Jaffna Tamil dialect

The Jaffna Tamil dialect is a Tamil dialect native to the Jaffna Peninsula and is the primary dialect used in Northern Sri Lanka.[1] The Jaffna Tamil dialect has a very similar intonation to Malayalam and is sometimes mistaken for Malayalam when heard in Tamil Nadu.[2] Both preserve certain archaic words and phonemes which have gone out of vogue in most dialects of Indian Tamil. Consequently many consider the Jaffna dialect to be a more conservative form of Tamil.[3]

Jaffna Tamil
யாழ்ப்பாணத் தமிழ்
Native toNorthern Province, Sri Lanka
RegionJaffna
EthnicitySri Lankan Tamils
Native speakers
2 million (2012 census)
Dravidian
  • Southern
    • Old Tamil
      • Middle Tamil
        • Jaffna Tamil
Tamil script, Vatteluttu
Language codes
ISO 639-3–

Although, audibly, quite distinct from the spoken Tamil dialects of Tamil Nadu, it nevertheless shares a similar standard written Tamil as Tamil Nadu, but is not always mutually intelligible in colloquial forms. Similarly, Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are not mutually intelligible with Malayalam too.

A subdialect retained by the Paraiyar people of Kayts still retains a number of archaic words and Prakrit loans not found in any other dialects of Tamil. These drummers had historically played an important role as ritual players of drums at funerals and folk temples and as heralds and traditional weavers. They also maintained the family records of their feudal lords and even practised medicine and astrology in folk traditions[4]

History

The Jaffna district is very close to South India, being separated by a narrow stretch of sea called the Palk Strait. In spite of the continual contact with India by sea, Sri Lankan Tamils have over the centuries become a distinct people developing dialects that differ in several respects from the Indian Tamil dialects.[5] The Jaffna Tamil dialect is also distinct to a lesser extent from that of the Eastern, Western and Upcountry Tamil dialects of Sri Lanka.[6]

Pronunciation

Devoicing of [h] occurs in the Jaffna dialect, the voiceless plosives of the Jaffna dialects represent an antique feature of the pre-Sangam period. The Jaffna pronunciation [nitka]>[nikka] for nirka “to stand’ is likely to preserve the ancient plosive nature of /r/, which in colloquial middle Tamil inscriptions is already confounded with the dental trill in this position.[7]

See also

References
  1. Denham, E. B. (1912). Ceylon at the Census of 1911. (n.p.): H. C. Cottle, government printer, Ceylon.
  2. Indrapala, K The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka, p.45
  3. "Sri Lanka: Whether there are recognizable and distinct Batticaloa and Jaffna accents of Tamil language-speakers, and whether it is possible to determine an individual's place of origin based on his/her accent". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 1 April 1998: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Ragupathy, Tamil Social Formation in Sri Lanka: A Historical Outline, p.1
  5. Current trends in linguistics: Linguistics in South Asia. Volume 5. (1969). Germany: Mouton.
  6. THE PHONOLOGY OF NOMINAL FORMS IN JAFFNA TAMIL by Sabaratnasinghe Thananjayaraoasingham
  7. Kuiper, F. B. J. (1997). Selected Writings on Indian Lingustics and Philology. Netherlands: Rodopi.
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