Page:Tamil studies.djvu/397

370 (3) Sometimes த, ற and ர are indiscriminately used as in அகத்துக and அகற்றுக, உறவு and உரவு &c. This is very common in the vulgar Tamil of to-day.

(4) Compounds are so contracted and joined together that none of its component words can be identified. Tamil தேய் + பிறை becomes in Malayalam தேவற; அக்கி த்திரி is 'agnihotri', 'patteri' is 'Bhattasri' &c.

(5) Vowels which necessitate the use of the lips are usually changed or omitted; இரு becomes இரி; உரை, உரி (as in உரியாடு); தலை, தல; உயிர்ப்பு, வீர்ப்பு; புறவு (pigeon) ப்ராவு; &c.

(6) Probably for the same reason when two vowels of the same class come together either of them is altered. Thus கநா becomes கினாவு; கடா, கிடாவு; பலா, பிலாவு, &c. In all these examples the final is short or குற்றுகரம்.

(7) Sanskrit words when adopted are so far distorted by the Dravidian Malayalis that it would be difficult to discover their correct forms:—chite is 'jata'; chattam, 'srarddham'; kotamba, 'godhuma'; chetu, 'Sakatam'; chirta, 'Sridevi'; vakkanam, 'vyakyanam'; veli, 'bali'; so forth. It cannot be ascertained on what principle mesham becomes medam and vesham as vezham, which in Tamil means an 'elephant'. The unnatural partiality of the Kerala people to Sanskrit has induced them to derive some pure Dravidian words from Sanskrit; பச்சில Or பசுமை இலை (green leaf) is derived from Sanskrit patram; மடு or மட்டு (honey) from Sanskrit madhu; மை from Sanskrit mashi &c.