A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages c8.8

c8.8

At first sight the Tamil oṉṟu and the Canarese oṇḍu, and especially the Malayâlam oṉṉ’, appear to resemble the most common form of the Indo-European numeral ‘one,’ which is in Latin un-us (in an older form, oin-os); in Greek, ἕν; in Gothic, ain’-s. In the Koibal, a Samoïede dialect, there is a similar word for one—viz., unem; and we find in the Tungusian um, in Manchu emu. Even in Sanskrit, though êka is invariably used for one, a form has been noticed which appears to be allied to the first numeral of the Western languages—viz., ûna-s, less, which is prefixed to some of the higher numerals to express diminution by one (e.g., ûnavinśati, nineteen), like the corresponding prefix un in the Latin undeviginti. It would be an interesting circumstance if the Malayâlam oṉṉ’ and the Latin un-us were found to be allied; but the resemblance is, I believe, altogether illusory, and vanishes on the derivation of oṉṉ’ from or being ascertained. It is reasonable to suppose that the numeral adjective of the Tamil, oru, and its numeral noun oṉṟu, must be closely related. Now, whilst it is impossible, I think, on Dravidian principles to derive oru from oṉṟu, it will be shown that the derivation of oṉṟu from oru is in perfect accordance with Dravidian rules; and if the Malayâlam oṉṉ’ be simply an euphonised form of the Tamil oṉṟu, as it certainly is, every idea of the existence of a connection between any of these forms and the Latin un-us will have to be abandoned.