Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s17.t1: 7.15.1 Addition of glide -y-

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s17.t1

Language: English

7.15.1 Addition of glide -y-

c27.s17.t1.1

The glide *-y-* is inserted between two vowels when the preceding one is a front vowel or the diphthong *-ai*.

@ *karu-iya* 'which was carved' 17.2
*karu(k)kiya* 'which was carved' 112.4
*ko(t)tiy-avaṉ* 'he who engraved' 4.3
@ *cē-iya* 'which was made' 2.10
*tāyiyaru* 'mother' (honorific singular) 83.3
† *na(l)li-y-ūr* 65.1.a-b
† *nalli-y-ūr* 66.1.a-b
*uraiyuḷ* '(in) the abode (of ascetics)' 60.2.a-b
† *eḷai-y-ūr* 34.1.a-b
† *mukaiyuru* 112.1.a-b

c27.s17.t1.3

@ In these cases, the glide does not occur after the stem, but occurs after the past tense marker.

c27.s17.t1.4

† In these cases, *-y-* may also be considered as the paragogic suffix added to nouns ending in *-i* or *-ai*.

c27.s17.t1.5

*Exceptions*

c27.s17.t1.6

In the following 2 items, addition of the glide *-y-* is exceptional in the place of the glide *-v-* prescribed by traditional grammar.

c27.s17.t1.7

*iḷayar* 'a clan name' (Cf. LT *iḷaiyar*) 49.6
*mēṟcēriku-y=āṭi* 'having fought for Mēṟcēri' 112.2.b-3
In this case the preceding dative suffix *-ku* was probably pronounced *-ki* being influenced by the front vowel preceding it, leading to the use of the glide *-y-*.

c27.s17.t1.8

There are also cases where the glide *-y-* is absent resulting in a vowel-cluster at the junction.

c27.s17.t1.9

| *(ā)-iṉa* (cf. LT *āyiṉa*) | 'who is' | 41.2 |
| *veṇi* (*veṇṇi*) *ātaṉ* | | 70.2.a-b |
| *ti(ṭ)ṭi-il* | | 33.1.a-b |
| *kā(p)pi-ūr* | | 74.1.a-b |
| *ko(ṭ)ṭi-ōr* | 'they who carved' | 6.3 |
| *cē-iya* | 'which was made' | 2.10 |
| *antai ariyti* | | 25.1. a-b |
| *antai a(s)sutaṉ* | | 3.7.a-b |
| *antai irāvataṉ* | | 26.1.a-b |
| *viṉtai-ūr* | | 57.1.a-b |