There are 2 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Tamil Dialects of Sri Lanka
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2. Re: Sanskritisation
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:38:40 -0000
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Tamil Dialects of Sri Lanka
The language is Tamil, as we have discussed in this forum, even the
Mukkuvas in Kerala began to speak standardized Malayalam only during
the last 100 years. Before that their language along with many of
others in Kerala was a form of Tamil.
Mukkuvas of Tamil Nadu still speak Tamil
A fact noticed by St. Xavier and other missionaries as they canvassed
amongst the Mukkuvas as converts.
-- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, "af7802" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
> Caste may have come from Kerala. How are the languages similar?
>
>
> --- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > Practically the Batticalao speech is the speech of the Mukkuva
> > community of South Tamil Nadu/Kerala as it was when the
immigration
> > happened.
> >
> > Let's look at a similar situation. The so called Taiwanese
language
> > is an ofshoot of the Fujian/Min dialect of Mainland China. Haklo
> > community makes up 80% of Taiwanese but their kin group in the
> > Fujian province is a sub dialect of the major Min dialect. But
this
> > little group spread across the whole of Taiwan.
> >
> > Similalrly for the Eastern region of Tamil Speaking Sri Lanka, it
> is
> > the influence of Mukkuva community whose kindred people today
> happen
> > to mostly dwell in South Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamil
> > Nadu, that is paramount.
> >
> > In Eastern hinterland this community formed the workers, feudal
> > lords, merchants and filled all possible niches but in the
process
> > did not overly become Sanskritised due to week political
controls.
> >
> > Their Tamil culture was based on "folk' Hinduism truer to its
Tamil
> > roots.
> >
> > But we also have to take onto account the Muslism portion of the
> > popultaion beacuse as of today they have become a strong element
> and
> > they share many cultural/linguistic relationships with their
Tamil
> > neibhours.
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, "af7802" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Very little research has been done on Batticaloa culture. It
is
> > > Sivathamby himself who has described how Agamas not used in
> > temples,
> > > and casteism is weaker.
> > >
> > > Prof. S. Suseendirarajah had written a brief article on
pronouns
> > in
> > > Batticaloa Tamil. He has shown that system of pronouns
displays
> a
> > > great similarity to Indian Tamil- only two demonstrative bases
> > > instead of three ("avar" & "ivar", but no "uvar"), little use
of
> > > intermediate respectful "niir" (in between polite niingkaL and
> > > impolite nii), and use of 3rd person pronouns more similar to
> > Indian
> > > Tamil.
> > >
> > > In the same article, he looked at assimilation. Whereas Jaffna
> > Tamil
> > > assimilates -nR- to -NT- (like 'enRu' to 'eNTu') and Indian
Tamil
> > > makes it to -nn- ('ennu'), Batticaloa will mix both
> assimilation.
> > He
> > > has hypothesized that Batticaloa Tamil is a more recent
> emigration
> > > than Jaffna from India, and one influence of Jaffna Tamil
dialect
> > is
> > > on this assimiation.
> > >
> > > Jaffna Tamil uses some Sangam Tamil words in day-to-day speech,
> > > like 'mukil' (cloud) and 'nirai' (row). Is Batticaloa
vocabulary
> > > similar to Jaffna?
> > >
> > >
> > > -AF
> > >
> > > --- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > > >
> > > > According to Prof Kathigesu Sivathamby, in his article
titled "
> > Sri
> > > > Lankan Tamil Society and Plitics". None of the Sri Lankan
Tamil
> > > > dialects are close to any of the standard Tamil Nadu Tamil
> > > Dialects.
> > > >
> > > > All Sri Lankan Tamil Dialects are variants of Tamil/Malayalam
> > > > Dialects used in Southern Tamil Nadu and South coastal Kerala
> > and
> > > > have evolved independantly in a regional manner in Sri lanka.
> > > >
> > > > --- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, "af7802" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > What is the history of Batticaloa? Why is their language
> > closer
> > > to
> > > > > Indian dialect than Jaffna? Why don't they follow Agamas
in
> > > temple
> > > > > worship. Why is casteism weaker?
> > > > >
> > > > > Are all these things just part of "high" culture, not
> > involving
> > > the
> > > > > masses?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:43:24 -0000
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sanskritisation
Following Agamas is part of the "high" culture.
--- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, "af7802" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> What is the history of Batticaloa? Why is their language closer to
> Indian dialect than Jaffna? Why don't they follow Agamas in temple
> worship. Why is casteism weaker?
>
> Are all these things just part of "high" culture, not involving the
> masses?
>
> --- In varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > Sanskritisation is a model that doesn't need a sizeable number of
> > Brahmins per say to take place. Jaffna was a kingdom with its
> > associated trappings of state power, rituals and rules. All were
> > modeled on what is at that time considered to be proper
governance
> > which included what we today ins anthropological terms call as
> > Sanskritisation
> >
> > Batticaloa was never fully integrated into this socio –political
> view
> > point because most of the area was semi independent and came
under
> > the purview of the Kandyan kingdom.
> >
> > Sanskritisation is associated with so called high culture similar
> to
> > the westernization that is going on amongst the elites in South
> Asia
> > today. Speaking in English and sending children over to Convent
> > schools and discssing about Kafta in cafe over a Columbian coffee
> > whereing T- shirts and jeans is not generally an option for a
> person
> > from a village.
> >
> > It is that simple why Jaffna and other Tamil hinterlands differed
> in
> > their so called "high" culture but at the mass level the people
> > outlook on life was not that different in Jaffna, Batticalao or
> > Mannar.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/varalaaRu/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
