[INDOLOGY] Date of the Tolkappiyam

[Tieken, H.J.H.]

I always thought that on this list ad hominem remarks are not permitted. Therefore I am amazed that Jean-Luc Chevillard's mail has passed the moderators. I refer to the sentence "It is indeed an opinion current among those who have not read Tolkāppiyam", by which Jan Houben is set aside and disqualified to express an idea about the origin of the title Tolkāppiyam. All this, only to get rid of the word kāvya in the name Tolkāppiyam. Strictly speaking this move is not even necessary, that is, unnecessary for those who claim an early date of Caṅkam poetry, as the word kāvya is almost certainly older than the 9th century; see Stephanie Jamison, The Rig Veda Between Two Worlds, p. 144.
The type of argument used by Chevillard is typical of many Tamil scholars: about me (and not only about me but also to my face, in Pondichery and at JNU) they say that I do not know Tamil, for if I knew I would not date Caṅkam that late.
Here I stop, this is my last mail in this particular thread.
Herman

Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com

________________________________________
Van: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces at list.indology.info] namens Jean-Luc Chevillard via INDOLOGY [indology at list.indology.info]
Verzonden: maandag 7 mei 2018 16:03
Aan: indology at list.indology.info
Onderwerp: Re: [INDOLOGY] Date of the Tolkappiyam

Dear Jan,

I don't believe wwhat you say is true.

However, it is indeed an opinion current among those who have not read
the Tolkāppiyam.

But if one reads the Tolkāppiyam, one will not find this explanation to
make much sense.

My preferred explanation is the traditional explanation, current among
native Tamil scholars, which derives the name from தொல்காப்பியக்குடி
[tolkāppiyakkuṭi] which is the name of a clan (or gotra? or village?).

However,
life being short
and this topic having already been discussed on this very mailing list,
NINE years ago (in April 2009),
I shall leave it at that.

அன்புடன் [aṉpuṭaṉ]

-- Jean-Luc

https://univ-paris-diderot.academia.edu/JeanLucChevillard

https://twitter.com/JLC1956



On 07/05/2018 11:40, Jan E.M. Houben via INDOLOGY wrote:
> the most generally accepted etymogy of Tolkāppiyam is "old Kāvya"


_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY at list.indology.info
indology-owner at list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)