[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.s8.t2 # Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s8.t2: 7.7.2 Consonants Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c27.s8.t2 - **Language:** English ### 7.7.2 Consonants ### [c27.s8.t2.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s8.t2.1) | \*k\* ~ Ø | \*makaṉ\* | \*makaṉ\* | 20.2, 40.4, 56.5.b, 61.8, 61.10, 62.8, 62.10, 72.2, 84.3, 88.5 | | | \*-māṉ\* | \*-mān\* (\*-n\* error for \*-ṉ\*) | 59.2.c | | | | \*-māṉ\* | 73.1.b | | \*ñ\* ~ \*n\* | \*ñāḻal\*, \*nāḻal\* | \*nāḷaḷ\* (\*-ḷ\* error for \*-l\*) | 77.1 | | \*ṭ\* ~ \*ḷ\* | \*iṭai\* | \*eḷai\* | 34.1.a | | | \*kaṭu-\* | \*kaṭu-\* | 61.9.b, 61.11.b, 62.9.b, 62.11.a, 62.11.d, 80.1.a | | | | \*kaḷu-\* | 44.1.a | | \*n\* ~ \*ṇ\* | \*nanti\* | \*nanti\* | 116.4.b | | | | \*ṇaṇti\* (\*n-\* due to Pkt. influence) | 115.3.b | ### [c27.s8.t2.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s8.t2.2) | Variation | LT | Corpus | Ref. No. | | | \*nākaṉ\* | \*nāka-\* | 56.1.a | | | | \*nākaṉ\* | 48.2 | | | | \*ṇākaṉ\* (\*ṇ-\* due to | | | | | Pkt. influence) | 72.1 | | \*n\* ~ \*ṇ\* | \*nākaṉ\* | \*ṇākaṉ\* (\*ṇ-\* error for \*n-\*) | 37.1 | | \*p\* ~ \*v\* | \*ipam\* | \*iva-\* | 60.1.a | | \*y\* ~ \*i\* | | \*kaṇi-y\* | 1.1, 2.1, 4.1 | | | | \*kaṇi-i\* | 3.1 | | | | \*pa(!)ḷi-y\* | 2.11, 15.1, 52.4, 77.3 | | | | \*pa(!)ḷi-i\* | 10.5, 46.1.b | | \*y\* ~ \*iy\* | | \*pa(!)ḷi-y\* | 2.11, 15.1, 52.4, 77.3 | | | | \*pa(!)ḷi-iy\* | 1.9 | | | | | | | \*y\* ~ \*yi\* | \*cey\* | \*cey\* | 49.7, 55.4 | | | | \*ceyi\* | 65.5, 73.7, 76.6, 83.5 | | | | \*siri-y\* | 2.2.b, 3.2.b | | | | \*siri-y-i\* | 1.2.b | | \*ya\* ~ \*yi\* | | \*kāyapaṉ\* | 61.4.b, 62.4.b, 63.2.b | | | | \*kāyipaṉ\* | 60.7.b, 76.1.b | | \*yi\* ~ \*iy\* | \*eyil\* | \*e-iyl\* (\*-iy-\* error for \*-yi-\*) | 18.1 | | \*yi\* ~ \*y\* | | \*kāyvaṉ\* (\*-y-\* error for \*-yi-\*) | 104.2 | | | | | | | \*vi\* ~ \*pi\* | \*koṭṭuvitta\* | \*koṭṭupitta-a\* | 1.8 | | | | \*koṭṭupi(t)tōṉ\* | 8.3, 9.4 | | | \*ceyvitta\* | \*ceyipi(t)ta\* | 65.5 | | | | \*ceyivitta\* | 83.5 | | | | \*cēvi(t)t-ōṉ\* | 18.3 | | \*ṉ\* ~ \*n\* | \*atiyaṉ neṭumāṉ\* | \*atiyan neṭumān\* | 59.2.a-c | | | \*veṉ\* | \*ven\* | 20.3 | ### [c27.s8.t2.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s8.t2.3) The use of the dental \*n\* for the alveolar \*ṉ\* is one of the commonest errors in inscriptional Tamil. See A. Velu Pillai (1976: pp. 11-12, p. 24, n. 5) for examples from early medieval inscriptions and for discussion. It is interesting that the falling together of \*n\* and \*ṉ\* had started even in the Early Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions as attested by 20.3. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s8.t2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c27.s8.t2) · Pramāṇa