthu
• Punnagai Mannan
• Veelai Kedaiciruchu
• Tanneer Tanneer
• Angadi theru
• Rettaisuzhi
• Singam
• Raavanan
• Thevar Magan (madurai backdrop, has the song 'thenpandy seemayile')

See also

• Tamil language
• Sri Lankan Tamil dialects
• Tirunelveli

Bibliography

• A. Kāmāṭcinātan̲ (1969). The Tirunelvēli Tamil dialect. Annamalai University.