As part of an
adventurous project on Comparative Linguistics, a few of us, - linguaphiles, have
been doing some original and quite adventurous research on the
‘interconnectedness’ that exists between the major Dravidian languages in
various aspects, especially as regards their Grammar, Phonological features,
Syntax, Etymological Derivations, etc. Four of us – from our respective places,
- we set out on an exploratory journey towards the same. In this
interesting journey, of over fifteen months now, we have so far compiled a good
working bibliography of some rare and precious books… and counting! Among them,
some books are as old as 70 years, some 40 years, - some neatly bound, while
some with covers in tatters, yet content intact!  |
| too close a call, ain't it? |
We also came
across a host of foreign scholars who have done extensive work in Comparative
Linguistics – like R. E. Asher from Edinburgh, Scotland, who specializes in Dravidian
linguistics (with particular focus on Tamil and Malayalam), and the history of
prose fiction in Malayalam and Tamil.
Suggestions and
ideas from language enthusiasts are most welcome. You may also consider joining
our team of linguaphiles, and thereby join us in our extensive tours across the
country as part of our Comparative Linguistics project! Write rightaway to
rufusonline@gmail.com
Asher & Kumari’s book titled, Malayalam [as part of the 'Descriptive Grammar' series], is a scholarly 500 page treatise on the
nuances and intricacies of Malayalam grammar with descriptive chapters on
Morphology, Syntax, Phonology, Ideophones, Lexicon, etc.
 |
| And this...! |
Interestingly, Asher acknowledges the
origins of this book to the early 1960s, when Joseph Minatturt in London had introduced
him to written Malayalam by working through primary school readers with him.
Asher’s first of many visits to Kerala followed in 1964, when K. M. Prabhakara Variar
made arrangements for his stay in Ernakulam and V. I. Subramoniam for a subsequent stay in
Trivandrum. Under the tutelage of C. K. Nalina Babu and N. Unnikrishnan who also acted as fieldwork assistants in
Ernakulam, he learnt spoken Malayalam and P.
Somasekharan Nair provided similar help in Trivandrum. His education was
further advanced at summer schools in the United States in 1967 and 1968, when Achamma
Coilparampil acted as his teaching assistant. With this foregrounding in the
language, he has proceeded to come out with a thoroughly descriptive rendering
of the various aspects of Malayalam grammar. More from his Prefatorial
acknowledgements.
It was during the 1960s, too, that I had the good fortune to get to know many of Kerala's great contemporary writers, prominent among whom have been Vaikom Muhammed Basheer and Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. Sukumar Azhicode gave me an appreciation of Malayalam as a vehicle for critical studies and for oratory. In the course of my efforts to deepen my understanding of the language and of twentieth-century literature, I have received constant and unstinting advice and encouragement from such distinguished scholars as Suranad Kunjan Pillai, K. M. George and K. Ayyappa Paniker, and from one of India's great publishers, D. C. Kizhakemuri. I have learnt much from former doctoral students, whether as supervisor, as in the case of Elias Valentine, or as examiner, as in the case of V. R. Prabodhachandran Nayar. My debt to all these and to many other Malayali friends, including those who welcomed me in Kottayam when I was at the Mahatma Gandhi University in 1995 as first occupant of the Vaikom Muhammed Basheer Chair, is incalculable.
Well, the first person whom he acknowledges
in the Preface to his book is, K. M.
Prabhakara Variar, who was a Professor of Malayalam with the University of
Madras. Ke Em as he is known, has contributed immensely to the study of Malayalam
Grammar with a Malayalam Series to his credit.
One such book
that attracted our attention was a 1977 book, written by Ke. Em [K. M.
Prabhakar Variar] on Studies in Malayalam
Grammar. Through eleven chapters, Ke.
Em has come out with a ‘re-examining’ of certain grammatical notions
pertaining to Malayalam language, that have already been codified in the
vernacular grammars, in the light of recent advancements in the study of
language.
Excerpts from
Prabhakara Variar [given here because they aren’t available anywhere on the Web!!!]
Introduction
In this chapter
we propose to examine the phonological observations presented in some of the
important Malayalam grammar treatises and to evaluate them in the light of the
advancement that has taken place in the field of phonology in general, and
phonology of Malayalam in particular.
Malayalam Grammars – by Natives vs Foreigners
Broadly speaking,
Malayalam grammars can be classified into two groups, those written by native
scholars and those written by foreigners. Differences are bound to exist in the
approaches of native people who write grammars of the language they use every
day and those of foreigners, who attempt to analyse an alien language. We can
see more theoretical discussions in the first than the latter. Native scholars
show more competence in dealing with the historical aspects of their language.
On the other hand, grammars written by foreigners are rich in copious
citations.
Earliest work on Malayalam Language
The earliest work
on Malayalam Language, viz. li:la:tilakam
(14th century) does not purport to be a comprehensive grammar of the
Malayalam language. Its professed goal is to codify the characteristic of maniprava:la style. Its professed goal
is to codify the characteristics of maniprava:la style. Besides the rudiments
of the grammar of maniprava:la language, the work also deals with literary
stylistics, figures of speech, and other essentials of rhetoric.
The Next Important Grammar Treatise by A Native Scholar
The next
important grammar treatise written by a native scholar is Rev. George Matthan’s
Malayazhmayude Vyakaranam (first published in 1863). Matthan had not seen
Gundert’s grammar while he was working on his own. The main difference in these
two grammars, as Matthan himself has noted in the preface to his grammar, is
that Gundert’s grammar, although rich in the copiousness of its quotations from
earlier works, in support of the rules formulated therein, is dogmatical in its
approach while Matthan’s grammar is relatively more explanatory in nature.
Most popular and Widely Used Grammar Treatise
Rajaraja Varma’s Kerala Panineeyam is undoubtedly the
most popular and widely used Malayalam grammar. It first made its appearance in
1896 followed by a completely revised version in 1917. Kerala
Panineeyam by its clarity of expressions, the logicality of its arguments
in support of the rules presented therein, and, above all, the pleasant style
of its language, has eclipsed all other Malayalam grammars making it the most
sought after text for using in educational institutions.
Rajaraja Varma: ‘Diachronic Approach better than
Synchronic Descriptions’
Rajaraja Varma,
in the preface to his grammar, makes it very clear that his grammar was written
taking into consideration the historical developments of the Malayalam
language. In fact, he claims that diachronic approach is more useful than
synchronic descriptions.
Seshagiri Prabhu’s Grammar Treatise - Vyakarana mithram
M. Seshagiri
Prabhu’s grammar, Vyakarana mithram, which first appeared in 1904, is another
work that has succeeded in gaining some popularity among the traditional
linguistic works, primarily due to its having been prescribed as a text-book.
Prabhu’s Vyakarana mithram excels both Matthan’s and Rajaraja Varma’s grammars
in size only. He has incorporated several unnecessary discussions into his
treatise vainly creating an illusion of grandeur to his grammar.
T. M. Kovunni Nedungadi’s Kerala kaumudi
Another native
grammar that has created some stir among linguistic scholars is T. M. Kovunni
Nedungadi’s Kerala kaumudi. Although the manuscript copy of this work was
completed in 1875, it got published in 1878. It is to be noted that this grammar
is never referred to by any one in discussions of pure grammar. However, the
work is often quoted in connection with its disputable view on the origin of
Malayalam language.
Terminology: the Sanskrit Connect
Technical terms
in Malayalam grammars, with few exceptions, are borrowings from Sanskrit. In
modern Malayalam it would be extremely difficult to coin a scientific term
purely based on native roots. As L. V. Ramaswami Aiyyar once remarked,
Malayalam language, which did not at any time put up resistance against the
infiltrations of Sanskrit, “suffered an irreparable loss in that it lost its
power of forming fresh compounds to express new ideas and consequently had in
later times to draw freely upon Sanskrit vocabulary to make up their deficiency”
(1925: 5). Although there were sporadic attempts, now and then, for nativising
the scientific terminologies, they did not bring any results. The editor of
Gundert’s grammar states: “… by far the greatest part of the Malayalam terms
(are taken) from the Sanskrit grammarian Panini and his school. Some
expressions have been borrowed from the Tamil nannu:l, and a few terms were
coined under the force of circumstances” (Gundert 1962: 12).
Alphabet
The inventory of
basic sounds of Malayalam given in various grammars lack uniformity. According
to Gundert, there are 12 vowels and 37 consonants in Malayalam. He excludes the
Sanskrit vocalic sounds r and l, the visarga and anusva:ra which usually find
their places in the complete list of Malayalam alphabet. The 37 consonants
include the 25 varga letters, 7 medials, 4 sibilants, the alveolar n, and the
trill r.
To be contd…
Source[s]
Prabhakara
Variar, K. M. Studies in Malayalam
Grammar. Chennai: University of Madras, 1979. Print.
Asher, R. E &
T.C. Kumari. Malayalam. London:
Routledge, 1997. Print.
Image Credits
en.wikipedia.org
slideshare.net
No comments:
Post a Comment