Is Tamil a Unique Language

Answer 1

Dr.Kamil Zvelebil wrote about the uniqueness of Tamil.

"….early Tamil poetry was rather unique not only by virtue of the fact that some of its features were so unlike everything else in India, but by the virtue of its literary excellence; those 26,350 lines of poetry promote Tamil to the rank of one of the greatest classical languages of the world- though the world at large only just about begins realise it."

"There is yet another important difference between Tamil and other Dravidian Languages; the metalanguage of Tamil has always been Tamil,never Sanskrit. As A.K.Ramanujan says " In most Languages, the technical gobbledygook is Sanskrit; in Tamil, the gobbledygook is ultra-Tamil"

"…it is clear that Tamil Literature did not develop in a cultural vacuum, and that the evolution of the Tamil culture was achieved either in isolation, or by simple cultural mutation. The very beginnings of Tamil Literature manifest clear traces of Aryan influence - just as the very beginning of Indo-Aryan literature, the Rigvedic hymns,show traces of Dravidian influence. This, too, is today an undisputed fact."

"…Tamil cultural tradition is independent,not derived , not imitative; it is pre-sanskritic and from this point of view Tamil alone stands apart when compared with all other major languages and literature of India."

"…Tamil literature possess at least two unique features.

First, as has just pointed out, it is the only Indian literature which is, at least in its beginnings and in its first and most vigorous bloom,almost entirely independent of Aryan and specifically Sanskrit influences…..

Second: though sometimes qualified as a neo-Indian literature, Tamil Literature is the only Indian literature which is both classical and modern…."

Tamil is a very ancient language with several uniquenesses.

Here is a synopsis on the matter.

First something about Tamil.

Tamil is one of the oldest living languages in the world.

Its literature is very ancient.

Tamils have been very conscious about their language for some unknown reason. Because nowhere in the world, is any other race is so very sensitive about its own language.

Tamil is very special language.

The structure of Tamil is such that, word formation, versification, sentence structure, etc are unequalled.

One example, there is something known as 'palindrome'. A palindrome is a sentence which can be read backwards. 'Radar' is a palindrome. 'Able was I, ere I saw Elba' is another.

In Tamil, Thiru GnanaSambandhar has composed a whole hymn of 11 verses in palindrome. Each verse has two lines. This hymn is known as the 'Maalai MaaRRu Padhikam'. And all this without departing from the strict grammatical rules of Tamil poesy.

There is another type called 'nirOttagam'. In this composition, you use the letters which do not let the lips touch each other or let the lips to become tubelike. Thus you cannot use the letters 'm', 'p', 'o', 'u' 'v' 'au'. It the case of vowels, you cannot use their long form either, such as 'uu' 'oo'.

In another form called 'andhaadhi' the last word of the previous verse should be used to start the next verse. You have to compose 100 verses like that. It would be like a garland or chain. Abhiraami Andhaadhi is a famous one.

There is another peculiar style, where the same line is repeated. But each line would give a different meaning. This type of verse has four lines. In each of the lines, the same letters or words are repeated.

Let me give you a very simple example - take this phrase 'paNiyaaram thOsai'. These two are palakaarams that you eat. When combined, they become 'paNiyaarandhOsai'.

This can be split like this:

'paNi aaram thO saila...',

'paNi, aar, andhu, Osai...'

'paNiyaarandhOsai...'

'paNiyaar andho saivar..'.

This is known as 'yamakam'.

Answer 2

Yes, Tamil is considered a unique language with a rich history and distinctive characteristics. It has its own script and is one of the oldest classical languages in the world with a vast literature spanning centuries. Additionally, Tamil has a unique grammatical structure and sound system that sets it apart from other languages.