Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s7: 6.7 TB-II system of medial vowel notation
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s7
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6.7 TB-II system of medial vowel notation
c26.s7.1
The characteristic features of this system are as follows.
c26.s7.2
1. The consonantal symbol is read either as basic or with the 'inherent' *-a* depending on the linguistic context.
2. There is therefore no separate marker for the medial *-a*.
3. The short horizontal stroke attached to the top right of a consonantal symbol stands only for the medial *-ā* as in the Brāhmī script.
c26.s7.3
*Examples:*
c26.s7.4
| Apparent reading | Actual reading (with TB-II notation) |
| **a ti ya na ne ṯu mā na a ña ci** | *atiyan neṭumān añci* 'name of a chieftain' (59.2) |
| **vi ya ka ka ṇa ko pa ṇa ka ṇa te va ṇa** | *viyakkaṉ kōpaṉ kaṇa tēvaṉ* 'name of a donor' (84.4) |
c26.s7.5
The Cēra inscriptions at Pugalur (Nos. *61* & *62*) are typical examples of the Tamil-Brāhmī script with the TB-II notation. The ambiguity in this system in distinguishing the basic consonant from the one with the 'inherent' *-a* was removed in the next stage (TB-III) with the invention of a marker (*puḷḷi*) for the basic consonant.