Initial voiced stops in Dravidian

[Guest guest]

In #1311 (indology y-group), Dr. JLC wrote:

>An additional question, for which I would be

>very grateful to get a reference, is whether

>you know of any list of all the Tamil words

>that have a voiced initial: for instance,

>pommai is pronounced bommai, as far as I know.

 

Also had a query for ref.s explaining dialect variations

within Tamil and other Dravidian languages in words

with voiced initials. Found a useful reference,

have not seen it. So, will be grateful for

what Emeneau writes.

 

M. B. Emeneau, Kausalya Hart

Tamil expressives with initial voiced stops,

Bulletin of the School of Oriental & African Studies (London),

56, pt.1 1993 75-86

 

In the Net searches on Hart [Note 1], found this:

http://www.irdu.nus.edu.sg/tamilweb/tamilnet97/mailinglist/archive/msg00366.html

"but initial stops can be traced back to Old Tamil and even

Proto-Dravidian. However, they only occur in onomatopoetic words -- Prof.

Emeneau and my wife have written a paper on this, and the evidence is quite

clear. It is common for languages to use unusual sounds in onomatopoetic

words or deictic words."

 

Hence, pommal/pommai listed in DED is probably the proto-Dravidian form.

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan

 

Note 1: Recent e-mails regarding problems with the

so called Tamil e-lists. I agree. Despite CT evidence, the political belief

that ancient Tamils did not have caste discrimination leads many astray.

See also the learned Hart:

http://www.irdu.nus.edu.sg/tamilweb/tamilnet97/mailinglist/archive/msg00073.html