Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s6.t1: 7.5.1 In the Corpus
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s6.t1
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7.5.1 In the Corpus
c27.s6.t1.1
The distribution of consonants including clusters in the Corpus is summarised in Table 7.1. Examples of the distribution are listed below. Brief explanatory remarks on exceptional cases are added within brackets to the relevant entries.
c27.s6.t1.2
| k- | *kal* | 'stone' | 48.7 |
| -k- | *makaṉ* | 'son' | 20.2 |
| -kk- | *vaṇṇakkaṉ* | 'a clan name' | 85.3.b |
| -ṅk- | *peruṅkaṭuṅkōṉ* | 'a personal name' (only in sandhi) | 61.9 |
| c- | *cuṉai* | 'spring' | 84.6 |
| -c- | *muciṟi* | 'a place name' | 56.3 |
| -cc- | *kaccavaṉu* | 'a personal name' (loanword) | 119.2.a |
| -ñc- | *añci* | 'a personal name' | 59.2.d |
| -ṭ- | *koṭu* | 'given' | 10.4 |
| -ṭṭ- | *koṭṭupi(t)tōṉ* | 'he who caused to be carved' | 8.3 |
| ṇ- | *ṇākaṉ* | 'a personal name' (*ṇ*- due to influence of Pkt.) | 72.1 |
| -ṇ- | *amaṇaṉ* | 'Jaina monk' | 24.1 |
| -ṇ | *veṇ-* | 'pure, bright' (only in sandhi) | 14.1.a |
| -ṇṇ- | *aṇṇi* | 'honorific (fem.)' | 83.4.c |
| -ṇṭ- | *karaṇṭai* | 'cave' | 51.1 |
| -ṇk- | *veṇkāsipaṉ* | 'a personal name' (only in sandhi) | 14.1 |
| -ṇp- | *veṇpa(!)li* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 46.1 |
| t- | *tanta* | 'who took (in battle)' | 73.3 |
c27.s6.t1.3
| -*t*- | *mutā* | 'elder, senior' | 61.1 |
| -*tt*- | *eḻuttu* | 'letter (of the alphabet)' | 85.1 |
| *n*- | *nūṟu* | 'hundred' | 16.3 |
| -*n*- | *veni* | 'a personal name' (-*n*- error for -*ṉ*(*ṉ*)-) | 70.2.a |
| -*n* | *atiyan* | 'a personal name' (-*n* error for -*ṉ*) | 59.2.a |
| -*nn*- | *aṉacaṉaṉ-nōṟṟa* | 'who observed the penance of fasting' (only in sandhi ) | 116.2-3 |
| -*nt*- | *tantai* | 'father' | 2.8 |
| -*nm*- | *tanmaṉ* | 'a personal name' (only in a loanword; -*n*- probably error for -*ṉ*-) | 45.1 |
| *p*- | *piṟanta* | 'who was born' | 49.3 |
| -*p*- | *ceyipi(t)ta* | 'which was caused to be made' | 65.5 |
| -(*p*)*p*- | *u(p)pu* | 'salt' (-*p*- not doubled in original) | 39.1.a |
| *m*- | *malai* | 'mountain' | 85.3.a |
| -*m*- | *ama* | 'who abide' | 48.6 |
| -*m* | *pēr-ay-am* | 'large tank' | 35.2 |
| -*mm*- | *kuṟummakaḷ* | 'young daughter' (exceptional doubling; alternatively, *kuṟum makaḷ*) | 65.3 |
| -*mp*- | *vēmp(u)-* | lit., 'neem'; part of a place name | 35.1.a |
| *y*- | *yāṟṟu* | lit., 'of the river'; a place name | 62.3 |
| -*y*- | *iḷayar* | 'a clan name' | 49.6 |
| -*y* | *matiray* | 'a place name' | 36.1 |
| -(*y*)*y*- | *a(y)yaṉ* | 'honorific' (-*y*- not doubled in original) | 55.5.b |
| -*yk*- | *poykai* | 'pond' | 102.2 |
| -*y*(*c*)*c*- | *āy(c)ca-* | 'part of a personal name' (-*c*- not doubled in original) | 55.5.a |
| -*yt*- | *ceyta* | 'which was made' | 49.7 |
| -*yl* | *e-iyl* | 'a place name' (-*iy*- error for -*yi*-) | 18.1 |
| -*yv*- | *kāyvaṉ* | 'a personal name' (-*y*- error for -*yi*-) | 104.2 |
| -*r*- | *ēri* | lit., 'lake'; a place name | 60.4 |
| -*r* | *iruvar* | 'two persons' | 48.5 |
c27.s6.t1.4
| *-l-* | *kala-* | 'a measure' | 16.4 |
| *-l* | *nel* | 'paddy' | 16.5 |
| *-ll-* | *nalli-* | 'a personal name' (part of a place name) | 66.1.a |
| *-lk-* | *ko(t)ṭalku* | 'for carving' | 12.2 |
| *-lp-* | *palpuli* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 118.1 |
| *-lm-* | *nalmula-ukai* | 'auspicious cave' (only in sandhi) | 17.3 |
| *-lv-* | *poṇ-kolvaṇ* | 'goldsmith' | 36.2 |
| *v-* | *vai(k)ka* | 'to endow' | 16.2 |
| *-v-* | *kavi* | 'cave' | 57.3 |
| *-v* | *av-* | 'those' (only in sandhi) | 45.3.a |
| *-vv-* | *avv-iru-a-ar-um* | 'those two persons also' (only in sandhi) | 45.3 |
| *-ḷ-* | *kiḷār* | 'a title' | 84.2 |
| *-ḷ* | *perumpokaḷ* | 'a place name' | 83.1 |
| *-ḷ-* | *iḷa-* | 'young' | 17.1.a |
| *-ḷ* | *makaḷ* | 'daughter' | 66.3 |
| *-ḷḷ-* | *paḷḷi* | 'hermitage' | 83.6 |
| *-ṟ-* | *aṟai* | 'rock'; part of a place name | 6.1.b |
| *-ṟṟ-* | *koṟṟi* | 'a personal name' (fem.) | 66.4.b |
| *-ṟk-* | *poṟkoṟṟi* | 'pet name of a cock' (only in sandhi) | 113.3 |
| *-ṟc-* | *mēṟcēri* | 'a place name' (only in sandhi) | 112.2 |
| *ṉ-* | *ṉākaṉ* | 'a personal name' (*ṉ-* error for *n-*) | 37.1 |
| *-ṉ-* | *paṉai* | 'palmyra palm'; (part of a place name) | 50.1.a |
| *-ṉ* | *poṉ* | 'gold' | 36.2.a |
| *-ṉṉ-* | *kuṟṟaṉṉ-aṟu(p)pitta* | 'caused to be carved by Kuṟṟaṉ' (in sandhi) | 63.4.b-5 |
| *-ṉṟ-* | *kuṉṟu* | 'hill' | 73.5 |
| *-ṉk-* | *teṉku* | 'south' | 49.5.a |
| *-ṉv-* | *poṉ-vāṇikaṉ* | 'gold merchant' (only in sandhi) | 69.2 |
c27.s6.t1.5
| Initial | Medial | Final | Geminates | Homorganic nasal+ stop | Other clusters |
| *k-* | *-k-* | | *-kk-* | | |
| | | | | *-ṅk-* | |
| *c-* | *-c-* | | *-cc-* | | |
| | | | | *-ñc-* | |
| | *-ṭ-* | | *-ṭṭ-* | | |
| *ṇ-* | *-ṇ-* | *-ṇ* | *-ṇṇ-* | *-ṇṭ-* | *-ṇk-* *-ṇp-* |
| *t-* | *-t-* | | *-tt-* | | |
| *n-* | *-n-* | *-n* | *-nn-* | *-nt-* | *-nm-* |
| *p-* | *-p-* | | *-(p)p-* | | |
| *m-* | *-m-* | *-m* | *-mm-* | *-mp-* | |
| *y-* | *-y-* | *-y* | *-(y)y-* | | *-yk-* *-y(c)c-* *-yt-* *-yl* *-yv-* |
| | *-r-* | *-r* | | | |
| | *-l-* | *-l* | *-ll-* | | *-lk-* *-lp-* *-lm-* *-lv-* |
| *v-* | *-v-* | *-v* | *-vv-* | | |
| | *-ḻ-* | *-ḻ* | | | |
| | *-ḷ-* | *-ḷ* | *-ḷḷ-* | | |
| | *-ṟ-* | | *-ṟṟ-* | | *-ṟk-* *-ṟc-* |
| *ṉ-* | *-ṉ-* | *-ṉ* | *-ṉṉ-* | *-ṉṟ-* | *-ṉk-* *-ṉv-* |
c27.s6.t1.6
Table 7.1. Distribution of consonants in the Early Tamil inscriptions in the Corpus.