30 10 12

Dear Colleagues,

The information given, though useful and authentic, pertains to Dravidian cognates but not to etymology. Till now etymology means information about the component lexeme and morphemes with indication of the root, if any, and the stem. The absence thereof seems to have been caused by the fact that this is an underived proper name.

The reality of underived words is not always reflected in the writings of the older generations of grammarians with their insistence on the so-called primary and secondary suffixes but, according to me, the fact has to be given due recognition.

I hasten to add that since we do not have knowledge of pre-classical Tamil, the possibility of apparently underived names being actually derived words, in a primitive state of affairs unknown to us, cannot be ruled out. But the original question seems to have been put from a Sanskritist’s point of view. It is a loan word in Sanskrit and hence, for all practical purposes that is to say in the context of the Sanskrit language, it is an underived word with a non-existent etymology.

Best

 
From: Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan <palaniappa@AOL.COM>
To: INDOLOGY@liverpool.ac.uk 
Sent: Monday, 29 October 2012 1:25 AM
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] etymology of the word 'DRAVIDA"
 
Please see the DEDR entry
 3080 Ta. tamir̤ Tamil language, the Tamils, 
the Tamil country; tamir̤aṉ a Tamilian. Ma. tamir̤ Tamil 
language. To. tobiḷ id. Ka. tamir̤a, tambar̤a id. 
Tu. tamuḷ&uring;, tamuḷu, tambuḷu Tamil. / Cf. Skt. 
draviḍa-, dramila-, drāviḍa-. DED 2508.

Regards,
Palaniappan
-----Original Message-----

From: alakendu das <mailmealakendudas@REDIFFMAIL.COM>

To: INDOLOGY <INDOLOGY@liverpool.ac.uk>

Sent: Wed, Oct 24, 2012 11:00 am

Subject: [INDOLOGY] etymology of the word 'DRAVIDA"

To All,

         I would be benefitted if anybody can  enlighten me about the etymology of the word 'Dravida' as used in naming the race DRAVIDIAN.

 Thanking You                                          Yours faithfully

                                                          ALAKENDU DAS

                                                        Post-Graduate,INDOLOGY
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