Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s5.t1: 7.4.1 Initial
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s5.t1
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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).
Linked texts (1)
- Tolkāppiyam — Tolkāppiyar, Tamil