Why does the Tamil language always seem to be competing with the Sanskrit language?

Asked by Last Modified  

3 Answers

Follow 2
Answer

Please enter your answer

Srujith

Experienced language and art instructor with 7 years of teaching experience

Tamil and Sanskrit languages are distinct with different origins and structures. The historical and cultural context has led to competition between the two. Sanskrit has been used for religious, scholarly, and literary purposes by the upper castes. Tamil, on the other hand, has been used by the common...
read more
Tamil and Sanskrit languages are distinct with different origins and structures. The historical and cultural context has led to competition between the two. Sanskrit has been used for religious, scholarly, and literary purposes by the upper castes. Tamil, on the other hand, has been used by the common people as well as the elites. The competition can be traced back to the medieval period when there was a linguistic divide between the northern and southern parts of India. Sanskrit was dominant in the courts and administration, while Tamil was used by the common people. The Tamil Renaissance in the 19th and 20th centuries renewed interest in Tamil language and literature. Tamil scholars and activists worked to promote Tamil language and culture and to challenge the dominance of Sanskrit. This led to a competition between the two languages in terms of their literary, cultural, and historical significance. Both languages have their unique features and cultural significance and should be appreciated and celebrated for their contributions to Indian culture and history. read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Experienced language and art instructor with 7 years of teaching experience

The competition between Tamil and Sanskrit is rooted in historical and cultural factors. Sanskrit has been traditionally associated with Brahminical culture and Hindu religious texts, while Tamil has a strong Dravidian identity. The perceived rivalry arises from differing linguistic, cultural, and political...
read more
The competition between Tamil and Sanskrit is rooted in historical and cultural factors. Sanskrit has been traditionally associated with Brahminical culture and Hindu religious texts, while Tamil has a strong Dravidian identity. The perceived rivalry arises from differing linguistic, cultural, and political perspectives, as both languages have their own distinct histories and significance in Indian heritage. read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Experienced and certified teacher from Delhi University

Sanskrit scholars always called Tamil as a sister language, and others as daughters. Thus Sanskrit can borrow from Tamil but not from others. The fact that Sanskrit words form 40% of Tamil vocabulary even today, hence Sanskrit is older.
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

View 1 more Answers

Related Questions

What is special in the Tamil language?
Tamil is special because it is one of the world's oldest living languages with a 2,000+ year literary history. It has a unique script, rich poetry, pure Dravidian roots, and is still widely spoken today....
Sumit
0 0
5
How related are the Tamil language and the Japanese language?
Tamil and Japanese are not directly related, but some studies suggest similarities in grammar, word order, and phonetics due to possible ancient connections.
Abhinav
0 0
6
Is there any relation between Aramaic and Tamil language?
No, there is no direct linguistic relationship between Aramaic and Tamil; they belong to entirely different language families - Aramaic is a Semitic language, while Tamil is a Dravidian language, meaning...
Anil Sundar
0 0
5
Is the Tamil language script from Devnagari?
No, the Tamil script is not derived from Devanagari; it has its own unique origins within the Dravidian language family and evolved independently.
Baby
0 0
6
Is it true that Tamil language is almost same as it existed since its beginning in the written form?
No, it has changed a lot. I agree with MR Ramaswamy's words.
Sunita

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

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

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
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
Greetings

Renuka rangarajan

0 0
0
Greetings
https://vz-3ad30922-ba4.b-cdn.net/54883076-410b-48fe-a794-1d83dd0ab31a/play_480p.mp4

Renuka rangarajan

0 0
0
Past tense exercises in Tamil
Example sentences in Past Tense S.No My book-enoda pusthagam 1. My name is shelly Enoda pearu shelly 2. My teacher gave me a story book today ...

Karthika V.

0 0
0

Recommended Articles

Which language is more useful to learn French...

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 >

Choosing the right Foreign Language to learn...

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 >

Job Prospects for German Language Learners

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 >

Learning foreign language in India

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 >

Find Tamil Language classes near you
Tamil Language classes in Chennai
Tamil Language classes in Bangalore
Tamil Language classes in Coimbatore
Tamil Language classes in Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Language classes in Chengalpattu
Tamil Language classes in Erode
Tamil Language classes in Puducherry
Tamil Language classes in Hosur
Tamil Language classes in Madurai
Tamil Language classes in Salem
Online Tamil Language Classes

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