SV: Classical languages of India

Prasad Velusamy prasad_velusamy at HOTMAIL.COM
Sat Sep 30 16:41:07 UTC 2000


  Having no expertise in  Tamil language or literature,
  why the keenness to disallow it being called classical?

  In the Hellenistic period, did not Greeks have colonies?
  What about centuries of portrayal of Persia as enemies
  and barbarians?

  Also, Sanskrit also spread by imperial design
  (Ref.: Pollock, Deep Orientalism).

  Best,
  Prasad

---------
"A classical language is a language with an ancient literature of
outstanding quality that through a considerable period of time has
played an important part in the history, literature and culture of
several peoples that otherwise may use different mother tongues."

This definition would include languages such as Greek, Latin, Arabic,
Persian, and Sanskrit as well as Classical Chinese. It would exclude
Tamil, Old Norse, Old German, Anglo-Saxon English etc. in spite of
the fact that these languages have old and venerable literatures.
Classical languages are normally used across time and space by
educated people and serve as link languages and carriers of ideas
with some claim to universality: e.g. Greek and Latin for
Christianity, Arabic for Islam, Sanskrit for Hinduism etc.

I offer myself up for criticism.

Best regards,

Lars Martin Fosse


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