Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s3: 7.2 Phonemic inventory
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s3
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Contents
- c27.s3.t1 7.2.1 Vowels (uyir) — 2 parts
- c27.s3.t2 7.2.2 Consonants (mey) — 2 parts
7.2 Phonemic inventory
c27.s3.1
As the language of the inscriptions is Tamil, it is possible to set up the following phonemic inventory based on a comparison with Literary Tamil (LT).
7.2.1 Vowels (uyir)
c27.s3.t1.1
| | Front | | Central | | Back | |
| | Short | Long | Short | Long | Short | Long |
| High | *i* | *ī* | | | *u* | *ū* |
| Mid | *e* | *ē* | | | *o* | *ō* |
| Low | | | *a* | *ā* | | |
c27.s3.t1.2
The diphthong *ai* may be interpreted as *ay* (*Tol. Eḻu.* 56); cf. *-aiyaṉ* (55.3.b) and *-a(y)yaṉ* (55.5.b) occurring in the same inscription and also *koṟṟantai* / *koṟṟantay* (67.1 & 77.2) and *matirai* / *matiray* (24.2 & 36.1).
7.2.2 Consonants (mey)
c27.s3.t2.1
| | Stops (*valliṉam*) | Nasals (*melliṉam*) | Liquids (*iṭaiyiṉam*) |
| Velar | *k* | *ṅ* | |
| Palatal | *c* | *ñ* | *y* |
| Retroflex | *ṭ* | *ṇ* | *ḷ* *ḻ* |
| Alveolar | *ṟ* | *ṉ* | *r* *l* |
| Dental | *t* | *n* | |
| Labial | *p* | *m* | *v* |
c27.s3.t2.2
The velar nasal *ṅ* occurs in the Corpus only as an allophone of *m* before *-k* in sandhi. (e.g.) *peruṅkaṭuṅkōṉ* (*perum* + *kaṭum* + *kōṉ*) 'a personal name' (61.9).
Linked texts (1)
- Tolkāppiyam — Tolkāppiyar, Tamil