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Lesson 4
P20134 Principles of Neologism
This lesson enunciates the fundamental principles
of solaakkam. In Tamil, efforts at solaakkam have been
undertaken for the last 150 years. In the early years,
solaakkam was more of an i ndividual effort and
approaches to it were unscientific. As a result, it was
inconsistent and random. Of late, attempts have been
made t o evolve a more systematic approach to
solaakkam. This has resulted in the formulation of the
basic principles of solaakkam.Those who are involved in the process of
solaakkam must remember that ancient literary texts
are a rich source of words. This is especially true in
the case of Tamil which has a vast repertoire of
literary texts. Words that were once in use or words
that are found in literary texts of yore can be revived
and used in new contexts. A word may be created by
succinctly explaining or defining an existing word. This
is called 'Sorporul Virivu'. In order to embody new
concepts or scientific findings in the target language,
an entirely new set of terms or words may be created
in the language.This process is called 'Pudusol Padaippu'.
Words may also be coined through translation or (mozhipeyarppu) and borrowing.The renowned Tamil philologist Paavaanar points
out that solaakam can be done either by reviving
archaic words or creating totally new words. He lists
6 principles of solaakkam. Other linguists such as
S.Sundarrajan and A.K. Manian have also outlined some
of the principles of solaakkam. A few fundamental
principles of solaakkam are: Words that are accepted
and used internationally must only be transliterated.
Some scientific inventions or terms are coined after
the names of the scientists who invented them. These
names must be kept intact. The words denoting
scientific and mathematical symbols must also be
transliterated and used as they are. Similarly, it is not
necessary to find Tamil equivalents for acronyms that
are universally accepted. In its nascent years,solakkam
largely comprised transliteration. Even these
transliterations lacked consistency. This must be
avoided. Sometimes several words are created over a
period of time to denote the same object or idea. It is
important to select the most appropriate of these and
obtain universal acceptability for the same. This
process of selection or 'tharapaduthudal' will ensure
that the word attains 'nilaiperaakkam', meaning, it
becomes an established usage. Selection or
'tharapaduthudal' is based on several criteria. They
are: appropriateness of the word i.e., (poruthamudaimai),
acceptability i.e., (erppudaimai), simplicity i.e., (elimai),
uniformity i.e., (orumaippadu), adaptability to various
contexts i.e., (pal thurai nokku) and linguistic purity i.e.,
(mozhi thuimai).
