Tamil script evolved from the Brahmic script[1]. The earliest Tamil writing date back to the Ashokan period which was commonly known as the Tamil-Brahmi. The modern Tamil script evolved from the new script created by the Pallava dynasty in the 4th century.
At present, Tamil is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and it is also spoken in Kerala, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, Telangana and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Island[2][3].
Tamil alphabets have 247 letter. In which there are 12 Vowels, 18 Consonants, 216 Vowel and Consonants combination, and 1 Aayuthu ezuthu (ஃ).
Tamil Vowel Letters
Vowels in Tami are also called உயிர் எழுத்துக்கள் (u-yi-r e-zhu-th-thu-k-kaL) which means the `life` (uyir) or `soul` letters.
There are 12 pure vowel letters in Tamil script. Vowels can be pronounced on its own, and it can be further classified into independent and dependent vowels.
Independent Vowels:
Dependent Vowels:
Two Part Dependent Vowels:
Tamil Consonant Letters
Consonant in Tamil are also called `மெய்யெழுத்து (meyyeḻuttu)` which means `body letters`.
There are 18 pure consonant letters in Tamil script. Consonants in Tamil cannot be pronounced independently by themselves. They have to be combined with a vowels to make a final sound.
Tamil Digits
Tamil has its own numeric digits to denote numbers and fractions
Tamil Numerics
Tamil Special Character Letters
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
References:
- [1] Unicode Consortium. "Tamil". The Unicode Standard, Version 15.0. Retrieved from https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0B80.pdf
- [2] Government of Tamil Nadu. "Tamil Language". Official Languages Act. Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov.in/scheme/data_view/132770
- [3] Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. "Languages". Retrieved from Census of India 2011
- [4] Ethnologue. "Tamil". 26th edition. Retrieved from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/tam
Sambhu Raj Singh ·