From: selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: Re: echo words
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 14:50:40 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.025216.23816@cbnews.cb.att.com>, rnk@cbnews.cb.att.com (ram.n.kumar) writes:
> In article <BtM5xD.6M6@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> nasokan@yoho.uwaterloo.ca (Asokan) writes:
> >In article <BtLvvx.CsM@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering) writes:
> >[...]
> >>> Unrelated memory associations:
> 
> [Comments on KIchchu mAchchu deleted]
> 
> >
> >
> >>> 	mUlai kAlai (maybe only in TE)
> >>        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >>
> >>          I'm sorry i don't know this. Does mUlai means a corner here ?
> >>          Can you please give the meaning and context of this saying ?
> >>          Thanks. [ it might also be a case of "pair-words" rather than
> >>          echo words. ]
> >
> >Yes, it means "corner".  Example usage:
> >	mUlai kAlaiyellAm thEdinEn
> >    (I searched in every nook and corner)
> >"kAlai" is just an echo whereas "mUlai" does have a meaning
> >relevant to this context.
> >
> >[...]
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >- Asokan
> 
> 
> I Never heard of "mUlai kAlai" before. However, in Coimbatore (Kovai) the
> term "mUlai mudukku" is commonly used (mUlai being corner) as in:
> 
> 	"mUlai mudukku yellAm thEdinEn" (I searched in every nook and corner)
> 
> Regards.
> 
> Ram Kumar


       Yes, mUlai mudukku is very popular where *both* the words "mUlai"
       (corner) and "mudukku" = remote corner ( nook?) can stand alone
       and have speicific meaning. But in the expression "mUlai kIlai"
       the word "kIlai" *does not* have a meaning and it only conveys
       "mUlai and such other places" and is called an echo word. The echo
       word kIlai seems to be pronounced as kAlai in Srilanka.

       mUlai mudukku will be a doublet which in Tamil is called "iNai mozhi"
       such as "mutti mOthi" = "by hitting and banging", "azhuthu pulambi"
       ="weeping and wailing" etc. And these are different from Tamil
       doublets "kala kala enRu siriththaaL" = she laughed heartily 
       ( kala kala is known as olikuRippu) and this doublet is called
       irattaik kiLavi(??) in which the repeated word "kala" can not give
       a meaning standing alone. [ In tamil ther is another uyiraana
       doublet such as Odi Odi uzhaiththaan.. where the repeated word
       "Odi" *can* stand alone and give meaning and there are numerous
       such formations.]. But in iNai mozhi expressions like
       mUlai mudukku, Oyvu ozhichchal ( = rest or retreat) .. both
       the words can stand alone and will be meaningful but the words are
       different denoting the same class of nouns or actions. As I had
       mentioned in another post ( min_urai) to Balaji Kannan that 
       ILankumaran of South India Saiva Sidhdhantha kazhagam had published
       a collection of such iNai mozhi's with excellent commentaries
       and they number more than 400 out of possibly a few thousands.

       I hope you will appreciate the differnce between mUlai mudukku
       and mUlai kIlai. I hope Mr. Balaji Kannan will read this too
       because I mentioned in an earlier minnurai that I'll write more 
       on this doublet [I still hope to do that in the near future].

       anbudan

      Selva Selvakumar (selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca)
       called "kIlai"


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