Is there any non-Tamilian who believe that the Tamil language is older than Sanskrit?

Asked by Last Modified  

4 Answers

Follow 1
Answer

Please enter your answer

Experienced and certified teacher from Delhi University

Vedic Sanskrit is believed to have existed before 600BC, whereas Tamil has earliest written history in 500BC though origin of these languages are unknown given both the languages are termed as pre-historic languages. However, there is little clarity on which REGION that SANSKRIT originated, thrived...
read more
Vedic Sanskrit is believed to have existed before 600BC, whereas Tamil has earliest written history in 500BC though origin of these languages are unknown given both the languages are termed as pre-historic languages. However, there is little clarity on which REGION that SANSKRIT originated, thrived and travelled. Either Sanskrit or its photo/earlier version might have originated in Caucasian region that gave way to many Indo-European languages and it might have evolved into more matured form ie., vedic Sanskrit with Devanagari in present day Afghanistan/Iran before moving into India, Nepal and east Asian countries. Many terminologies (eg. soma - a type of intoxicating drink) used in Sanskrit are still in use among tribes living in Afghanistan and Iran. Also, much of the products in Sanskrit passed on from one generation to another orally or through vedi education. Whereas, Tamil originated and evolved within Indian regions. There is no definite timeline indicated its origin, but earliest inscriptions date back to 500BC. The common reference to pre-historic form of Tamil is Proto-Dravidian however given its pre-historic nature, we cannot conclude it was a different form of language or definite existence of Tamil itself before the available evidences. Interestingly, the study on gene patterns among various Indian races, the earliest pattern has been recorded among tribes living in present day Kerala's Agasthiyakoodam hills. (note, Kerala was an integral part of Tamil linguistic region until 13–15th centuries). Coincidentally, much of early Tamil literatures point to the very same region - Podhigai hills - as the place where Tamil originated, with stories like Sage Agasthiya gave birth to written form of Tamil. Tamil is the least adultered Dravidian language while other Dravidian languages have undergone varying level of Sanskrit influence that led to the evolution of those languages, or even formation of new languages eg., Malayalam - a language that was a dialect of Tamil evolved into a new distinct language in 13–15th centuries due to influx of brahmins from Northern India (or, may be exodus due to Muslim rule in the north) In a nutshell, Sanskrit may or may not predate Tamil, but Tamil definitely predates Sanskrit within Indian region. Also, antiquity of Sanskrit is perceived/understood through vedic scriptures and epics that were passed on from one generation to another orally or through vedic education system. While, Tamil's origin is explored through inscriptions on rocks, palm leave manuscripts and the remnants of ancient kingdoms like Early Pandyan Empire. read less
Comments

German language and communication trainer.

Yes ofcourse
Comments

30 Yrs Experienced Female Home Tutor Handwriting specialist

Yes Tamil is older than Sanskrit
Comments

Urbanpro Tutor with 17 years of experience

Of course, Tamil is older than Sanskrit. By archeology dept. reports and records we can get the clear picture as Tamil is older than Sanskrit.
Comments

View 2 more Answers

Related Questions

What is the Tamil language?
Tamil is a Dravidian language, one of the oldest living languages, with a rich literary heritage and classical status, spoken mainly in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and worldwide.
Hariprasad
0 0
5
Is the Tamil language similar to Sanskrit?
No, Tamil is a Dravidian language, while Sanskrit is Indo-Aryan. They have different grammar and origins but share some borrowed words.
Shamss
0 0
5
How did Tamil language came to existence?
The origins of the Tamil language can be traced back over 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest languages still in use today. It belongs to the Dravidian language family, a group of languages that are...
Avinash
0 0
6
How many vowels and consonants are there in the Tamil language?
The Tamil script has 12 vowels, 18 consonants, 1 special character and 216 consonant based vowels. Hence a set of 247 symbols exists in the Tamil script
Avishkar
0 0
7
What are the origins of English?
English originated from the Germanic languages brought to Britain by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the 5th century. It evolved with influences from Latin, Norse, and French.
Ankit
0 0
8

Now ask question in any of the 1000+ Categories, and get Answers from Tutors and Trainers on UrbanPro.com

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

Greetings
https://vz-3ad30922-ba4.b-cdn.net/54883076-410b-48fe-a794-1d83dd0ab31a/play_480p.mp4


Tamil Basic Tips - 1
We can form as many sentences as possible in 'present tense', by adding the following: He VERB+kiraan. She VERB+kiraal. I VERB+kiraen You VERB+kiraai We VERB+kiroam They VERB+kiraargal
G

Ganesh P.

3 0
0

Come - Vaa
He comes - avan varukiraan She comes - aval varugiraal I come - naan varugiren You come - nee vaa We come - naangal varukiroam They come - avargal varukiraargal
G

Ganesh P.

2 0
0

Some useful question & answer:
Q: How are you? *epadi irukeenga? Q: Are you fine? *nalla irukeengala? # am fine # am good *nalla iruken # not bad *paravaalla # some how OK *edo irukken # not good # bad *nalla illa
G

Ganesh P.

3 0
0

Recommended Articles

Due to globalization of the Indian economy, the demand for learning foreign languages is on the rise. ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service) and Outsourcing have brought a lot of job opportunities paving the way for the learning foreign languages. German is the native language of more than 100 million people in...

Read full article >

When globalization was out of picture, it was enough to know just the mother tongue. Since globalization and out-sourcing have become part of life, there is a nagging need to learn new languages. Foreign languages help us to communicate with potential clients, sell our ideas and bond with their culture. It could be opening...

Read full article >

Learning any second language could be a little bit tricky. However, to learn a language, one needs to write, read, understand and speak it appropriately. Therefore, many students and professionals find it helpful in learning a foreign language from a reputable and reliable source. A second language helps them to increase...

Read full article >

If you think English is enough to communicate with anybody in this world, you are sadly misinformed. Statistically the highest spoken foreign language in the world is Chinese with 20.7%, followed by English at 6.2%. That means that 93.8% of people do not speak English. This makes it necessary to learn another foreign language...

Read full article >

Looking for Tamil Language classes?

Learn from the Best Tutors on UrbanPro

Are you a Tutor or Training Institute?

Join UrbanPro Today to find students near you