Introduction to Language and Tamil Language

What is Language?

• Human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication.

• Scientific study of language - Linguistics.

• Approximately 3000–6000 lgs. - spoken by humans today.

• Different between human lg. and other species' lg.- complexity - rules relating symbols to meanings-resulting -an infinite number of possible innovative utterances from a finite number of elements.

Language Elements

• Phonetics

• Phonology

• Morphology

• Syntax

• Semantics

• Pragmatics

• Lg. function-human brain-especially in Broca’sand Wernicke’s areas.

• Not only for communication but also social and cultural uses to signify group identity, social stratification and for social grooming and entertainment.

Tamil Language

• One of the Dravidian languages -spoken by Tamil people in India-an official language of Singapore- a classical language -spoken by significant minorities in Malaysia and Mauritius.

• Old Tamil (2 to 8 BCE)

• Middle Tamil (8 to 13 BCE)

• Modern Tamil (13 BCE to today)

• Tamil Alphabet: Vowels 12, Consonants: 18, 1 Special Character.

• Tamil Alphabet: Vowels 12, Consonants: 18, 1 Special Character.

• Combination of Vowels and Consonants: 216

Vowels = 12

Consonants = 18

V+C = 216

Spl. Character = 1

Total = 247

Exercise

• Gather information regarding Tamil lg. and culture.

• Design a chart – the History of Tamil language and its evolution.

• Collect pictures of Tamil tradition and culture.