Jaffna Tamil dialect

The Jaffna Tamil dialect is a Tamil dialect native to the Jaffna Peninsula and is the primary dialect used in Northern Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Tamil dialect has very similar intonation to Malayalam and is sometimes mistaken for Malayalam when heard in Tamil Nadu.[1] Although, audibly, quite distinct from the spoken Tamil dialects of Tamil Nadu, it nevertheless shares the same standard written Tamil as Tamil Nadu, and is mutually intelligible in standard forms. In contrast, Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are not mutually intelligible with Malayalam.

This dialect is largely distinct from other South Indian dialects and to a lesser extent from that of the Eastern, Western and Upcountry dialects of Sri Lanka.

Commonalities

Jaffna Tamil and the Malayalam language of Kerala have certain common linguistic features that are not found in most Indian Tamil dialects. In fact it is a common occurrence that a person from Jaffna is mistaken for a Malayali in Tamil Nadu.[2] Both preserve certain archaic words and phonemes which have gone out of vogue in Indian Tamil. Consequently many consider the Jaffna dialect to be a purer form of Tamil.[3]

A subdialect retained by the Paraiyar people of Kayts still retains a number of archaic words and Prakrit loans not found in any other dialects of Tamil. These drummers had historically played an important role as ritual players of drums at funerals and folk temples and as heralds and traditional weavers. They also maintained the family records of their feudal lords and even practised medicine and astrology in folk traditions[4]

See also

References
  1. Indrapala, K The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka, p.45
  2. Indrapala, K The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka, p.45
  3. "Sri Lanka: Whether there are recognizable and distinct Batticaloa and Jaffna accents of Tamil language-speakers, and whether it is possible to determine an individual's place of origin based on his/her accent". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 1 April 1998: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2019.CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Ragupathy, Tamil Social Formation in Sri Lanka: A Historical Outline, p.1
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.