Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s15.t2.8

c26.s15.t2.8

The diagnostic word in the list (item 8) is **ū pu** to be read as *u(p)pu* (with short and shortened *u* at either end) according to this rule: Apparently the shifting of the long *ū* symbol to represent the short *u* was for the purpose of leaving the short *u* symbol to represent the shortened *-u* in word-final positions. There are, however, no other such clear instances in the word list to confirm this hypothesis.