Sanskrit language

[N. Ganesan]

Prof. M. Deshpande, saMskRtasubodhinI, has an essay, Sanskrit
language. From it:
"Sanskrit, as a second language, was also substantilly influenced by
influenced by the first langauges of its speakers, be they Indo-Aryan
vernaculars such as the Prakrits or non-Aryan tongues such as
the Dravidian languages of South India. At the same time, as the
elite language par excellence, Sanskrit exerted tremendous influence
on Indo-Aryan and non-Aryan vernaculars. *In almost every case,
the literary vernaculars were in fact Sanskritzied varieties of
languages*. ..."

The last statement has a well-known, unique exception: sangam tamil
texts. Sangam literary products are in no way a Sanskritized variety.
In vocabulary or in the contents. The metalanguage of sangam texts
is Tamil.

Regards,
N. Ganesan





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