PKR
TAMIL
AMONG THE CLASSICAL LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD: V. C. Kulandai Swamy;
Pavai Publications, 142, J J K Road, Royapettah, Chennai-600014.
Rs. 100.
The
Government of India, by its October 12, 2004 order designated
Tamil, as a `classical language'. The concept of `classical language'
needs a reasonable definition and interpretation. The privileges
enjoyed by classical languages are not known even among the elite.
It is only appropriate that Kulandai Swamy, an ardent lover of
Tamil chose the topic, `Tamil among the classical languages of
the world' and seriously studied all relevant issues.
Antiquity
The book consists of 14 chapters with three annexures. The first
chapter is by way of an introduction to Tamil language and community
in the international context, while the second traces the antiquity
of Tamil. A brief account of Dravidian history and culture finds
a place in the next two chapters.
The
criteria prescribed for a language to get the classical status
are detailed in the fifth chapter. The next takes a cursory look
at the classical languages of Europe and the succeeding three
chapters speak about the other classical languages such as Sanskrit,
Persian, Chinese and Hebrew. The tenth chapter exclusively deals
with Tamil as classical language.
There
is an apprehension that if any special status or privilege is
given to Tamil, it may go against Sanskrit. The author has taken
a special effort to allay that fear.
In
order to develop mutual trust and mutual understanding among different
linguistic communities, Kulandai Swamy has devoted two separate
chapters (11 and 12) where he explicates the linguistic tolerance
and international outlook of the Tamil community from a historical
point of view. Linguistic aggression and rivalry also have been
pointed out in a soft and mild way. Chapter 13 gives a detailed
information about the privileges attached to the classical status.
The last chapter speaks about the merits of ancient Tamil works.
At
the end of the book the readers can find the government orders
and the MHRD announcement. The index is quite useful from the
user's point of view. It may be mentioned here that the author
has already published a book in Tamil with a similar title. The
present volume is, no doubt, an improvement and will be beneficial
particularly to users at the international level. On the whole,
the book is informative and knowledgeable and the author deserves
our admiration for his timely and much-needed contribution.
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