Brahmin Tamil
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Braahmik is the proposed name for a colloquial language related to Tamil spoken by the brahmins of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India, whereas brahmic refers to a family of ancient indic scripts.
This colloquial language has no script. It is spoken in two styles : (1)The Thanju style, spoken in Tamil Nadu, mainly represented by Tanjore or Thanjavur and
(2)The Paalu style spoken in Kerala mainly represented by Palghat or Palakkad.
There are two main differences between these two styles : (1) In the words ending in m and n preceded by a vowel, the vowel is nasalised but the nasal consonants themselves are not pronounced except when followed by a word beginning with a vowel in the Thanju style. In the Paalu style the nasal consonants in these cases are always pronounced.
(2) There is also often a difference in the vocabulary of the two styles. To give only one example, the word for 'news' is samaachaaram in Thanju, but varthamaanam in Paalu.
Both styles of Braahmik augment their vocabulary by freely borrowing from Tamil, Sanskrit and English.
A common orthography based on the Roman alphabet has been proposed for both styles of Braahmik.
Braahmik lessons are given below from which diffeences and similarities will become apparent as the lessons progress.
Braahmik / Lesson 1
The Braahmik Alphabet
Short Vowels : a, i, u, e, o
Long Vowels : aa, ii /ie, uu, ee, oo
Diphthongs : ai / ei, au
Velar Consonants : k, g
Palatal Consonants : ch, j
Retroflex Consonants : t, d
Dental Consonants : th, dh
Labial Consonants : p, b
Velar Nasal : ng
Palatal Nasal : nj
Retroflex Nasal : hn
Dental or Alveolar Nasal : n
Bilabial Nasal : m
Fricatives and continuants : y, r, l, v, zh, hl, sz, sh, s, h, rr, z
Many of these can occur as geminates : kk, gg, nng, nnj, hnn, mm, nn, cch, jj, tt, dd, tth, ddh, pp, bb, ll, hll, trr
There are also aspirated stop consonants : kh, gh, chh, jh, t'h, d'h, thh, dhh, ph, bh
Pronunciation hints are given after the texts that follow.
Thanju Braahmik :
Idhu meejei. Idhu naakaali. Idhu jannal. Idhu kadhavu. Idhu chevar. Meejei jannal kite iruku. Naakaali meejei kite iruku. Kadhavu szevar le iruku. Jannal um szevar le dhaan iruku. Meejei k adi le kupei kuudei iruku. Meejei meele pusthaham iruku. Pusthahath u ku pakath le peenaa iruku.
Paalu Braahmik :
Idhu meeszei. Idhu kasaalei. Idhu janal. Idhu kadhavu. Idhu chevar. Meeszei janal kite iruku. Kasaalei meeszei kite iruku. Kadhavu chevar le iruku. Janal um chavar le dhaan iruku. Meeszei k adi le kupei kuudei iruku. Meeszei meele pusthaham iruku. Pusthahath n kite pen iruku.
English Translation :
This is a table. This is a chair. This is the window. This is the door. The table is near the window. The chair is near the table. The door is in the wall. The window is also in the wall. There is a waste basket under the table. There is a book on the table. There is a pen near the book,
Notes :
Idhu 'this, this is'. The link verb 'to be' is not used in the present tense. There is no article, definite or indefinite. 'This table' as a full sentence means 'this is a table'.
The final -u in words is pronounced as an unrounded back vowel, something between i and u.
Nouns are followed by postpositions like kite 'near', le 'in' or kiizhe 'below'. There are also compound postpostions made up of a postposition plus noun plus postposition like k adi le 'below'. The verb iruku means 'is' or 'there is'.
Nouns are in an oblique form before a preposition. Most nouns have no special oblique form. Many have. Pusthahath is the oblique form of pusthaham. Sometimes between the oblique form and the postposition a dummy particle like u or n is placed. Chevar has an oblique form chevath. English words in English spelling are freely used in Braahmik.
Vocabulary
| Braahmik | English |
|---|---|
| Idhu | 'this, this is' |
| meejei, meeszei | 'table' |
| naakaali, naarkaali, kasaalei (paalu) | 'chair' |
| jannal, janal (paalu) | 'window' |
| kadhavu | 'door' |
| chevar, szevar | 'wall' |
| kite | 'near' |
| le | 'in' |
| um | 'also' |
| dhaan | 'only' |
| k adi le | 'under, below' |
| kupei kuudei | 'waste basket' |
| iruku (pres. t. of iru 'to be') | 'is, there is' |
| meele | 'above, on' |
| pusthaham | 'book' |
| pusthahath | (obl. form of pusthaham) |
| u | (a dummy infix before a postposition) |
| n | (a dummy infix before a postposition) |
| ku pakath le | 'near' |
| pakam | 'side' |
| peenaa, pen | 'pen' |
Grammar
The article 'a' or 'the' has to be understood form context.
Verbs are usually given in their imperative singular form in the dictionary. They form their three main tenses from three different bases. Often the bases are identical. But in most other cases they are diffeent.
The verb iru 'to be' is in its imperative singular form. Its present tense base is 'iruk'. In all three tense forms, verbs have different endings for different persons in the singular and plural numbers.
The 3 rd person singular neuter form of iru is iruku,
Braahmik / Lesson 2
Texts:
Thanju:
Idh eng aam. Ong aam enge iruku ? Ong aathu le yaar yaar irukaa ? Nie endha class le padikare ? Naan veelei ki pooren. Eng apaa ipo veelei ki pooha lei. Aathu le dhaan irukaa. Naan paadam padikaren. Nie enna pahnre ? Paadam padika lei a ? Kadhei pusthaham padikare a ?
Paalu
Idh eng aam. Ong aam enge iruku ? Ong aathu le aar ellaam irukaa ? Nie endha class le padikaraay ? Naan veelei ki pooren. Eng apaa ipo veelei ki poo lei. Aathu le dhaan irukaa. Naan paadam padikaren. Nie enna szeeyaraay ? Paadam padika lei a ? Kadhei pusthaham padikare a ?
English Translation:
This is our house. Where is your house ?Who are all there in your house ? In which class are you studying ? I go to work. My father doesn't go to work now. He is just at home. I am reading my lesson. What are you doing ? Are you not studying ? You are reading a story book, are you ?
Notes:
Enga 'our' is a possessive adjective, the final -a is often dropped when followed by a word beginning with a vowel : eng aam 'our house', When something is owned by most members of the family, enga 'our' is used instead of en 'my'. Thus 'my father, my house' is always replaced by 'our father, our house', etc.
In Thanju, words beginning with i- or -e tend to be pronounced as yi- or ye-, beginning with the semivowel or consonant y-, So, in the expression ong aam enge iruku, the m of aam is not pronounced and the aa is nasalised, because enge is pronounced as yenge beginning with the consonant y-. In Paalu e- and i- are pronounced as such, and in any case the final -m and -n are always pronounced as a full nasal consonant.
So the same expression ong aam enge iruku is pronounced differently in the two styles, although written in the same way.
The interrogative particle a (pronounced aa) turns a statement into a question.
The Paalu 2 nd person singular verb ending -aay is replaced by -e when it is followed by the interrogative partiocle a.
The simple present tense form is often equivalent to the simple present or present continuous form of English : padikaren 'I read, I am reading'
The negative form of the verb is obtained by placing the particle lei after the infinitive form of the verb.
The postposition ku / ki : ki occurs after a word ending in -i, -e, -ai or -ei. ku occurs elsewhere.
Vocabulary
Verbs are given in the imperative form. The present, past and future tense bases are given in parantheses ().
| Braahmik | English |
|---|---|
| enga, eng (before a vowel) | our |
| aam (aathu) | home, house |
| onga. ong (before a vowel) | your |
| enge | where |
| iru (iruku, irundhu, irupu) | to be |
| yaar, yaar yaar | who, who all |
| endha (interrog adj form of edhu) | which |
| edhu (int pron) | which one |
| padi (padikar, padichu, padipu) | to read, study |
| veelei | work, job |
| po, poo (poohar/poor, poon, poovu) | to go |
| ipo | now |
| ku / ki | to |
| pooha | to go (infinitive of po/poo) |
| lei | do / did not (after an infinitive) |
| dhaan | only, just |
| irukaa | he (hon.) / she is |
| Naan | I |
| paadam padi | read a lesson, study |
| nie | you (sg) |
| enna | what |
| pahn, pahnnu | to do |
| szeey | to do |
Grammar
Pronouns and their oblique forms:
In the table below the personal pronouns and their oblique forms are given:
| Thanju | Paalu | English |
|---|---|---|
| naan (en, ena) | naan (en, ena) | I |
| nie (on, ona) | nie (on, ona) | you (sg) |
| nier (om, oma) | nier (om, oma) | you (sg, hon) |
| avan (avan) | avan (avan) | he |
| ava(hl) (avahl) | avahl (avahl) | she |
| avar (avar) | avar (avar) | he / (she) (hon) |
| adhu (adhu) | adhu (adhu) | it |
| naama, namma(hl) (nammahl) | nammahl (nammahl) | we (incl) |
| naanga(hl) (engalh) | naangahl (engahl) | we (excl) |
| nienga(hl) (ongahl) | niengahl (ongahl) | you (pl / sg(hon)) |
| avaa(hl) (avaahl) | avaa(hl) (avaahl) | they (m / f pl, sg(hon)) |
| adhuha(hl) (adhuhahl) | adhuhahl (adhuhahl) | they (n pl) |
The oblique forms given above are followed by postpositions. Pronouns have attributive forms that are placed before nouns as possessive adjectives. The table below gives the attributive forms of pronouns, that is the possessive adjectives.
Possessive Adjectives:
| Thanju | Paalu | English |
|---|---|---|
| en | en | my |
| on | on | your (sg) |
| om | om | your (sg hon) |
| avan | avan | his |
| avahl | avahl | her |
| avar | avar | his (/ her) (hon) |
| adhu | adhu, adhu n | its |
| namma | namma | our (incl) |
| enga | enga | our (excl) |
| onga | onga | your (pl) |
| avaa | avaa | their (m / f) |
| adhuha | adhuha | their (n pl) |
Verb Forms:
The most important forms of verbs in Braahmik are : the imperative form, the infinitive form, the present tense base, the past tense base, the past participle form, the future tense base and the personal endings for the past /present and future tenses.
In the following tables, these forms are grouped as follows :
1) Imperative – Infinitive – Past Participle
2) (Personal Endings for:) Past / Present – (and) Future
3) Imperative – Present Base – Past Base – Future Base
Imperative—Infinitive—Past Participle:
| Imperative | Infinitive | Past Paticiple |
|---|---|---|
| padi 'read, study' | padika | padichu |
| iru 'be' | iruka | irundhu |
| peeszu 'speak, talk; | peesza | peeszi |
| chaapdu, szaapdu 'eat, have food' | chaapda, szaapda | chaaptu, szaaptu |
| oodu 'run' | ooda | oodi |
| nada 'walk' | nadaka | nadandhu |
| po, poo 'go' | pooha | pooy |
| nillu 'stand, stop' | nika | ninnu |
| edu 'take, remove' | eduka | eduthu |
| vizhu 'fall' | vizha | vizhundhu |
| chiri, sziri 'laugh' | chirika, szirika | chirichu, szirichu |
| chollu, szollu 'say, tell' | cholla, szolla | cholli, szolli |
| keehlu 'ask, hear, listen' | keeka | keetu |
| vei 'put, keep' | veika | vechu |
| vei 'scold' | veia | vesszu (mainly Thanju) |
| thitu 'scold' | thita | thiti |
| kaahnu 'meet, be seen' | kaahna | kahndu |
Personal Endings of Past / Present and Future
| Pronoun | Past / Presnet | Future |
|---|---|---|
| naan | en | en |
| nie | e, aay | e, aay |
| nier | ier | ier |
| avan | aan | an. aan |
| ava(hl) | aa(hl) | a(hl) |
| adhu | adhu / dhu* | um* |
| naama, namma(hl) | om | om |
| naanga(hl) | om | om |
| nienga(hl) | ehl | ehl |
| avaa(hl) | aa(hl) | aa(hl) |
| adhuha(hl) | adhu(hahl) / *dhu(hagl) | *um |
Notes:
(*) The future tense 3 rd p. n. ending -um is generally attached to the infinitive form after removing the ending -a.
The present tense and past tense endings also differ (-adhu / -dhu) in the 3 rd p. n. forms..
In the verbs in which the past tense base ends in -in, the 3 rd p. n. ending is -thu (as in oodithu 'it ran') in the past tense.
The forms poochu 'it went' and aachu 'it was over' are prominent exceptions..
Imperative – Present Base – Past Base – Future Base:
| Imperative | Present Base | Past Base | Future Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| padi | padikar | padichu | padipu |
| iru | iruku | irundhu | irupu |
| peeszu | peeszar | peeszin | peeszuv |
| chaapdu, szaapdu | chaapdar, szaapdar | chaaptu, szaaptu | chaapduv, szaapduv |
| oodu, | oodar | oodin | ooduv |
| nada | nadakar | nadandhu | nadapu |
| po, poo | poohar, poor | poon | poov |
| nillu | nikar | ninnu | nipu |
| edu | edukar | eduthu | edupu |
| vizhu | vizhar | vizhundhu | vizhuv |
| chiri, sziri | chirikarm szirikar | chirichu, szirichu | chiripu, sziripu |
| chollum szollu | chollar, szollar | chonn, szonn | cholluv, szolluv |
| keehlu | keekar | keetu | keepu |
| vei | vekar | vechu | vepu |
| vei | veiar | veszzu | veiv |
| thitu | thitar | thitin | thituv |
| kaahnu | kaahnar | kanhd / kand | kaanhuv |
Braahmik Lesson 3
Text:
Thanju:
Rend aavadhu yuddhathu ku mun aale, graamathu paszangahl ellam meel padipu ku enge poonaa ? Patahnathu ku thaan poonaa. Endha patahnam ? Mukiam a Madraas dhaan. Chela skuul le dhaan hostel irukum. Chela paszanga adhu le thanguvaa. Chela paszanga Madraas le uhlla sondhakaaraa aath le o, eedh aavadhu hotel le room eduthund o thanguvaa. Room le thangara paszang ellaam hotel le dhaan szaapduvaa.
Paalu
Rend aamathu yuddhathu ku min aale graamathu puhlleiahl ellaam meel padipu ku enge aakum poonaa ? Patahnathu ku thaan poonaa. Endha patahnam? Mukiam a Madhiraaszi dhaan. Chela skuuhl le dhaan hostel irukum. Chela kutiahl adhu le thaamasipaa, Chela puhlleiahl Madraas le uhlla bandhhukahl aathu le o, eedh aavadhu oru hotel le room eduthukind o thaamasipaa. Room le thaamasikara puhlleiahl ellaam hotel le dhaan chaapduvaa.
English Translation:
Before the second world war, where did the village boys go for higher studies ? They went to the city only. Which city ? It was only Madras mainly. Only some schools had hostels. Some boys stayed in them. Some boys stayed in the houses of relatives in Madras or taking a room in some hotel. The boys staying in a room had their food only in hotels.
Notes:
The word rendu 'two' has the forms rend aavadhu (Thanju) and rend aamadhu (Paalu) as the ordinal numerical pronouns (neuter gender).
The corresponding numerical adjectives are respectively rend aavadhu and rend aamathu.
The word paian 'boy', plural paszanga(hl), is preferred in Thanju and the word puhllei 'boy', plural puhlleiahl, is preferred in Paalu.
The expressions mun aale (Thanju) and min aale (Paalu) both mean 'before' (in time) and 'in front, forward' (in space).
The future tense base often serves as a noun, as in padi 'to read, srudy' and padipu 'reading, studies'.
The word aakum, variously translatable as 'indeed, of course, etc.' is more often used in Paalu and very rarely in Thanju.
Examples :
Aar aakum adhu ? 'Who could it be ?'
(This meaning results while trying to guess 'who it is').
It could mean 'Who the hell is it ?'
This is the meaning when a peson is annoyed by the interference).
Naan aakum chonnen 'It is I who said it'.
Enge aakum poonaa ? 'where indeed did they go ?' or 'Can you guess where they went ?'
The plural ending could be -kahl, -gahl, -hahl or (y)ahl depending upon the phonetic context.
The future tense form of the verb is used often to refer to habitual actions of the past sometimes extending into the present:
Avaa varuvaa 'they will come, they used to come', irukum 'there generally is'.
The particle a or aa is often placed after a noun to convert it into an adverb.
Vocabulary
Verbs are given in the imperative form and the present, past and future bases are given in parantheses ( ).
Nouns and pronouns are given in their ordinary (nominative) form followed in parantheses by the oblique form and, separated by a semicolon, by the attributive form.
| Paalu / Thanju | English |
| Rendu | two |
| Rend aamadhu (aamadhu ; aamathu) / rend aavadhu | second, the second one |
| yuddham (yuddhathu) | war |
| min aale / mun aale | before, in front |
| graamam (graamathu) | village |
| puhllei | boy, son |
| ellaam (ellaathu ; ellaa) | all, everuthing, everybody |
| meel (adj) | higher, upper |
| padipu | reading, studies |
| enge | where |
| aakum | indeed, of course, can you guess ...? |
| poonaa (past 3 rd p pl / f sg of po,poo 'to go' ) | they went, she went |
| patahnam (patahnathu) | town, city |
| thaan, dhaan | (emphatic particle meaning:) of course, indeed, alone |
| edhu (edhu : endha) | which |
| mukiam a | mainly, chiefly |
| madhiraaszi / madraas | Madras |
| chela, szela (adj.) | some, a few |
| skuuhl, paadaszaalei / skuul, pahllikuudam (pahllikuudathu ; pahllikuuda(thu) | school |
| kutiahl (paalu) | children, boys, girls |
| thaamasi (-kar. -chu, -pu) / thangu (-ar, -in, -uv) | stay, live |
| le uhlla | (a relative phrase meaning:) that/who is in, that/who are in |
| bandhhukahl / sondhakaaraa(hl) | relatives |
| ... o ...o | either /// or ,,, |
| eedh aavadhu oru | any, some |
| eduthuko (-kar, -kindu, -kuv / -kar, -hd, -pu) | take, fix up for yourself |
| thamasikara / thangara | (present partyicipial adj) staying, living. |
Grammar
The verb forms uhlla, thangara and thaamasikara in the above Thanju and Paalu passages are present participial adjective forms.
The phrases containing these forms are eqivalent to a relative clause in English:
Hotel le thaamasikara puhlleiahl means 'the boys. who stay in a hotel' or 'the boys staying in a hotel'.
In Braahmik there is no relative clause, threre are only participial adjectival phrases that precede the head noun.
Participial adjectives can be formed from the present and past tense bases by just adding the suffix -a. The future 3 rd p n form itself serves as the future adjectival participle, but that form is very rarely used in Braahmik.
A few verbs like iru 'to be', poo 'to go' or aa 'to be, become' have these forms formed irregularly. They are listed below :
Irukara, irundha, irukum, poora / poohara, poona, poohum and aara / aahara, aana, aahum
Dilli ki poora vandi means 'the Delhi bound train'
Poona varsham means 'last year, the year that went by'
Naan poona varsham Madras le irundha poodhu means 'when I was in Madras last year'
The participial adjectives are the same for all genders and numbers.
Padikara paian, padikara paszangahl, padikara pohnnu all mean 'student(s)'.
Padicha manushan, padicha pohnnu mean 'the educated man, the educated girl'
For the future tense, instead of using the form ending in -um, the construction made up of the infinitive of a verb plus the present adjectival participle poora is used:
Nie padicha paadam 3 (muuhn) aavadhu, nie padika poora paadam 4 (naal) aavadhu means 'the lesson you studied is the 3 rd, the lesson you are going to study is the 4 th'.
Braahmik Lesson 4
Texts:
Thanju:
Eng aathu le yaar yaar irukaa, szollatum a ?
Enga thaathaa irukaar. Avar u ku vayasu romba aachu. Epo paath aal um, padukei le o, easy chair le o, paduthund e irupar.
Avar pakathu le,tharei le oru paay ei virichu okaandhundu, enga paati edh ei aavadhu padichund e irupaa.
Eng apaa k o, kaalambara office u ku poora avasaram, Kuhlichu szaaptutu, adh enge idh enge innu kathind e, eduthuka veendiadh ei elllam eduthundu, office u ku kehlambi poovaa.
Saayngaalam vandh a, or e kahleipu. Konja neeram ehleip aarritu, vehli le pooy friends ei ellaam paathutu vandhu, szaaptutu vandhu thuungiduvaa.
Ammaa epo um e adupankarei le dhaan irupaa.
Paalu
Eng aathu le aar elllam aakum irukaa, chollatum a ?
Enga paataa irukaar. Avar u ku vayasu romba aachu. Epo paath aal um, kedekei le o, easy chair le o, paduthuhind e kedapar.
Avar kitaka, nelathu le oru paay ei virichu okaadhuhindu, enga paati edh ei aavadhu padichuhind e irupahl.
Eng apaa k o, kaalambara office u ku poora theraku. Kuhlichu chaaptutu, adh enge idh enge innu kathihind e, eduthuka veendiadh ei ellaam eduthuhindu, office u ku porrapatu poovaa.
Saayandhram vandh a, or e kshiehnam. Konja neeram aaszvaasa paduthihindutu, vehli le pooy friends ei ellaam paathutu vandhu chaaptutu thuungiuduvaa.
Ammai epo paath aal um adukuhlei le dhaan irupahl.
Notes:
The verb form szollatum (formed by affixing -tum to the infinitive of a verb) means 'let me (him, her, us, them) say'
When the interrogative particle a is placed after it, it means 'may I say?'
Epo paath aal um is a phrase that means 'always, whenever (you) see', The structure is complex, with epo... and ...um forming a frame meaning 'always, ever', into which a past participle plus aa(l) maning 'when / if (you)...'
The emphatic particle e, placed after the present adverbial participle form of a verb, means 'going on ...ing'.
Avar paduthund e irupar means literally 'he would go on lying down',
The present participle form is obtained by affixing -(ki/hi)ndu to the past participle form of a verb,
To get the present, past or future continuous tenses, the three finite tense forms of the verb iru 'to be' are used :
Naan padichund irundhen 'I was studying'
Nienga naahlei ki Mumbai ki pooynd irupehl 'You will be on your way to Mumbai tomorrow'
Kozhandheihahl innum thujngind irukaa 'The children are still sleeping'.
The particle o has many uses. One of them is 'as for ...'. Eng apaa k o 'as for my father, as far as my father is concerned'.
The perfect tenses could be formed by placing the shortened verb -du (as a suffix in its various tense forms) attached to the refular verb:
Szaapdu 'eat', szaaptudu 'finish eating'. The imperative, present, past and future bases of the suffixal vern -du are”
-du, -dar, -tu, -duv.
While the verb chaapdu, szaapdu 'to eat' is an ordinary transitive verb, chaaptudu, szaaptudu 'finish eating, eat it up' is a perfective verb that implies a definite beginning or definite finishing of an action.
The phrase or e means 'one and the same' or 'innumerable, endless, extreme (and so many other equivalents depending upon the context)':
Or e kahleipu 'extreme fatigue, (being) extremely tired', or e kuutam 'a milling crowd, or e chatei 'a single (one and the same) shirt'.
Words indicating time (as onl the calendar) can be used as adverbs without a postposition: thinga kezhamei 'monday, on monday. Also kalambara 'morning, in the morning'.
Vocabulary:
| Thanju / Paalu | English |
|---|---|
| szollatum / chollatum | let (me, he, etc.) say |
| szollatum a ? / chollatum a ? | may I say, may I tell you ? |
| thaathaa / paataa | grandfather, old man |
| vayasu | age |
| (romba) vayas aachu | (he/she) is (very) old |
| epo | when |
| epo um | always |
| epo paath aal um | whenever you see |
| padukei / kedakei | bed, lying down |
| paduthuko | lie down |
| keda | be fallen, be lying around |
| kitaka | nearby |
| tharei / nelam (nelathu) | floor |
| paay | mat |
| viri (virikar, virichu, viripu) | to spread |
| okaaru (okaarar, okaandhu, okaaruv) | sit down |
| okaandhuko (-kar, -ndu, -pu) | be seated |
| okaandhuho (-har, -hindu, -huv) | be seated |
| paati | grandmother, old woman |
| edhu | which one |
| edh aavadhu | whichever one, anything |
| padichuko (-kar, -ndu, upu) | read (for oneself) |
| padichuko (-kar, -kindu, -kuv) | to read (for oneself) |
| o | as for smb/smth, as far as smb/smth is concerned |
| kaalambara | morning, in the morning |
| poora | (present participial adj form of poo 'to go' |
| avasaram (-athu) / theraku | urgency, hurry |
| kuhli (kuhlikar, kuhlichu, kuhlipu) | to take bath |
| szaapdu (-dar, -tu, -duv) / chaapdu (-dar, -tu, -duv) | eat, take food, have lunch / dinner |
| szaaptudu (-tudar, -tutu, -tuduv) / chaaptudu (-tudar, -tutu, -tuduv) | finish eating |
| idhu | this (dem. pron,) |
| innu (ingar, innu, imbu) | say (thus) |
| kathu (kathar, kathin, kathuv) | shout (human), cry (animal)ihind |
| e (after pres. paftic. form) | while ,,,ing, eduthuka |
| veendiadhu | the required thing(s) |
| ei | (postposition indicating direct object) |
| edithuko (-kar, -ndu, -pu) / (-kar, -kindu/-hindu, -kuv) | to take for oneself, collect |
| porrapadu (-dar, -tu, -duv) | start. Get ready to go |
| porrapatu poo | set off, leave, go |
| saay(u)ngaalam (-thu) / saayandhram (-thu) | |
| or e | one and the same; one single; extreme |
| kahleipu / kshiehnam (-thu) | tiredness, fatigue |
| konjam (konjathu ; konja) | - |
| neeram (neerathu : neera) | time |
| ehleip aarru (aarrar, aarrin, aarruv) / aaszvaasa paduthiko (-kar, -kindu/-hindu, -kuv) | take rest |
| ehleip aarridu (-dar, -tu, -duv) / aaszvaasa paduthindudu (-dudar, -duru, -duduv) | finish taking rest |
| vehli | outside |
| paaru (paa(r)kar, paathu, paa(r)pu) | to see, meet |
| paathudu (-dar, -tu, -duv) | finish seeing |
| vaa (var, vandhu, varuv) | to come |
| thuungu (-gar, -gin, -guv) | to sleep |
| thuungi(u)du (thuungi(u)dar, -gi(u)tu, -giuduv) | to fall asleep |
| ammaa / ammai | mother
szamaialkatu / adukuhlei || kitchen |
Perin80g 03:55, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
Grammar
Braahmik at one time had, like Tamil, separate auciliary verbs to give a reflexive, concessive or perfective sense to the main verb. Being a rapidly growing colloquial language, it contracted these auxiliary verbs into mere verbal suffixes to convert the main verb into a reflexive, concessive or perfective verb. The verbs are kohllu (reflexive / concessive) contracted to -ko and vidu (perfect tense auxiliary) contracted to -du.
In the following table, ordinary verbs and the corresponding reflexive / concessive and prefective verbs are given:
| Ordinary | Reflexive / concessive | Perfective |
|---|---|---|
| poo 'go' | pooyko 'you may go' | pooydu 'go away' |
| vaa 'come' | vandhuko / -ho 'you may come' | vandhudu 'come away' |
| edu 'take' | eduthuko 'you may take' | eduthudu 'ake it away' |
| okaaru 'sit down' | okaandhuko / -ho 'take your seat' | okandhudu '(just) sit down (and don't get up)' |
| sziri /chiri 'Laugh' | sziri- / chirichuko 'snuke, laugh in your sleeves' | sziri- / chirithudu 'burst out laughing' |
Cardinal Numerals
1 ohnnu, 2 rendu, 3 muuhnu / muunnu, 4 naalu, 5 anju, 6 aarru, 7 eezhu, 8 etu, 9 ombadhu, 10 pathu.
The verb iru does work for both 'to be' and 'to have', The difference is brought out by syntax :
Avan oru kozhandhei 'he (is) a child'
Avan u ku oru kozhandhei iruku 'he has a child'
Naan pahna kaaran 'I am a rich man'
En kite pahnam iruku 'I have money'
King Midas u ku kazhudhei kaadhu 'King
Midas has ass's ears'.
Enga thaathaa ku romba vayas aachu 'My gandfather is very old'.
Kozhandhei ki pathu vayasu 'The child is 10 years old'.
En kite oru pusthaham iruku 'I have a book'.
Ena k oru thambi irukaan 'I have a younger brother'.
Braahmik / Lesson 5
Braahmik uses English words freely, especially when discussing science subjects or when referring to modern equipment of western origin.
Text
Eng apaa varshaa varsham en birthday ki nerreia story books vaangi tharuvaa. Adh ei ellaam en shelf le ozhung a arrange pahnni vech iruken.
Indha varsham books u ku badhil a video games vaangi thandhaa. Adh ei computer oodu disc drive le vechutu naan nerreia naazhi vehlaiaaduveen.
On kite computer iruk a ? CD ei tharatum a ? nie vehlaiaadi pakare a ?
Veendaam daa, eng apaa thituvaa. Pariekshei varadhu, padikahnum.
English Translation:
My father buys me a lot of story books for my birthday every year. I have arranged them all neatly in my shelf.
This year he bought video games instead of books. I play for a long time keeping it on the disc drive of the computer.
Do you have a computer ? Shall I give you the CD ? Would you like to try and play with it too ?
No, man, my father will scold me. The exam is coming near. I have to sudy.
Notes:
Varshaa varsham 'every year'.
Similar expressions are :
Maasaa maasam 'every month' and vaaraa vaaram 'every week'/
Vaangi tharuvaa 'he (generally) buys for me'.
Indha varsham 'this year'. vehlaiaadi pakare a ?
Vehleiaadi paaru 'try to play'. The verb paaru 'to see' is used with other verbs with the meaning 'try to ...
The interrogative particle a after a present rtense form may mean 'are you ....ing' or 'would you like to ....' .
Veendaam daa 'I don't want, man'. Young equals (male) while talking to each other use the 'tag address' daa after a verb, in the same way as the word 'chum' could be used in English. This is done more frequently in Braahmik
Padikahnum '(I) have to read'. The suffix /-hnum (Thanju) or -hnam (Paalu) attached to the infinitive of a verb means /have to, must'.
Vocabulary:
| Thanju / Paalu | English |
|---|---|
| varshaa varsham | every year |
| en birthday ki | for my birthday |
| nerreia / nerrechum | a lot of |
| vaangi thaaa (thar, thandh, tharuv) | to buy and give, buy for me |
| ozhung a | neatly |
| arrange pahnni veich iru | to have arranged and kept . |
| ku badhil a | instead of |
| nerreia naazhi, romba neeram | for a long time |
| oodu | (postposition) of |
| vehlaiaadu (-dar, -din, -duv) | to play |
| tharatum a ? | shall I give ? |
| vehlaiaadi paaru (paakar, paathu, paapu) | try to play |
| veendaam | it is not needed, I don't want, don't |
| daa | (a tagged on address among young equals) |
| thitu (thitar, thitin, thituv) | to scold |
| pariekshei | examination |
| vaa (var, vandhu, varuv) | to come |
| padikahnum | (I, you, we) have to study. |
Grammar
The infinitive form of some verbs can also serve as an adjective:
Nerreia (infinitive of nerrei (nerreiar, nereinj, nerreiuv) 'to fill up, fill to the brim'). As an adjective it means 'a lot of'
English verbs can be turned into a braahmik verb by placing the verb pahnnu after the English infinitive :
Arrange pahnnu 'to arrange'
The past participle of one or more verbs followed by another verb is a common construction, often translatable by a single word in English :
Vaangi thaa 'buy (for me), buy and give'
Eduthu kondu vaa (eduthundu vaa), kondu vandhu thaa 'bting'
Muutindu poo 'accompany, escort'
Arrange pahnni vei 'keep smth. Arranged' (ordinary)
Arrange pahnni vech iru 'keep smth arranged/ (perfective)
Possessive Pronouns
Corresponding to the English possessive adjectives (mu, your, his, her, our, etc.), there are possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, etc.)
In Braahmik too there are possessive pronouns corresponding to the possessive adjectives. These are given in the following table:
| Possessive Adhective |
English | Possessive Pronoun |
English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en, en oodu | my | endhu, en oodadhu | mine |
| on, on oodu | your (sg) | ondhu, on oodadhu | yours |
| om, om oodu | your | om oodadhu | yours (hon) |
| avan, avan oodu | his | avandhu, avan oodadhu | his |
| ava, avahl oodu | her | avahldhu, avahl oodadhu | hers |
| avar, avar oodu | his (hon) | avardhu, avar oodadhu | his/hers (hon) |
| adhu, adhu n oodu | its | adhu n oodadhu | its |
| namma, nammahl oodu | our | nammahl oodadhu | ours (incl) |
| enga, engahl oodu | our | engahl oodadhu | ours (excl) |
| onga, ongahl oodu | your | ongahldhu, ongahl oodadhu | yours )pl, hon sg) |
| avaa, avaahl oodu | their | avaahl oodadhu | theirs (his, hers hon) |
| adhuha, adhuhahl oodu | their | adhuhahl oodadhu | theirs (n pl) |
Exercises:
Some exercises are given below to test one's understanding of Braahmik.
Exercise 1 : Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form corresponding to the word given in parantheses ( ) :
1.---- apaa office u ku pooraa. (my)
2.Nie ----- ----- ku epo varuve ? (my house)
3.Idhu ------ -----. (my house)
4. Idhu ----- ----- a ? (your book)
Exercise 2 : Translate into English :
1.Idh ei aathu ku eduthundu poo.
2.Eng apaa ku rendu thambihahl irukaa.
3.Nie pahna kaaran. On kite nerreia pahnam iruku.
4.Meeszei meele irukara pusthaham aar oodu pusthaham ?
Perin80g 03:21, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
(To be continued) Perin80g 19:36, 9 August 2006 (UTC) Perin80g 04:08, 10 August 2006 (UTC)Perin80g 05:34, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
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