Etymon: paTTaN, pattan, patan

[Ramalingam Shanmugalingam]

In a message dated 97-11-22 00:51:18 EST, Sarma wrote:

<< I hope in the last line you mean Dravidian rather than Tamilian. As
somebody
 pointed out earlier on this list this appears to be due to the subconscious
 identification Tamil with Dravidian. >>

The 6 conditions are attributed to Dr. Caldwell and the last line is a direct
quote from the book of Dr. Ilakkuvanar.
In this context, I give below a quotation from A comparative grammar of the
Dravidian Languages by Dr. Caldwell as quoted by Prof. Madhhu.S.
Vimalanandham in his book in Tamil, History of Tamil Literature:
"Tamil however the most highly cultivated Ab-intra of all Dravidian idioms,
can dispense with its Sanskrit altogether, if need be and not only stand
alone, but flourish withhout its aid." Dr. Caldwell.