Tamil and Prakrit Consonant Assimilation

[N.Ganesan]

A. F. Sjoberg, The impact of Dravidian on Indo-Aryan, An overview,
508-529 [Polome et al., Reconstructing Languages and Cultures, 1992]
On p. 510, "In 1964 Andronov offered a list of still other areal
features that seem to have spread from Dravidian to Indo-Aryan -
e.g., the simplification of consonant clusters in Indo-Aryan in
accordance with Dravidian patterns, ..."

Can a list member provide what Andronov says about consonant cluster
simplification like Dravidian? The reference is M. Andronov,
On the typological similarity of New Indo-Aryan and Dravdian,
Indian Linguistics, 1964, 25, p. 119-126. Thanks.

Earlier, I discussed parallel examples in Skt-to-Pkt as well as in
Tamil from rm/rN to mm/nn. Prof Nachimuthu, a place name studies
authority, gave some more.

Regards,
N. Ganesan

<<<
Dr.K.Nachimuthu
Professor & Head,Department of Tamil
University of Kerala,Kariavattom-695581
Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala,India

The following are the other examples I have come across for the
above consonant assimilation in Tamil Lexicon. kannikaaram<karnikaaram;
kannikai<karinikai;
pannakam<parnakam, panna<parna, vammin<varumin etc.See for more
examples there. Even a  word kannaa "a musical instrument"is
derived from Urdu qarna.

See also the interesting examples:
karu > kan2n2aGkariya, peru > pen2n2amperiya, ciRu > cin2n2aJciRiya.
Here in the reduplicative compounds, the reduplicated parts show
a correspondance which can be traced back to the assimilation/or
dissimilation by back formation of rm or nm:

kar/kan>karum>karm>kanm>kannam-;
peru/pen>perum>perm>penm>pennam;
ciRu/cin>ciRum/cirum>cirm>cinm>cinnam.
See also the following example:kunai/konai"the sharp point or tip
of a thing'=kUrmaiyAna pakkam" with the word kUr(mai).
konai is widely used in Kongu dialect.This word has cognates in
Telugu, Kannada and Tulu.

The correspondence and assimilation may be a proto feature.
anbuDan K.Nachimuthu >>>


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