Dear Adriano,
The first thing one needs to read old Tamil is fluency in the modern language. Zvelebil recommended reading Kalki's works, which are written in a simple style, to build up vocabulary and get the language in your head. Then, for old Tamil, A K Ramanujan would have started with U V Swaminathaier's edition of the
Kuṟuntokai, which I would also recommend. Jean Luc's recommendations are also excellent -- Rajam is an indispensable reference work, and her chapters on how the literature is put together will provide an excellent introduction. But, as with learning any classical language, nothing can replace poring over the text and, at first, looking up every other word. George Hart
Post-Scriptum
in the case of Ancient Tamil literature,
a very important question
(which you wisely did NOT ask :-) )
is "what NOT to read?" ....
However, this is such a HOT topic
that it is preferrable to give private answers,
unless absolutely necessary :-)
"Courage!"
-- Jean-Luc CHEVILLARD
On 15/11/2012 19:28, Jean-Luc Chevillard wrote:
Dear Adriano,
I suppose the answer will not be the same
if the person wants to study one of the literary works
or one of the śāstric works.
For someone intending to read (non technical) literature,
a good starting points might be
the book by S. Agasthialingom
about பதிற்றுப் பத்து [patiṟṟup pattu].
However, I would be much more useful to read Agasthialingom
after reading the book by V.S. Rajam.
A Reference Grammar of Classical Tamil Poetry (150 B.C.--pre-fifth/sixth
Century A.D.)
See:
"http://books.google.co.in/books/about/A_Reference_Grammar_of_Classical_Tamil_P.html?id=n6VhXLdmdKkC"
Another useful set of books to read is:
"http://www.efeo.fr/fiche_publication.php?code=298&fid=644"
"http://www.efeo.fr/fiche_publication.php?code=298&fid=643"
If the person is really interested in reading Tamil śāstric texts do
tell me,
I can provide more pointers ;-)
Best
-- Jean-Luc Chevillard (Paris/Pondichéry)
On 15/11/2012 19:02, Adriano Aprigliano wrote:
Dear colleagues,
A friend asks me about good materials for the study of Old Tamil. What
would you recommend?
Best wishes
Adriano Aprigliano
Post-doc researcher
Universidade de São Paulo
São Paulo/SP
Brasil