Solaakkam (Neologism) - An Introduction

Lesson 1

P20131 Solaakkam (Neologism) - An Introduction

    This lesson offers a general introduction to
'Solaakkam'- i.e., neologism. Neologism is the art or
science of coining new words. This lesson traces the
origin and growth of neologism in Tamil.It draws a list
of the types of neologisms and outlines some of the
techniques of neologism. It enunciates the need for
neologism and highlights its role in the growth of a
language.

    There are a number of challenges confronting
the Tamil language today. The rapid progress of
science and technology and the impact of globalization,
call for a corresponding growth in the Tamil language.
There is an urgent need for solaakkam or neologism in
Tamil if the language is to keep pace with the
knowledge explosion that is happening all over the
world. Moreover, solaakkam is indispensable in the
context of Tamil as an official language and as the language of higher education.

    Solaakkam can be defined as the art of coining
new words or verbal equivalents in a language either
through translation or transliteration. In Tamil, solakkam
is broadly classified into 3 types: namely coining of
new words, coining of technical terms and coining of
new words through translation.

    There are several methods of solaakkam.A new
word for an object or a concept can be created on
the basis of what the object represents or symbolizes
i.e., (ulladakkam), its action i.e., (seyal), quality i.e.,(iyalbu),
purpose i.e., (nokkam), structure i.e., (amaippu), specialty
i.e., (sirappu) or use i.e., (payan). A new word may also
be created through abbreviation i.e., (surukkam) or pseudonym i.e., (punai peyar).

    Solaakkam or neologism is not entirely a new
concept. It must have arisen when language was born.
However, it is only now that serious and conscious
efforts at solaakkam are being undertaken. In Tamil the
origin of solaakkam can be traced to the advent ofthe
Europeans.The process of translating texts from English
and other European languages into Tamil began in
1832. The efforts of pioneers such as Iranius Iyer and
Fish Green in the field of translation are commendable.
Their attempts at translation resulted in the creation of
a large number of new scientific and technical terms in
Tamil. In 1932, the Director of Education for the district
of Chennai constituted a committee of scholars
exclusively for solaakkam. Unfortunately, the dictionary
of new terms coined by them is not available today.
The dictionary of technical terms published by the
Chennai Tamil Sangam in 1936 proved to be a valuable
guide to similar attempts. In 1957, 1962 and 1971 the
Government of Tamilnadu brought out several
compilations of technical terms.

    Several English words have entered the Tamil
language and many of these such as 'coffee', 'cement'
etc. are in common parlance. In an enthusiasm to
preserve the purity of the Tamil language, one must
not try to replace them with new Tamil words as it will
only result in confusion. Similarly,the meanings of certain
words change with time. One must be conscious of this
while creating new words.

    Solaakkam has several uses. It provides the
impetus for scientific and technical growth. It is the
basis for the growth of a language. Today, English is
steadily replacing other languages as the language of
higher education. Linguists warn that if this trend
continues several languages will die a slow death.
Solaakkam is the only solution to this. This is the
reason why solaakkam is indispensable in Tamil today.

    Solaakkam has various c onsequences. It has
resulted in phonetic and semantic changes in Tamil. It
has also brought about changes in the traditional Tamil
grammar.