Tamil words in English

[Klaus Karttunen]

On  9 Feb 98 at 9:45, N. Ganesan wrote:

> Date sent:      Mon, 9 Feb 1998 09:45:04 -0600
> Send reply to:  Indology <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
> From:           "N. Ganesan" <GANESANS at CL.UH.EDU>
> Subject:        Re: Tamil words in English
> To:             INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK

> >>Are rice and tamil 'arici' related?
>
> >I am sure it is a Tamil loanword appearing not only in English but also in
> >other European languages (e.g. Czech ryze via Greek oryza).
>
> Greetings, Prof. Filipsky. This is not widely known.

It is, at least among those interested enough in these things to read
what has  been written. They key is Greek oryza, which clearly seems
to be related to Dravidian arici, though the position of Sanskrit
vrIhi is problematic. I think this relationship arici : oryza has
been suggested at least as early as the 18th century (in Hallische
Missionsberichte) and commonly accepted in the 19th. In the 1920s J.
Bloch wrote an article about it, and for scholars of Greek the
question has been discussed e.g. in the etymological dictionary of
Frisch. I have myself said a few words on this in my India in the
Early Greek Literature. Unfortunately I have no references at hand.

With best wishes

Klaus Karttunen