Dravidian influence on Sanskrit

[Erik Seldeslachts]

Samar Abbas wrote:
>
> Dear List Members,
>
>   I read somewhere that "the composition of Sanskrit vocabulary is
> (Classical Sanskrit)
>
>    - 70 % non-Aryan, of which
>      > 40 % Dravidian
>      > 30 % Prakrit and only
>    - 30 % Vedic "
>
>  Unfortunately, no reference was given. Could anybody provide some
> references supporting or opposing the fractions given above?
>

Whatever the reference, it is not serious. To begin with, why is Prakrit
considered as "non-Aryan"? Then, what base there is to say that 40 % is
Dravidian, when the basic vocabulary of Dravidian has not been
reconstructed ? Moreover, many of the so-called Dravidian etymologies of
Indo-Aryan words are highly disputable.

Erik Seldeslachts
University of Ghent
Ghent, Belgium