[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Archaeology, epigraphy and coins](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy) › [Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003) › c27.s7 # Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s7: 7.6 Distribution of consonant-vowels Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s7 - **Language:** English ## Contents - [c27.s7.t1 7.6.1 In the Corpus](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t1) — 2 parts - [c27.s7.t2 7.6.2 Comparison with Tolkāppiyam](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2) — 26 parts ### 7.6 Distribution of consonant-vowels ### 7.6.1 In the Corpus ### [c27.s7.t1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t1.1) The Tamil script is an alpha-syllabic writing system in which not only vowels and consonants but also consonant-vowels (\*uyirmey\*), open syllables of the CV type, are graphically represented as single letters (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 17-18). In theory, 216 consonant-vowels are possible by the combination of 18 consonants with 12 vowels. However, the actual number is less as some of the combinations do not occur in the language. ### [c27.s7.t1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t1.2) 101 consonant-vowels are attested in the Corpus out of a possible total of 198 (combinations of 18 consonants with 11 vowels). The distribution of consonant-vowels in the Corpus is summarised in Table 7.2. ### 7.6.2 Comparison with Tolkāppiyam ### [c27.s7.t2.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.1) 7.6.2.1 \*Initial ### [c27.s7.t2.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.2) (i) The 5 consonants \*k t n p\* and \*m\* may be followed by any of the 12 vowels initially (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 61). ### [c27.s7.t2.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.3) Only 36 out of these 60 consonant-vowels occur initially in the Corpus (See Etymological Index: Dravidian in Appendix IV). The smaller number appears to be due to the limited size of the Corpus, apart from the absence of the vowel \*au\*. ### [c27.s7.t2.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.4) (ii) \*ca\*, \*cai\* and \*cau\* do not occur initially (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 62). ### [c27.s7.t2.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.5) The following exceptions are found in the Corpus: ### [c27.s7.t2.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.6) \*\*\*caṭikaṉ\*\*\* 'a personal name' (2.7.b, 2.9). The name is not attested elsewhere. ### [c27.s7.t2.7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.7) \*\*\*caliyaṉ\*\*\* 'part of a personal name' as in \*\*\*neṭiñ-caliyaṉ\*\*\* (2.5) and \*\*\*neṭuñ-caliyaṉ\*\*\* '(1.5). The corresponding LT form is \*\*\*ceḻiyaṉ\*\*\*. ### [c27.s7.t2.8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.8) \*cam\*- 'good, beautiful' as in \*cam-pokal\* (105.1) and \*cam-poykai-pēṭu\* (101.1)' place names'. The corresponding LT form \*cem\*- also occurs as in \*ceṅkāyapaṉ\* (61.4), \*ceṅkuviraṉ\* (22.1) and \*cēntaṉṟaṉ\* (109.1) 'personal names'. ### [c27.s7.t2.9](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.9) \*caiy-aḷaṉ\* (\*caiyaḷaṉ\*) 'a personal name' (57.2), probably a loanword. See Commentary for discussion. ### [c27.s7.t2.10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.10) (iii) \*ñ\*- occurs initially only with \*-ā\* \*-e\* and \*-o\* (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 64). ### [c27.s7.t2.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.11) \*ñ\*- does not occur word-initially in the Corpus. However, \*nāḷal\* 'place named after a flowering tree' (77.1) is a variant of LT \*ñāḻal\* (-\*ḷ\* error for -\*l\*). ### [c27.s7.t2.12](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.12) (iv) \*y\*- can occur initially only with \*-ā\* (\*Tol. Eḻu\*.65). ### [c27.s7.t2.13](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.13) This restriction is observed in the Corpus. Cf. \*yāṟṟu\* (62.3) and \*yāṟṟūr\* (61.3) 'place names'. ### [c27.s7.t2.14](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.14) (v) \*v\*- does not occur initially with \*-u\* \*-ū\* \*-o\* and \*-ō\* (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 63). ### [c27.s7.t2.15](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.15) There are no examples to the contrary in the Corpus. ### [c27.s7.t2.16](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.16) 7.6.2.2 Final ### [c27.s7.t2.17](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.17) (i) No consonant-vowel ending in \*-e\* or \*-o\* can occur finally except \*-no\* (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 71-72). ### [c27.s7.t2.18](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.18) (ii) -\*ñē\* / -\*ñō\* and -\*nu\*/-\*nū\* do not occur finally (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 73-74). ### [c27.s7.t2.19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.19) There are no examples to the contrary in the Corpus except \*kaccavanu\*'a personal name' (119.2.a) in an Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscription where -\*nu\* is an error for -\*ṉu\*. ### [c27.s7.t2.20](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.20) (iii) -\*vu\* / -\*vū\* do not occur finally (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 74). ### [c27.s7.t2.21](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.21) There are no examples to the contrary in the Corpus. -\*u\* is added directly to the stems without the glide -\*v\*- in \*piṇa-u\* 'cleft (cave)' (3.8) and \*muḻa-u-kai\*'cave' (17.3.b). ### [c27.s7.t2.22](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.22) (iv) -\*cu\* occurs finally only in 2 words (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 75), which are identified as \*ucu\* and \*mucu\* in the commentaries. ### [c27.s7.t2.23](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.23) -\*cu\* occurs word-finally in the Corpus once in \*par-acu\* (\*paracu\*) 'a personal name' (9.2), probably derived from \*paracu\* 'to praise'. See Commentary for discussion. ### [c27.s7.t2.24](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.24) (v) -\*pu\* occurs finally in only one word with active or causative meaning (\*Tol. Eḻu.\* 76). ### [c27.s7.t2.25](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.25) The commentators identify the word as \*tapu\* 'to die, destroy'. From the examples in the commentaries, it appears that the rule relates only to words of more than one syllable and ending in short -\*u\*. ### [c27.s7.t2.26](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7.t2.26) The common word \*u(p)pu\*'salt' (39.1.a) occurs in the Corpus. This word is monosyllabic, ending in the shortened -\*u\* and hence presumably does not contradict the rule in \*Tolkāppiyam\*. ## Cites (1) - [Tolkāppiyam](https://indike.org/pramana/in.sangam.grammar.tolkappiyam) — Tolkāppiyar, Tamil --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s7) · Pramāṇa