Tamil script

U 0 B80- U 0 BFF

The Tamil script also Tamil script ( தமிழ் அரிச்சுவடி ariccuvaṭi Tamil ), is one of the Indian scriptures. One writes with her Tamil, a Dravidian language, which is mainly distributed in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Like all Indian scriptures is the Tamil font an intermediate form of alphabet and syllabary, called Abugida. It differs from the other scriptures of India by a smaller number of characters and the absence of ligatures.

  • 6.1 Obsolete characters
  • 6.2 Special Symbols and Abbreviations
  • 6.3 digits

History

With the other Indian scriptures the Tamil font shares the common origin in the Brahmischrift, makes its first appearance in the 3rd century BC. The oldest known language certificates of Tamil, a number of stone inscriptions dating back to 254 BC, are written in a special form of this document. Over time, the Brahmischrift split into a number of regional variations, some of which differ graphically very widely.

Today's Tamil font AD developed in the 8th century, probably from a North Indian script with strong influences by Grantha in which they had previously written Tamil. The Granthaschrift had arisen over the Pallava and Cheraschrift from a South Indian Brahmivariante and is sometimes still used in modified form in South India to Sanskrit to write the classical language of Hinduism. Since the Tamil script was originally written on palm leaves, they evolved from square to round characters because angular lettering would split the palm leaves.

From the 16th century the first printed material in Tamil font created by Christian missionaries. On the Italian missionary Constantine Beschi (1680-1743) also go some orthographic reforms back in the Tamil script. He led an additional character to distinguish the vowels e and o and ō ē and can and has developed over the set point to distinguish a vowelless consonants with inherent from such a. Another spelling reform took place in the late 1970s, when some consonant-vowel combination characters were regularized.

Use

How many Indian scriptures, the Tamil font used mainly for only one language, Tamil. Chance of smaller spread in Tamil Nadu regional languages ​​such as Badaga or Saurashtri be written in the Tamil script. In these minority languages, the written usage is, however extremely rare. Rarely write Tamil Brahmin Sanskrit in the Tamil script - instead of the usual Devanagari or the traditionally common in South India Granthaschrift. Special characters had to be developed in order to express the occurring in Sanskrit additional sounds in the Tamil script can.

Principle of operation

The Tamil font shares with all other Indian scriptures the same operating principle. It is with her to an intermediate form of alphabet and syllabary, called Abugida. The smallest unit of Scripture forms the syllable: It means that the word வீடு VITU from the two characters வீ VI and டு tU. However, these syllabic signs were composed of one element for the consonant and the vowel of the syllable. The basic element forms a character consonant with the inherent vowel a (eg க ka, ம ma). Follow the consonants another vowel, the consonant character is modified by a diacritical mark: So the character ி the inherent vowel a is replaced by the vowel i (eg கி ki, மி mi). This non-independent vowel characters can occur only together with a consonants with which they form a solid unit.

Only word-initial vowels are represented by independent characters (eg: அ a, ā ஆ ). A " silent consonant ", ie a consonant, the vowel is not followed by a via point set ( Tamil புள்ளி sweatshirt) information (eg, க் k). Like all Indian scriptures is also the Tamil font Clockwise, that is, they will be written from left to right, and makes no distinction between uppercase and lowercase letters.

Of the other Indic scripts, the Tamil script differs essentially in two points: Due to the phonology of Tamil, in which the voicing and aspiration are not meaningful distinctive, it has a much smaller number of characters. In addition, the Tamil script has no ligatures and consistently used the above set point, to represent consonant combinations.

Sign

The sign inventory of the Tamil script has twelve independent vowels, 18 consonants and five other consonants, the so-called Granthazeichen that are used only in loanwords from Sanskrit and English. Then there is the special character consonant āytam. By combining the 18 and (incorporating Granthazeichen ) 23 consonant with the 12 non-independent vowel signs 216 and 276 consonant-vowel combination characters can be formed.

In the native Tamil grammar, the vowel signs உயிர் எழுத்து Uyir eḻuttu ( " soul letter" ), the consonants மெய் எழுத்து mey eḻuttu ( " body letters" ) and the consonant-vowel combination characters உயிர்மெய் எழுத்து Uyirmey eḻuttu (about: " letters with body and soul" ) called. To designate a single letter, in short letters - karam (eg மிகரம் mikaram " the letter mi" ) and for long letter - Karam (eg ஆகாரம் Akaram " the letter ā " ) added. To designate the vowelless letters, one is a short i- front (eg இக் ik).

Independent vowels

The independent vowels occur only in word-initial. In nachkonsonantischer position, however, the consonant -vowel combination characters ( see below). Only in poetry the independent vowel characters can rarely occur in the word inside to view the elongation of a vowel.

The vowel signs denote the twelve vowels ( five short vowels, five long vowels and diphthongs two ) of the Tamil. Your pronunciation depends partly on its position in the word and the surrounding consonants. A detailed description of the different pronunciation variants can be found in the article of the Tamil pronunciation.

Consonants

The 18 consonants are similar to the consonantal phonemes of Tamil. However, as these phonemes have a large number of positional allophones, that is, depending on their position in the word are realized as different sounds, the consonants can have several different phonetic values ​​. A detailed description of the different pronunciation variants can be found in the article of the Tamil pronunciation.

In addition to the 18 actual consonants the Tamil script knows the special consonants ஃ K, called āytam ( ஆய்தம் ). It comes in contrast to the other consonants never followed by vowel before and has the phonetic value of [h ]. The āytam comes from the Old - Tamil and comes in modern language only in a few words before (eg அஃறிணை aḵriṇai [ ahrɨɳɛi̯ ] " ( grammatical ) low- class, neuter "). Sometimes found in recent texts, the practice occurring in English loanwords [f ] sound, for which there is no special characters in the Tamil script, word-initially be represented by a combination of āytam and ப் p ( eg ஃபோன் Fon " Telephone " by english phone ).

Granthazeichen

To write does not occur in Tamil sounds in Sanskrit loanwords, the Tamil script has borrowed additional consonants from the Granthaschrift that was traditionally used in South India for the posting of Sanskrit. Today, they also occur in loan words from English and other languages. It is in the Grantha character to the four simple characters ஜ் j, ஷ் S, ஸ் s and ஹ் h and the ligature க்ஷ் KS, which is usually listed as an independent character, although it is composed of two graphemes.

Some authors oppose from sprachpuristischen reasons the use of Grantha characters and adjust the loan-words in their phonetic form to the Tamil phonology (eg விட்டுணு viṭṭuṇu instead விஷ்ணு Viṣṇu " Vishnu ").

Consonant -vowel combination characters

To express nachkonsonantische vowels, are used in the Tamil script diacritics, known as non-independent vowel signs. They form a solid unit with the consonants. Graphically it can merge with the consonants or even preceded him by or. The consonant-vowel combination characters are usually made on a regular basis and can be easily resolved into their individual components. Only the sounds u and ū are referred to by bound vowel signs, which have four or six different variants. The following table lists the twelve consonant -vowel combination characters are exemplarily specified with the consonants k க்

By combining the 23 consonants (including Granthazeichen ) with the 12 non-independent vowel signs following 276 consonant-vowel combination characters can be formed.

Alphabetical order

The alphabetical order is in the Tamil font other than the Latin alphabet not arbitrary. As in all Indian scriptures it begins with the independent vowel followed by the consonant, which are sorted according to the lines of Sanskrit grammar phonetic aspects:

  • Vowels in the order அ a, ஆ â, இ i, ī ஈ, உ u, ū ஊ, எ e, ஏ ē, ai ஐ, ஒ o, ō ஓ, ஔ au
  • āytam ஃ K
  • Consonants in pairs of plosive and nasal ordered by the place of articulation: Velars (1): க் k and n ங்
  • Palatal (2): ச் c and ஞ் ñ
  • Retro flexes (3): ட் T and N ண்
  • Dental (4): த் t and n ந்
  • Labial (5): ப் p and m ம்

For the consonants should be noted that the vowelless consonants precede the consonant-vowel combination characters, பட்டம் Pattam " title " stands before படம் paṭam " image ".

Other characters

Outdated characters

In the late 1970s, carried out spelling reform some bound consonants connection strings have been replaced by more regular shapes. In texts that were printed before the reform it still applies to the old characters. Affected are the following letters:

The connection string from N-, R-, N- and ā:

  • Instead ணா NA
  • Instead றா rA
  • Instead னா NA

According to the connection string with -o and - ō:

  • Instead ணொ nO
  • Instead ணோ nO
  • Instead றொ RO
  • Instead றோ RO
  • Instead னொ nO
  • Instead னோ nO

The connection string from N, R, L, L, and ai:

  • Instead ணை Nai
  • Instead னை Nai
  • Instead லை lai
  • Instead ளை Lai

Special characters and abbreviations

The special ligature ஸ்ரீ is SRI for the respectful prefix used. There are also letters indicating some words. The most common are:

  • ௳ for தேதி Teti "Date"
  • ௴ for மாதம் Matam "Month"
  • ௵ for வருஷம் varuṣam " year "
  • ௹ for ரூபாய் rupay " rupee "
  • ௸ for மேற்படி Merpati " see above "
  • ௺ for நம்பர் nambar " number"

Digits

The Tamil script knows originally own numerals, but which were now almost completely replaced by the European- Arabic numerals. Some of the same digits certain letter, others have their own forms.

Punctuation

In former times, no punctuation marks were used in Tamil. Meanwhile, however, the common Western punctuation marks have been taken, but there have been no fixed rules for its use emerged.

Coding

The Unicode block Tamil covers the range U 0 B80 U 0 ... BFF.

In addition, the 8-bit character encodings TSCII, TAB / TAM, Bamini and others are used.

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