________________
170
Study of Civakaointamani
The vowel changes :
Since Tamil has most of the counterparts for Skt. vowels, except si, si, Isi and lri, the phonological changes which take place is vowels are comparatively less than in the consonants. According to the phonetic system of Tamil, any vowel can begin a word.
Therefore, vowels in the initial position, hardly undergo any changes, unless the letter which follows it exercises influence on it. This is true of the medial vowel also, but they often undergo changes by the influence of the preceding or the following letter, always a consonant or a consonant cluster.
Initial 'a': The initial a' in Skt usually remains unchanged in Tamil words. For example : Skt.
Tamil 1. agada atakam
(medicine)
403 2. anjana ancanam
(collyrium)
1632, 2357 atiśaya at icayam
(pre-eminence)
2813 4. adhvan attam (path)
1185 anta antam (end)
3082 6. abhaya apayam
(safety)
2999 7. amsta amirtam (ambrosia)
851 8. alakta arattakam (red lac)
2459 9. ayana ayanam (road, path)
851 10. asta (Pkt. attha) attam
(western mountain) 18, 1733, 2022, 2211 11. astra attiram (arrow)
815 (i) 'a' in the first syllable, though often remaining unchanged, sometimes changes into 'e'. For example : Skt.
Tamil 1. gandha Kentam (fragrant smell)
3115 2. garuda kelulan (vulture)
1926 3. yantra entiram (machine)
1614 (Here the initial 'y' has been dropped.)
wat
(ii) 'a' in the first syllable, if continued by a conjunct consonant, sometimes changes into a'. For example : skt.
Tamil 1. Kāncukin Kāñcuki (clad in armour)
2862 2. Nandaka Nāntakam (sword)
815
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
