(See the Inflexion and the Instrumental case). Notwithstanding this, the usage of Dravidian grammarians has restricted the number of cases to eight, and though there are not a few disadvantages in this arrangement it will conduce to perspiquity to adhere to the ordinary usage in the analysis on which we are about to enter. Tamil grammarians, in following the order of the Sanskrit cases, have also adopted or imitated the Sanskrit mode of denominating them - not by descriptive appellations, as dative or ablative, but by numbers. They have affixed a number to each case in the same order as in Sanskrit - e.g., first case, second case, &c., to eighth case. Though a nominative, or first case, stands at the head of the Dravidian list of cases, the only cases, properly so called, which are used by these languages, are the oblique cases.”

     This is the most serious and complicated of all the errors committed by Dr. Caldwell. It is amazing how such a profound scholar of penetrating intellect could happen to fail to comprehend ordinary points of grammar, even if we make allowance for his utter ignorance of Tolkƒppiyam.

     It was Tamil grammar which served as a model for all Indian languages and dialects including Sanskrit. So, the attribution of Sanskrit origin to the formation of cases in Tamil is nothing but topsy-turvification of historical facts.

     Cases express relationship between a noun and a verb or another noun. That relationship can be of only nine kinds at the most. viz., Nominative, Accusative, Instrumental, Conjunctive, Dative, Ablative, Possessive or Genitive, Locative and Vocative. The Tamil grammarians included the Conjunctive in the Instrumental as they are closely allied to each other and expressed by the same postpositions, and recognized only eight cases. They keenly observed that the ideas of instrumentality and association embraced each other or blended into one, as an instrument is associated with an agent till he finishes a particular work, and as an associate or collaborator is instrumental in doing a business. It is noteworthy that in English also the two ideas are expressed by the same prepositions.