Consonantal clusters and tolkAppiyam

[Guest guest]

tolkAppiyam's discourse on phonology has some sutras on permitted

consonantal clusters . The sutras 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 of

ezuttatikAram (phonology):mayaGkiyal are such.

 

In reading the commentary of Naccin2Arkkin2iyar, we find that he has

severe disagreement with his predecessor iLampUraNar over whether the

validity of the examples cited by iLam. The grounds for his objection

are fundamental: Nacc. opines that the particular chapter's sole

purpose is internal consonantal clusters not those at external sandhi

i.e. at the boundaries of words in compounds. But Nacc. seems to have

a very strange idea of single words and compound words as we shall see

below.

 

For example, when at the cluster -Jy- (palatal nasal followed by "y"),

iLam. cites "uriJyAtu" resulting from juxtaposing the two words

"veriJ" ("back") and "yAtu" ("which"), a compound.

Nacc. promptly rejects it as invalid and irrelevant to the chapter's

purpose of dealing with word-internal consonantal clusters only.

 

The other interesting clusters are -ly-, -Ny-, -Nv-, -rm- etc.

Comparable words (whether Skt. or not): kalyANa, puNya, kaNva, karma

etc.

 

What is the final word on this issue by modern scholars of

Tholkappiyam?

 

Reading "Naccinarkkiniyar's Conception of Phonology" by

S.V.Shanmugham, by Annamalai University, 1967 does not help.

In a 7-page discussion devoted to these sutras alone (pp. 40-47),

he seems to offer no opinion of his own or care to cite opinion of

others. Shanmugham only discusses the old commentators' views.

 

Page 43 ibid. : "Ilampuranar points out that clustering is applicable

to the case of single words as well as juxtaposed words.

Naccinarkiniyar contradicts Ilampuranar by saying that clusters are

restricted to only individual words."

 

But Nacc. makes things not so simple. Shanmugham continues, "...But in

addition to individual words, he [Nacc.] cites vinaittokai

(verbal root-nound compound) and paNputtokai (adjectival root-noun

compound) form also as illsutrations for clusters. He justifies

himself for including the two compunds by saying that they can be

treated as individual terms on the basis of the sutra 482, which says

that these compunds cannot be analysed as two separate units."

 

To illustrate the above, Nacc. would happily cite, in sutra #26, for

the cluster -Ny- "maNyARu" (sand river), for -Nv- "eNvaTTu" (?eight

discs) etc., which are clearly not single words. He knows that but

says as quoted above these compounds are tokai type implying

that they are "immune to division".

 

This is a very interesting issue.

 

I hope scholars lstening to this on this list such as Chevillard who

has translated a portion of tolkAppiyam can throw some light on this.

 

Regards

P. Chandrsekaran

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, "perichandra" <perichandra> wrote:

>

>..

> For example, when at the cluster -Jy- (palatal nasal followed by

"y"),

> iLam. cites "uriJyAtu" resulting from juxtaposing the two words

> "veriJ" ("back") and "yAtu" ("which"), a compound.

 

A typo here.

"uriJyAtu" should have been "veriJyAtu" which of course as said above

is a compound of veriJ and yAtu.

 

 

....

Regards,

P. Chandrsekaran

[Guest guest]

At 14:52 19/12/01 +0000, you wrote:

>INDOLOGY, "perichandra" <perichandra> wrote:

>

>tolkAppiyam's discourse on phonology has some sutras on permitted

>consonantal clusters . The sutras 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 of

>ezuttatikAram (phonology):mayaGkiyal are such.

>[....]

>This is a very interesting issue.

>

>I hope scholars lstening to this on this list such as Chevillard who

>has translated a portion of tolkAppiyam can throw some light on this.

>

>Regards

>P. Chandrsekaran

 

Dear Chandra,

 

I have prepared one rather long comment on your message

regarding this interesting topic. But since I thought

it would really be of interest only to a very limited number

of people on Y-Indology, I have sent it to the CTamil list.

 

It can be found at:

<CTamil/message/516>

 

Warm regards

 

-- Jean-Luc Chevillard (Paris)