From: selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: Tamil, Sanskrit and North Indian languages
Keywords: Linguistic connection, Tamil, Sanskrit and North Indian languages.
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 18:01:35 GMT

      I wish to show how some basic words have been common throughout 
      India which can be traced to tamil and other Dravidian languages.
      Some words are well acknowledged to be from Tamil/Dravidian and others
      are not. Although I believe that the *common stock* of words which
      can be shown to be of Tamil/Dravidain derivation ( not to mean
           borrowed *from* Tamil but which can be explained from Tamil/Dravidian
           roots - because I believe that the North Indian languages are closer
           to Tamil than Sanskrit and these words are truly native Indian
           words. ) 
      will run to thousands from the books I am aware of, I will attempt to
      show- may be some 50 words just to draw your attention ( not to prove)
      to  the deeper connection of Tamil and North Indian languages. 
      
      Many of the words I will be drawing will be from agricultural or 
      village-rooted words to pointedly show that the vast majority of 
      Indian *masses* are quite closely related to Tamil/Dravidian. I believe 
      that a proper understanding of India's history will result in a more 
      cohesive emotional and intellectual integration of India. I believe 
      that many scholars and some political units tend to over-emphasize 
      vedic and sanskritic achievements as the *the heritage of India* 
      ( 'rest are mere derivations and mostly insignificant'). 
      Vedic and Sanskritic heritage is
      undoubtedly great but I beileve that it is *one* of several important
      heritages. Understanding history of India only from Sanskritic source
      will lead to major distortions of India's cultural Hisory and Heritage. 
      Sanskrit was and is at all times understandable 
      to only a very small section of India ( some 5% at most) and most of the
      Sanskrit works were created by certain communities like Brahmins and
      those who supported Brahministic philosophies [ I submit I don't mean 
      anything derogatory to any community - but just to draw the attention 
      that the Indian History or Heritage seen through Sanskrit works 
      *might not* be the sole or unbiased view of the entire India.] 

      With the above rather long preamble I present words for "pot" in Indian
      language. I have drawn from the famous R.L.Turner's "A Comparative
      Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages" Oxford University Press 1966.

      I will *try* to post at regular intervals time permitting some 50 words
      in due course. The first one is :
      

R.L.Turner's entry Nos. 4736, 4738 and 4739

Sanskrit : chaaTi, chaatta , chadda = 'pot',  
Prakrit:  chadda ='oil vessel in a lamp'    Pali: chaaTi ='vessel,jar,measure' 
          
Assamese: -----------------                  Kashmiri: -------
Begali  : -----------------                  Punjabi : chaattaa (~ti) 
                                                       ='large earthern pot'
                                                                 
Oriya   : chaTi ('big basket')               Sindhi  : chaadi= 'earthern vessel'
Sinhalese: saliya, hEl('earthern pot')       W.Pahri : chaat  
                                               ('large pot for storing ghee)
Marathi : chaade ('earthern vessel           Hindi: chaaTi ='small earthern pot'                                                    chaaTaa ='pot for 
                   for grain')                      collecting sugarcane juice'
Gujarathi: chaadu ='saucer shaped vessel     Mythili : Chaar(d)yaa = 'earthern
                   forming the part of               griddle for baking bread
                   lampstand'                        or parching grain' 
                                             Bhojpuri: --------------
Gypsy (european): chaaro ='bowl, pan'        Bihari : chaar(d) ='earthern 
                                                      vessel for grain' 
----------------------------

R.L.Turner's acknowledgement of root: <--- Dravidian (Tamil:chatti, chaadi)

My comments: I agree with the others' findings that these words are Dravidian. 
             Note the wide-spread usage. Anyone can comment on the
             existence of Assamese and Bengali words especially because
             there is an Oriya word ?  I believe similar words will exist.
             Since western tongues Punjabi and Sindhi and West Pahri have
             chatti words , I believe Kashmiri also might have some words.  

            

anbudan
Selva Selvakumar

P.S. I will not respond to flames or emotional responses. 
     Only serious and substantive discussions only please ! Thanks.