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Deccan Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Daughter or sister — How are Kannada and Tamil related?
Actor Kamal Haasan's remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil has sparked a furore in Karnataka, but he has said nothing new. Leaders of all political hues in Tamil Nadu propagate the sentiment, and it is part of the state anthem as well. .The actor's casual remark, made in Chennai at the audio release of his upcoming film, Thug Life, could also be seen in the context of the Dravidian movement spearheaded by Periyar in the early part of the 20th century. As an ideologue, Periyar (1879-1973) espoused the cause of the south and opposed Hindi dominance. He held that all south Indian languages were born from Old Tamil. In current-day politics, Kamal Haasan is seeking to enter the Rajya Sabha with support from the DMK, a party founded on Periyarist Periyar calls Old Tamil is the very same language that linguists call Proto-Dravidian, assumed to have been the source of Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu, Kodava, Badaga and less widely spoken languages such as Hassan's position on the supremacy of Tamil is contentious. For Kannadigas, the dispute is not so much about whether Kannada and Tamil are related — there is no question that they are — but about how they are related. Linguists DH spoke to argue that the languages are sisters, and not mother and fallout of Kamal Haasan's casual remark, and his subsequent refusal to retract his position and apologise, has triggered outrage in Karnataka. .Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, comes 38 years after Nayakan, the gangster drama on which the two had collaborated and created box office history. .Meti Mallikarjun, linguist, professor and researcher at Kuvempu University, Shivamogga, says it is a common belief among Tamil people that Tamil is the mother of all Dravidian languages. 'There is no rationale behind it. It is like a folk belief,' he says. .Kamal Haasan would not have made the controversial statement had he acquired a deeper understanding of the history of the southern languages, he observes. 'The two languages are like branches of the same tree. The roots are what is known as Proto-Dravidian,' he multiplicity of tongues in India derives predominantly from two language families — Proto-Dravidian and Proto-Indo-Aryan. 'We have 25 to 27 languages in the Dravidian family. Some studies suggest the number is 70, but we have no evidence to support it,' Meti says. .The languages branched out at different points in time — Brahui, Malto, Tulu, Gondi, Kodava, Tamil, Kannada and so on. Gradually, when mutual intelligibility among the languages faded, they became independent languages, he adds. .A well-known linguist based in Karnataka says Kannada and Tamil share a cognate relationship, and one is not a descendant of the other. .Predictably, politicians wade into language controversies to score points and push their agendas. The claim that Kannada descended from Sanskrit is advanced by some. 'These are popular ideas that do not have evidence to support them,' the linguist, who requested anonymity, Malayalam and Kannada were part of the same Dravidian language group (known as the south Dravidian language group), he explains. 'Kannada was the first to branch out from it. Tamil and Malayalam were together for a long time. Some studies also suggest that Tulu and Kodava had already branched out much before Kannada,' he says..K Nallathambi, who writes fiction and poetry in Kannada and Tamil, says, 'The languages have many identical words but that does not mean one originated from the other. Korean has many words in common with Tamil, but that does not mean Korean originated from Tamil.'.The academics do not dispute the antiquity of Tamil. 'Sangam literature, which dates back to about 300 BCE, is evidence that Tamil is an old language. To add to it, one of the oldest grammar books, Tolkappiyam, was written by Tolkappiyar, a contemporary of Panini. It is a famous grammar book of south India,' Meti Carlos, who was a Tamil professor in the Kannada department at Bangalore University — he taught Tamil through Kannada — says the belief that Tamil is older than other southern languages is deeply rooted in Tamil Nadu. 'In his poem chosen as the Tamil Nadu state anthem, Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai says all Dravidian languages originated from Tamil. The Tamils sing this song every day and go by it. He also praises the other languages. He refers to Telugu as a beautiful language, and Kannada as a happy language and so on. But he also says that they all came from the womb of the Tamil mother. This is what Kamal has also said,' he the British missionary and linguist Robert Caldwell, who wrote A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages in the mid-19th century, debated the etymology of the name Tamil. 'He writes that 'Dramil' has now become Tamil. But there is a debate about it. Some people say Tamil has become Dramil in some Sanskrit texts,' says Meti. .Carlos calls attention to A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary, originally published in 1961, compiled by M B Emeneau and T Burrow. 'In this book, about 12 Dravidian languages are enumerated with their roots. Words are listed in alphabetical order and compared with the other example, hogu ('go' in Kannada) is listed alongside po in Tamil and so on,' he explains. He describes it as a pioneering book that put forth the theory that all south Indian languages came from a Proto-Dravidian it is true that Kannada and Tamil share many similarities in grammar and lexis, it is equally true that, over the centuries, they have chosen their priorities differently. Formal Kannada borrows generously from Sanskrit, while formal Tamil mines its Dravidian lexis to create new terms. For example, for 'president', Kannada uses 'rashtrapati', a term adopted by many Indian languages with a Sanskrit influence, while Tamil has coined a more native 'kudiyarasu thalaivar' — head of the Kamal Haasan nor Mani Ratnam is a stranger to Kannada. The actor has starred in several hit Kannada films, including Rama Shama Bhama (2005), in which he speaks Kannada in the north Karnataka dialect. Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983). .The two languages enjoy much warmth, but sometimes, sibling rivalry kicks in.
News18
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
'They Are Cousins, Tamil Is Not Kannada's Mother': Kannadigas Hit Back At Kamal Haasan
Last Updated: Kannada linguists and scholars have come forward with documents to prove that all Dravidian languages came from a Proto-Dravidian language more than 2,000 years ago Renowned actor and politician Kamal Haasan seems to have unwittingly waded into a controversy over the origin of Kannada language. At a promotion of his new movie 'Thug Life", Haasan said that Kannada came from Tamil implying that Tamil is the mother language of Kannada. He made this highly controversial statement in the presence of Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, son of thespian, the late Rajkumar. Haasan's statement has led to a public outcry against him in Karnataka. Including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, all political leaders of the state cutting across parties, have strongly condemned his remarks, demanding an apology. Haasan has refused to apologise saying he made this comment out of love. The Karnataka Film Industry is now under pressure to extract an apology from Haasan. People are also questioning the silence of Shivarajkumar, who kept quiet and did not counter Haasan on the stage. They argue that Kannada is an independent Dravidian language like Tamil and other languages. Kannada linguists and scholars have come forward with documents to prove that all Dravidian languages, including some languages spoken by the minuscule number of people (in hundreds) came from a Proto-Dravidian language more than 2,000 years ago. They claim that this language was spoken by the Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilisation which predates the arrival of Aryans from Central Asia. Professor Ham Pa Nagarajaiah, a renowned Kannada scholar and linguist has termed Haasan's statement as stupid, which is completely false. He said that all Dravidian languages including two of the oldest Tamil and Kannada came from a Proto-Dravidian language which no longer exists. He added that Kannada and Tamil are cousin languages which belong to the same family and no language is the mother of another language. Describing his remarks as insulting and inflammatory, Bilimale said that Kannada, Tamil, Tulu, Telugu, Malayalam and another hundred plus languages came from a Proto-Dravidian language. Speaking to News18, he said 'that proto-Dravidian language no longer exists. The linguists have reconstructed it and proved that it is the mother of all Dravidian languages. There is a language called Kuyi, spoken in Orissa which is older than Tamil and it is also a Dravidian language." He cautioned that claiming that one language is the mother of another language is a dangerous thing and it is born out of superiority complex. He has also criticised the people who claim that Sanskrit is the mother language of all Indian languages. He said that Sanskrit is an Indo-Aryan language and over centuries a lot of Sanskrit words have entered the Dravidian languages. But that does not make Sanskrit mother of any Dravidian language. It is an established fact that Kannada, Tamil, Tulu, Telugu, Malayalam, Kodava, Havyaka, Badaga, Thoda and many other languages are proto-Dravidian languages. They are cousins, belong to the same language family. No language is a mother of another language. They are independent, yet linked to each others. Sometimes closely. What Kamal Haasan has said is nothing new. Over 55 years ago, Rajaji had said (actually wrote) something similar about Kannada and Tamil. Rajaji wrote that Kannada came from Tamil and the Kannada script came from Telugu! There were protests against his statement in Karnataka, initially he refused to apologise. A few months later, he apologised and the issue was resolved. And, Rajaji was an eminent scholar. No one had expected a man of his scholarship and stature to say something so stupid and completely false. Rajaji gave no evidence to support his claim. Another renowned historian and linguist, the late Professor S Shettar, has concluded that Kannada may be 200 years older than Tamil. He has pointed out that many Kannada words are found in Sangham literature of Tamil. He has also written about the close trade ties between Kannada rulers and the Greek. A book full of Kannada words was found at Alexandria library, over 2,000 years ago. Kannada organisations, which are protesting against Haasan have even lodged a police complaint alleging he is creating a language tension between two neighbouring states. The BJP which claims Sanskrit is the mother language of all Indian languages has gone after Haasan demanding his apology. The BJP's response has come under criticism for its double standards. Will Kamal Haasan also apologise for his 'tone deaf" comments like Rajaji or let it go? The future of his movies might force him to rethink. tags : Dravidian kamal haasan kannada karnataka Siddaramaiah tamil Location : Bengaluru, India, India First Published: May 29, 2025, 11:40 IST News india 'They Are Cousins, Tamil Is Not Kannada's Mother': Kannadigas Hit Back At Kamal Haasan
News18
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Tracing Kannada's Roots: Why Kamal Haasan's 'Born From Tamil' Claim Has Sparked A Firestorm
Last Updated: As per linguists, Kannada evolved from Proto-Dravidian, the common ancestor of all Dravidian languages, around the 3rd Century BC. Both languages have shared political history Actor Kamal Haasan has stirred the language hornet's nest by commenting that 'Kannada was born out of Tamil", ahead of his film 'Thug Life's release. Haasan, while promoting his film at an event, where a Kannada actor, Shivarajakumar was present, reportedly said, 'This is my family. That's why he (Shivarajkumar) has come here. That's why I began my speech saying life, relationship and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included," said Haasan. Was Kannada Actually Born Out Of Tamil? Kannada is one of the oldest Dravidian languages, with a rich and well-documented history that dates back over 2,000 years. It belongs to the Southern branch of Dravidian language family, which also includes Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu. As per linguists, Kannada evolved from Proto-Dravidian, the hypothetical common ancestor of all Dravidian languages, around the 3rd Century BC. Data suggests that oldest Kannada inscription is Halmidi, which dates back to 450CE. Ashokan edicts (3rd century BCE), found in Karnataka, include words with Dravidian roots, suggesting Kannada was spoken even earlier. What Is The Link Between Kannada And Tamil? Both Kannada and Tamil evolved from Proto-Dravidian. Because of this shared ancestry, both the languages have similar grammar structures, word formation, and words with common etymology. While Tamil remained geographically and culturally rooted in the Tamilakam region, Kannada speakers moved westward to what is now Karnataka, leading to independent linguistic evolution. Both languages have shared political history as rulers like the Chalukyas, Pallavas and Hoysalas governed Kannada and Tamil-speaking languages. The Chola dynasty (9th–-13th century) ruled parts of Karnataka, leaving Tamil inscriptions, while the Hoysala dynasty (10th–14th century) influenced Tamil regions, fostering linguistic exchange. In the Vijayanagara Empire (14th–17th century), both Kannada and Tamil literature were fostered under the same courtly patronage. For example, royal courts and temples were melting points of languages, where poets and scholars often spoke both languages. Administrative, religious, and artistic exchanges were common—temples in Kanchipuram or Belur-Halebidu bear inscriptions in both Kannada and Tamil. In terms of literature, the Tamil's Sangam era (c. 500 BCE – 300 CE) and Kannada's classical period (starting around 850 CE) were distinct but influenced by shared Dravidian cultural values like heroism, love, and devotion. During the Bhakti movement, especially Shaivism, Kannada poets like Basavanna united with Tamil saints like Appar and Manikkavasagar, promoting a common spiritual vernacular. Both languages have shared linguistic DNA such as agglutination (adding suffixes to roots), and similar case structures, even if syntax and vocabulary have diverged with time. How Did Tamil Originate? Tamil is world's oldest living language, more than 2,500 years old, and is part of the Dravidian family. Linguists believe Dravidian languages were spoken in India before the arrival of Indo-Aryans (who brought Sanskrit and related languages). Tamil, being part of the Southern Dravidian sub-group, evolved from Proto-Dravidian, spoken 2500–1500 BCE in peninsular India. Tamil likely started diverging into a distinct language by 1000 BCE. The earliest record of Tamil has been marked by Sangam literature. Sangam texts were produced under the patronage of Pandya, Chera, and Chola rulers in ancient Tamilakam (modern Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala). Gradually, Tamil evolved into Classical Tamil, used in religious and philosophical texts. The Bhakti movement (6th–9th century CE) brought devotional poetry to Shiva and Vishnu by Nayanars and Alvars. Tamil was the language of Saiva Siddhanta and Vaishnava theology, often opposing Vedic/Sanskritic dominance. In the medieval era, Chola emperors (especially Rajaraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I) promoted Tamil inscriptions, temple architecture, and literature. Tamil spread to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia (especially during Chola naval expeditions), and parts of northern Sri Lanka, where it remains spoken today. Under British rule, Tamil was used in printed dictionaries and some English terms. It became an integral part of the Dravidian politics, especially the anti-Hindi agitation in the 20th century. In 2004, Tamil was declared a Classical Language of India, the first language to receive this distinction. Criticism Against Haasan's Comments top videos View all Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra was among the most vocal critics. He has accused Kamal Haasan of disrespecting Kannada and displaying arrogance. He reminded the actor that loving one's mother tongue should not come at the cost of belittling another. He stressed that Haasan is not a historian and should refrain from making claims about the origins of languages. Meanwhile, Praveen Shetty, President of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction), stated that Kamal Haasan had left the venue before members of his organisation could confront him. He issued a strong warning to the actor, saying if Haasan wanted to do business in Karnataka and release his films in the state, he should refrain from insulting Kannada and Kannadigas. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Actor Kamal Haasan kannada News18 Explains Tamil language Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 28, 2025, 11:37 IST News explainers Tracing Kannada's Roots: Why Kamal Haasan's 'Born From Tamil' Claim Has Sparked A Firestorm
