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Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s5: 7.4 Distribution of vowels

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s5

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7.4 Distribution of vowels

7.4.1 Initial

c27.s5.t1.1

All the 12 vowels can occur initially in Tamil (*Tol. Eḻu.* 59). All of them (except *ō* and *au*) occur initially in the Corpus:

c27.s5.t1.2

| a- | *aṟam* | 'charity' | 76.4 |
| ā- | *āka* | 'having become' | 61.13 |
| i- | *iruvar* | 'two persons' | 48.5 |
| ī- | *ītta* | 'which was given' | 59.3 |
| u- | *uṟai* | 'abode of ascetics' | 9.3 |
| ū- | *ūr* | 'village, town, city' | 19.2 |
| e- | *em* | 'our' | 19.1 |
| ē- | *ēva* | 'when commanded' | 76.2 |
| ai- | *aimpattēḻ(u)* | 'fifty-seven' | 116.1 |
| o- | *o(p)paṉ* | 'a personal name' | 79.1.a |

c27.s5.t1.3

The absence of word-initial *ō-* in the Corpus is not significant. Cf. *ōtalaṉ* 'a personal name' in the Tamil-Brāhmī legend on a ring (No. 2, Table 1.8).

7.4.2 Medial

c27.s5.t2.1

All the 12 vowels can occur medially in Tamil. All of them except *-au-* occur medially in the Corpus:

c27.s5.t2.2

| -a- | *kal* | 'stone' | 48.7 |
| -ā- | *kāttāṉ* | 'a personal name' | 58.2 |
| -i- | *kiḻār* | 'a title' | 84.2 |
| -ī- | *kīraṉ* | 'a personal name' | 65.4.a |
| -u- | *kuṉṟu* | 'hill' | 73.5 |
| -ū- | *nūṟu* | 'hundred' | 16.3 |
| -e- | *nel* | 'paddy' | 16.5 |
| -ē- | *vēḷ* | 'a title' | 32.1.c |
| -ai- | *tai(t)ta* | 'which was made' | 101.2 |
| -o- | *poṉ* | 'gold' | 36.2.a |
| -ō- | *kōṉ* | 'chief' | 73.4 |

7.4.3 Final

c27.s5.t3.1

All vowels can occur word-finally in Tamil (*Tol. Eḻu.* 69-70). This general rule is, however, subject to restrictions in respect of some consonant-vowels occurring word-finally (*Tol. Eḻu.* 71-77) considered below in section 7.6.2.2. Only the following 7 vowels occur in final position in the Corpus:

c27.s5.t3.2

| **-a** | *aṟutta* | 'which was carved' | 61.14 |
| **-ā** | *ītā* | 'behold!' | 2.4 |
| **-i** | *aṇṇi* | 'honorific (fem.)' | 83.4.c |
| **-u** | *koḻu* | 'ploughshare' | 43.1.a |
| **-ē** | *kuv-aṉkē* | 'to Kuvaṉ' | 1.2.c |
| **-ai** | *aṟuvai* | 'cloth' | 46.2.a |
| **-ō** | *kō* | 'king' | 61.6 |

c27.s5.t3.3

*ī* occurs word-finally in *visākī* 'a personal name' in a Tamil-Brāhmī inscription on pottery from Kodumanal (K. Rajan 1994: p. 76, Pl. 26).

7.4.4 Vowel clusters

c27.s5.t4.1

Vowel clusters occur in Old Tamil as further elongation (*aḷapeṭai*) of a long vowel by adding the corresponding short vowel in some grammatical forms or to meet prosodic requirements (*Tol. Eḻu.* 6). There is only one instance of an *aḷapeṭai* in the Corpus in the interjection *ittā-a* 'behold!' (1.4).

c27.s5.t4.2

However, there is a relative abundance of vowel clusters in the Corpus as mere juxtaposition of vowels. This phenomenon is due to the marked preference, especially in the earlier inscriptions, for the separation of word-segments and grammatical suffixes commencing with vowels (see section 6.18.2).

c27.s5.t4.3

There are 13 types of clusters with two vowels each in the Corpus as illustrated below:

c27.s5.t4.4

| **a-a** | *cēnta-a* | 'of Cēntaṉ' | 28.1.b |
| **a-u** | *muḻa-ukai* | 'cave' | 17.3.b |
| **ā-a** | *ittā-a* | 'behold!' | 1.4 |
| **ā-i** | *(ā)-iṉa* | 'who is' | 41.2 |
| **i-i** | *ti(ṭ)ṭi-il-* | 'a place name' | 33.1 |
| **i-ū** | *kā(p)pi-ūr* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 74.1 |
| **i-ō** | *ko(ṭ)ṭi-ōr* | 'they who carved' | 6.3 |
| **u-a** | *ku-aṉ* | 'a personal name' | 2.2.c |

c27.s5.t4.5

| u-i | *karu-iya* | 'which was carved' | 17.2 |
| u-ū | *karu-ūr* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 69.1 |
| e-i | *e-iyl* | 'a place name' (-*iy-* error for -*yi*-) | 18.1 |
| ē-i | *cē-iya* | 'which was made' | 2.10 |
| ai-ū | *vintai-ūr* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 57.1 |

c27.s5.t4.6

The only instance of a cluster of three vowels seems to be due to scribal error:

c27.s5.t4.7

| iru-a-ar(for iru-ar) | 'two persons' | 45.3.b |

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