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Many
do not know that the words ‘Tamil’ and ‘Dravida’ are different forms of
one and the same vocable. The Concise Oxford Dictionary, which treats
‘Tamil’ as a native word, declares ‘Dravida’ to be a Sanskrit one and
the name of a province of South India.
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5.
Need for distinguishing Tamil from the other Dravidian languages
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Though
the word Dravida is only an alteration or another form of the term Tamil,
it gradually acquired the character of a doublet and came to be used as
a generic appellation for all the South Indian languages, because of the
essential and distinctive grammatical characteristics and a large number
of primary roots which they possess in common. Therefore, Dr.Caldwell
was perfectly right in adopting the term Dravidian, derived from ‘Dravida’,
as a common name to designate the South Indian family of languages, leaving
the word Tamil free to signify that which is distinctively Tamil and at
the same time relieving the term ‘Dravidian’ of its ambiguity, as it was
sometimes used in a restricted sense, as equivalent to ‘Tamil,’ for which
purpose it was not suited after Tamil became the parent of one or more
of the Dravidian languages. As Dr.Caldwell was a pioneer worker in the
field of Dravidian philology, there was no need felt during his time for
making distinction within the family itself between Tamil and the other
languages. Now it has arisen for the following reasons.
| (1) |
As
a result of advanced studies and research in Dravidian philology,
the pre-eminence or supremacy of Tamil is realised far more
than in the time of Dr. Caldwell. |
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| (2) |
The
linguistic reorganisation of States in India has contributed much
to linguistic distinction and consciousness. |
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| (3) |
Tamil
alone possesses a literature which is distinctively Dravidian and
original in design and execution. |
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| (4) |
The
attitude of Tamil towards Sanskrit is diametrically opposed to
that of the other Dravidian languages. |
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