Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s22.t2: 6.22.2 Absence of voiced consonants in Tamil-Brāhmī
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s22.t2
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6.22.2 Absence of voiced consonants in Tamil-Brāhmī
c26.s22.t2.1
There are no voiced consonants in the graphemic inventory of the Tamil-Brāhmī script,² even though they are present in the Brāhmī script and known to the local scribes as proved by the exceptional occurrence of *dhammam*/*dhamam* in two of the earliest inscriptions (Nos. *1* & *2*). The presence of voiced consonants in contemporary Prakrit inscriptions on pottery from ancient Tamil sites like Arikamedu also shows familiarity with the full range of the Brāhmī script.³ And yet Tamil words in the Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions are written without exception employing only the voiceless consonants of the Brāhmī script in initial as well as medial (intervocalic and postnasal) positions as illustrated below:⁴
c26.s22.t2.2
² See section 5.5.
c26.s22.t2.3
³ For a list of Prakrit (including Sinhala-Prakrit) inscriptions on pottery from Arikamedu, see I. Mahadevan 1996a: p. 291.
c26.s22.t2.4
⁴ See Etymological Index: Dravidian (Appendix IV) for more examples.
c26.s22.t2.5
| (e.g.) | *perunkaṭuṅkōṉ* | 'a personal name' | 61.9 |
| | *neṭuñceḻiyaṉ* | 'a personal name' | 1.5 |
| | *toṇṭi* | 'a place name' | 10.2 |
| | *tantai-* | 'father' | 2.8 |
| | *-irumpoṟai* | 'a dynastic name' | 61.7.c-d |