From: sp2@cec1.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Fourth Tamil articles in ACT - Selvakumar
Date: 28 Jan 1993 12:41:26 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Newsgroups: alt.culture.tamil
From: selvakum@watserv1.waterloo.edu (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: technical terms for computer
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1992 22:17:22 GMT

Hi netters,

There were some postings on technical terms for computer in Tamil.

kaNippori and gaNini were mentioned. We were using kaNippaan, kaNippi
during our college days. But even those are not necessary. In Tamil,
kaNi means computer !! In the olden days there were human computers in the
king's court who dealt with numbers and were called kaNi, perunkaNi etc. 
and it was an official position similar to accountant but more like
statistician or numbers expert.
( see the writings of Devaneya paavaNar). 

Brevity and potency are essential & should be sought
where possible in coining words. 

Words need to contain the main semantic root sense but the exact things they
denote come about by vazhakku (usage). Consider notebook, laptop etc.

Let me try with you some these Tamil equivalents. 

Mainframe computer = nilai_kaNi ( going out of vogue !!)
Minicomputer        = siRu_kaNi,  kuRunkaNi
Microcomputer      = nuN_kaNi  or nuk-kaNi
laptop             = pai_k_kaNi or pEzhai_k_kaNi 
notebook           = nool_kaNi
palmtop            = kai_k_kaNi
calculator         = kaNippi or kuNippi or kuNukki 
                     (Tamil verb kuNi=kaNi= calculate, multiply, think, 
                      estimate, evaluate ) 
Credit-card-size calculator = attai_k_kaNi or seettu_k_kaNi

Since Tamil has two forms kaNi and kuNi and it can be used to delineate
different types. Consistent usage establishes familiarity and thus
acceptance and standardizations. 

For supercomputer one can use miguvega_kaNi, miguvirai_kaNi or
adhivirai_kaNi. Other choices are possible. If one were to invent
button sized computers which can handle I/O by voice or other
suitable means then they can be called villai_kaNi or pottu-k_kaNi
or muththu-k_kaNi etc. as needed

Computer-controlled machine = kaNi-iyakku_poRi or kaNi-nadaththu_poRi
Later on with continued usage these may get shortened to kaNi-poRi !!

More !

computer science = kaNi-iyal 
computer engineering = kaNi-p-poRi-iyal
multi-processor = pal-kaNi or kaNi-adukku, kaNi-adai (like thEn-adai !!)
parallel computing = iNai-k-kaNi
massively parallel computing = pEriNai kaNi-ppu , pEriNai kaNi murai
optical computer = oLi-vazhi-k-kaNi  or better oLi-yuzhi-k-kaNi
                which may later on get shortened as oLi-k-kaNi
symbolic computation = kuRi-k-kaNi-ppu
RISC computer = RISC-kaNi or kuRai-ANaik-kaNi, or siRRaaNai-k-kaNi 
                 or kuRRaaNai-k-kaNi
CISC computer = muRRaaNai-k-kaNi
network = kaNi-valai or kaNi-thodar or kaNi-iNaippam ( In good Tamil
                                             iNar means connected collection
                                             or simply "bunch" mostly used
                                             in the context of flowers)

Human accountants and similar ones can be called as is the practice now
namely kaNakkaayar, kaNakkar, kaNakku-p-piLLai , kaNakkunar etc.
with all prefixes like thuNai-, uthavi-, mEl- kiizh, thalai- etc
added to kaNakkars. Hence not much confusions will arise between human
computers and computer machines. 

Many thanks for patiently reading this. pizhaikaL iruppin poruththaruLa
vEndukirEn.

anbudan,

Selvakumar