LESSON - 3

A0 2113 - மெய்யெழுத்து ஒலிகளின் பிறப்பு

ARTICULATION OF THE CONSONANTS

This lesson describes the production of Tamil consonant sounds as per தொல்காப்பியம் and நன்னூல். Dependant sounds in Tamil are produced in specific ways and means. Linguistic approach to the production of consonant sounds is also presented in this lesson.

There are nine units in this lesson. The first unit expounds the view of தொல்காப்பியர் about the production of Tamil consonant sounds. Hard and soft consonants are paired according to their places of production.

In the second unit the views of நன்னூலார் in this respect are presented. He classifies க, ங, ச, ஞ, ட and ண together to describe their production.

Comparison and contrast between the two grammars of தொல்காப்பியம் and நன்னூல் in the matter of the production of consonant letter-sounds form the subject of learning in the third unit.

The fourth unit is similar to the third with the difference it deals with the manner, and not the place, of production of consonant sounds as depicted by the two grammatical works.

The birth of the middle consonants, ie. neither hard nor soft, can be understood from the fifth unit.

In the sixth unit the dependant sounds are taken up. How தொல்காப்பியம் and நன்னூல் describe their production can be learnt from this unit. நன்னூல் considers ten groups of உயிர்மெய், ஆய்தம், உயிரளபெடை, ஒற்றளபெடை, குற்றியலிகரம், குற்றியலுகரம், ஐகாரக் குறுக்கம், ஒளகாரக் குறுக்கம், மகரக் குறுக்கம் and ஆய்தக் குறுக்கம். தொல்காப்பியம் indicates only three of them such as குற்றியலிகரம், குற்றியலுகரம் and ஆய்தம். However, உயிரளபெடை and ஒற்றளபெடை are extensions of existing vowel and consonant sounds. The remaining groups of reduction of ஐகாரம், ஒளகாரம், மகரம் and ஆய்தம் complete the ten groups of dependant sounds.

The seventh unit specially specifies raising, lowering and raising-lowering of sounds while pronouncing Tamil sounds. Such changes are described in what is called புறனடை.

In the eighth unit the linguistic view is compared with the views of the two grammarians, regarding the production of consonantal sounds.