The Advent of the Europeans and the History of the Development of Tamil Grammar Texts

Abstract

Grammatical and linguistic history, like Tamil literary history, has its own antiquity and continuity. Grammatical writings have kept on showing up as the literary writing has increased and changed. Grammatical texts based on the knowledge of literature, the knowledge of the language, or the critical objectives of the language, the literature that appears in that language, later become more closely identified with social history. Numerous grammatical works have appeared in Tamil but many of them do not exist. However, many of the available texts are qualified enough to speak of the grammatical richness of Tamil. With the grammatical richness of a language, it is possible to estimate how ancient the literary richness of that language and the origin of the speakers of that language are. Thus, the numerous grammars available in Tamil serve as evidence for measuring the antiquity of the Tamil language. The origin of grammatical texts is not a linear one, but one that is continually developing to suit the occasions, the blend of dialects, and the progressions in the writing. This change sets the stage for the development of language. Thus, Tamil grammar texts have undergone a series of changes. This article sets out to evaluate the background to the development of nineteenth-century grammar textbooks following the arrival of Europeans, who occupy a significant place in this change.