The Sanskrit Paradigm of Tamil Grammar: Embrace and Resistance

Abstract

This paper is about the historical relationship between the grammars of Sanskrit and Tamil and the debates around it. The debates are between the grammarians and commentators on Tamil grammar, not of Sanskrit. It is thus limited to one linguistic community. This is a result of the asymmetrical bilingualism of the Tamil‑speaking and the Sanskrit‑speaking grammarians. Their many other relationships – religious, literary, etc. – are also asymmetrical in the sub‑continental perspective. The regional perspective of Tamil about the relationship of Tamil to Sanskrit is different but is not constant and varies according to the period and its language ideology.

Keywords

• Compound formation. Language autonomy. Sanskrit grammar paradigm. Tamil grammar tradition. Universal grammar