Tamil is the closest language to the ANCIENT language known as *DRAVIDIAN*. Dravidian was also thought to be spoken by the Indus Valley Civilization. Tamil is the one of the National Languages of India, Singapore and Sri Lanka. It is one of the oldest south indian languages. Many people have said it is a *Indo-European* or atleast close to *Indo-European* language. It has no relation! Indo-European was an Indo-Aryan language a couple MILLENIUMS ago. Tamil (really spelt Thamizh) is dravidian! Sanskrit has nothing in common with it. Search up Indus Valley and Indo-Aryan for more info. Sanskrit is a hindhu language. Tamil is also. But hardly any words are similar. Similar languages to tamil include *Malayalam*,*Telungu* and *Kannada*.
Tamil also has 247 letters. Many tamil names translate into english as many as 10-?? letters. My lasy name has 6 letters in tamil and 14 in english. This is because tamil has joint letter sounds. It is also rare because out of all languages in the world, it is the only to have the *"Mowlava Laana"* sound.
Tamil is an awesome language; so are many other languages. Remember though, Sanskrit is nothing to tamil...look over those Kovil Manthrams again :).
Tamil also has 247 letters. Many tamil names translate into english as many as 10-?? letters. My lasy name has 6 letters in tamil and 14 in english. This is because tamil has joint letter sounds. It is also rare because out of all languages in the world, it is the only to have the *"Mowlava Laana"* sound.
Tamil is an awesome language; so are many other languages. Remember though, Sanskrit is nothing to tamil...look over those Kovil Manthrams again :).
by Lankanpeace February 08, 2010
Oldest Indian Language, sanskrit comes next. While Tamil survives till now by a mass community, sanskrit's nearly dead. One cant find a place for native sanskrit speaking people. Many Dravidian languages are derived from Tamil.
North Indian: Sanskrit might be the oldest language, than Tamil.
Tamilan: No one knows the date of birth of them either, but sanskrit's dead for sure
Tamilan: No one knows the date of birth of them either, but sanskrit's dead for sure
by Severes Snape July 19, 2011
A highly intelligent community that has produced a lot of intellectuals and famous people such as, Abdul Kalam,Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi,P.Chidambaram,C.V Raman,A.R Rahman and mathematical genius Ramanujam. Tamil is also a classical language and Tamilnadu boasts great temples built by equally great kings. Tamil is synonymous with intellect,eloquenceand pride.
“Of the four literary Dravidian languages, Tamil has voluminous records dating back at least two millennia”
-M. B. Emeneau (Jan-Mar 1956). "India as a Lingustic Area" (in English).
-M. B. Emeneau (Jan-Mar 1956). "India as a Lingustic Area" (in English).
by MissyV August 11, 2008
Tamil is a dravidian language first recorded in Tamil Nadu about the beginning of the Christian era, at which point Tamil speakers appear to have settled in the area between the Palk Strait and the Cauveri river. The first long work in the language is the 2nd century AD Jain religious work, Sillapadikkaram, the story of the Jain, Buddhist and Ajeevaka goddess Pattini.
by Vinod Kumaran August 08, 2008
Tamil is the oldest language in the world. It is the mother of all Indo European languages including Sanskrit. Recent archaeological (Adhichanalloor and Indian ocean) evidence shows that the language is related to sumerian and that Tamil was spoken in South India more than 5000 years ago. The language has changed very little over these years and old tamil is still comprehensible to tamil speakers. Tamil legend says speaks of a lost continent, "Kumari Kandam" which is believed to be submerged under Indian Ocean. Recent excavations in Indian Ocean seem to support this legend.
by FloraiPuyal April 15, 2006
by DanielMartin September 07, 2007
You all make me laugh! tamil is one of the oldest languages in the world and many other languages have borrowings from it. For example, in English words such as Shampoo, Hoppers, Bungalow, Balcony, and a few others come from Tamil.
Tamil is very pleasing to the ear if spoken properly. It is a beautiful language, and does sound delightfully gay in an artistic silk and chiffon way! After all, it is mainly spoken and also originates in South India, which itself is colourfully camp and extravagant!
Linguists from around the world (especially Germany and USA) often go to South India to do research on this language. Tamil also carries a rich culture, classics, legends etc. Indian Classical dance traces its roots to Tamil, and so do Ragas, tunes, music etc. It is even said that the language is over 8000 years old.
Tamil has around 247 alphabets and to be honest, it isn't easy to learn. But the sing-song tone of the language (when spoken properly!) and pronounced well, have an intoxicating ring to it. It is also a very dramatic language with many theatrical, dramatic and passionate phrases, expressions and exclamations used in everyday life, day to day, by its speakers. tamil writers often use out -of-the-world expressions like "the untold sadness of a faraway train"... "the inexpressable happiness of the rain"... the evident loneliess of the moon... etc.
Tamil is very pleasing to the ear if spoken properly. It is a beautiful language, and does sound delightfully gay in an artistic silk and chiffon way! After all, it is mainly spoken and also originates in South India, which itself is colourfully camp and extravagant!
Linguists from around the world (especially Germany and USA) often go to South India to do research on this language. Tamil also carries a rich culture, classics, legends etc. Indian Classical dance traces its roots to Tamil, and so do Ragas, tunes, music etc. It is even said that the language is over 8000 years old.
Tamil has around 247 alphabets and to be honest, it isn't easy to learn. But the sing-song tone of the language (when spoken properly!) and pronounced well, have an intoxicating ring to it. It is also a very dramatic language with many theatrical, dramatic and passionate phrases, expressions and exclamations used in everyday life, day to day, by its speakers. tamil writers often use out -of-the-world expressions like "the untold sadness of a faraway train"... "the inexpressable happiness of the rain"... the evident loneliess of the moon... etc.
tamil is just amazing... you can say things you usually can't in other languages, and nobody will laugh at you...When you want to express the joy of having the Man/Woman whom you had a crush on finally succumb to your charms, in which other language can you say, "The fruit that dangled above my head has now fallen into the very glass of milk I held in my palms?"
And old saying in Tamil says "Tamilukkum Amudu Endru Peyar" meaning... another name for "Tamil" is "nectar!" It's a delicious language that one enjoys speaking...with relish!
And old saying in Tamil says "Tamilukkum Amudu Endru Peyar" meaning... another name for "Tamil" is "nectar!" It's a delicious language that one enjoys speaking...with relish!
by Emman September 11, 2006