உலகின் பழைமைவாய்ந்த அற்புத மொழிக் குடும்பங்களில் ஒன்றான செம்மொழியான தமிழை மறைத்தது ஏனோ? * Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree - Arika Okrent . Why Ms. Arika Okrent, avoided The Classical Tamil ?.

மொழிகள் சம்பந்தமாக, Ms.Arika Okrent  எழுதிய  (author of In the Land of Invented Languages)   செய்தியிலும், கீழே தரப்பட்டுள்ள படக்குறிப்பிலும் உலகின் பழமையான மொழியான கன்னித்தமிழ் இடம்பெறவில்லை என்பது வேதனையைத் தருகின்றது.  

தமிழ் மொழிக் குடும்பமான தெலுங்கு, மலையாளம், கன்னடம் ஆகிய மொழிகளைப் பற்றிய குறிப்புகள் இல்லை.  இந்தியாவில் உள்ள அசாமி, பஞ்சாபி, மராத்தி போன்ற மொழிகள் எல்லாம் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

பண்டைய உலக மொழிகளான கிரேக்கம், லத்தீன், ஹிப்ரூ, சமஸ்கிருதம், சீனமொழி ஒப்ப  நமது  தமிழ் இருந்தது. ஆனால் இன்றைக்குத் தமிழும் சீனமும் தான் சமகாலத்தில் அழியாத சிரஞ்சீவி மொழிகளாக உலகளவில் பேசும் மொழியாகவும் , பயன்பாட்டு மொழியாகவும் உள்ளன.

பண்டைய உலகமொழிகளைப் பற்றி அறியவும், தமிழின் வரலாற்றுச் சிறப்பை அறியவும்  இந்த ஆங்கில அடிக்குறிப்பே தகுந்த சாட்சியாகும். 

ஆனால்,  Arika Okrent  வெளியிட்டுள்ள ஆய்வுக் குறிப்பில்  மொழிகளின் ஆக்கத்தையும், புழக்கத்தையும் சொல்லும் பொழுது நமது தமிழ் மொழி புறக்கணிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. அப்படியானால் இந்த ஆய்வை நாம் எப்படி ஏற்றுக் கொள்ள முடியும்.

We, Tamils can't accept the argument of Ms.Arika Okrent in regard to,  Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree . 

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பண்டைய மொழிகள் பற்றிய அடிக்குறிப்பு :-

When asked, most people have no idea that there are so many ancient languages that have graced historic times on this planet. At least 12 distinct languages are known to be over 3000 years old, but that’s Greek to most people! Although many of these languages are now extinct – in that there are no more native speakers left – it must be noted that many have taken on different forms and are considered to be the predecessors of modern languages today.  In this article, we will explore just a few of these archaic tongues and the influence they have had on modern thought.

Greek
Original Greek is thought to date from circa 1400 BCE but some experts put it at more than 5000 years old. It is one of the few languages still spoken today – by more than 15 million people in Greece. Greek accounts for a sizable portion of ancient literature and has contributed many gems such as the New Testament of the Bible, the Iliad, the Odyssey and other works of literature that are considered precursors to modern Western philosophy and culture. Scientific language in English today contains more than 100,000 words that were “borrowed” from the Greek language. There are at least 14 documented dialects of this language.

Latin
Another ancient language that has made its way into modern Western culture is Latin. Promoted by the ancient Romans, this unique language dates from circa 1000 BCE. Although it is considered a “dead” language in that it is only spoken in the Vatican, there are innumerable words that have made their way into fields of study such as zoology and botany; in fact, 70% of all books written before the year 1501 – collectively called ‘incunabula’ – have been written in Latin. Although there were several dialects of Latin spoken during the heyday of this language, history records only the two most important categories – Vulgar Latin and Classical Latin. Vulgar, in this instance, does not mean objectionable – rather, it refers to the word ‘common’; this is because it was spoken by the larger population, and differed from the Classical – and more formal – dialect in which books were typically written.

Hebrew
This is another significant language from an historical perspective as it encompasses two major world religions – Judaism and Christianity. Dating from circa 1000 BCE, it is grouped under the Afro-Asiatic languages that include modern Arabic, Ancient Egyptian and Aramaic (the language spoken during the time of Jesus Christ.)  The Old Testament in the Bible has been written in Hebrew, as have several other key documents discovered subsequently. Impact-wise, it is one of the most influential languages in West Asian culture and continues to be spoken by more than 7 million people in what is now Israel.

Sanskrit
There are two very rare villages in India where this ancient tongue is still spoken today as a regional language. Mattur and Hosahalli in the Southern state of Karnataka are two of the few scattered villages across the vast Indian Subcontinent where this language is still used colloquially. However, it still continues to be used by Vedic teachers and Hindu scholars, known as Brahmins. The earliest written form of this language is the Rig Veda, penned circa 3000 BCE; Sanskrit has the privilege of being known as the mother of all European languages and has thus made its claim to fame for eternity.

Tamil
Another, completely indigenous language from India is Tamil. Though most scholars agree that the language originated circa 300 BCE, some contend that it is actually 17 centuries older than that. As a living language, it has far more speakers than any other ancient tongue barring Mandarin – more than 77 million people across the world still speak it, albeit in its many newer forms that include words based on urban slang usage. Tamil currently enjoys official status in 4 or more countries and territories around Asia.

Chinese
In linguistic terms, the word ‘Chinese’ actually refers to a group of languages of Sino-Tibetan origin. The standard form – Mandarin – is the official language of China and is spoken by more than 1.4 billion people – by far the largest number of speakers of an ancient language. As such, it is also the most spoken language in the world. Although scholars tend to date its origin to circa 2000 BCE, many strongly believe that it is at least 10,000 years old – putting it at circa 8,000 BCE and making it one of the oldest languages known to man.
There are many other languages that fall in the ‘ancient tongue’ category, namely: Persian, Akkadian, Sumerian, Armenian and Egyptian. All of these languages have rich histories and cultures from which they emerged as forms of communication. Communication itself is thought to have originated in pre-historic times when man could only convey his ideas by actions, sounds and pictures. Sounds are believed to be the precursors of spoken language, and pictures to be the forerunners of written forms of languages as we know them today.

-கே.எஸ்.இராதாகிருஷ்ணன்.

07-04-2015.

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 Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree  - Arika Okrent .

 Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree  - Arika Okrent .