Miscellaneous Tamil Queries

[piyaara]

 Somethings been bugging me for a while.

 It's the words Konjum and chinna.

 I'm given the impression that both mean 'small' but, is there a difference in usage?

 
 Incidently, I'm not sure 'chinna' is the correct transliteration, but hopefully you'll know what I mean...

 Thanks. 

[palacerani]

Chinna means small/little as in size. For eg, chinna ponnu means little girl.

Konjam means little in amount/quantity. Konjam thanni venum (I want a little water). Konjam is also used when talking about time, eg, konjam naazhi - a little while.

[Ishiqa]

This is what's written:
Anbendru Kottum Murase
athanai pearum nigeraam
inbangal yaavum perugum - ingu
yaavarum ondrendru kondaal
- by Mahakavi Subramania Barathiyaar

 The instrument which pours love
 All these people are equal to you
 All of goodness will increase - here
  If accepted that all is one
 by Barathiyaar.

The murasu back then, a wooden drum-like instrument, was symbolic to tamilians. Barathiyaar believed that tamilians should be united, without caste discrimination and love would be ideal way to unite them. Only then, then there would be prosperity in the country.

[piyaara]

 palacerani; thanks for the clarification and the examples.  Which leaves me with some doubt over the translation of Konjum Mainakkale from Kondukondain Kondukondain.  It is given on the subtitle as 'Little Mynahs'.  I assumed this meant 'little myna-birds'.    Given your explanation of 'Konjam' I can't help feeling my assumption is wrong. 

 Ishika; thanks for the transliteration and translation.  Is this the same poet/freedom fighter who was the in the film Bharathi?  Incidently, isn't the murasu still used in Carnatic music?  I wonder if it still has the same symbology to Tamils, not in Tamil Nadu itself but in Eelam?

 Thanks again to you both for your help. 

[palacerani]

 palacerani; thanks for the clarification and the examples.  Which leaves me with some doubt over the translation of Konjum Mainakkale from Kondukondain Kondukondain.  It is given on the subtitle as 'Little Mynahs'.  I assumed this meant 'little myna-birds'.    Given your explanation of 'Konjam' I can't help feeling my assumption is wrong. 

 

Now see that's a different word. Konjam with an a is little. Konjum with the u sound means to coo and cuddle.

[bollyking]

How does one say in Tamil, "look after yourself and your family."

[piyaara]

Now see that's a different word. Konjam with an a is little. Konjum with the u sound means to coo and cuddle.

 Ah... I see.  So  'Cooing Mynahs' then...

 Thanks again palacerani.

[panjabigator]

Chinna means small/little as in size. For eg, chinna ponnu means little girl.

Konjam means little in amount/quantity. Konjam thanni venum (I want a little water). Konjam is also used when talking about time, eg, konjam naazhi - a little while.

could you transliterate these words into devanagri...im interested in  learning how to pronounce the 'zh' sound
i hear that tamil is not pronounced with L sound but some retroflex sound...

[crazyone]

could you transliterate these words into devanagri...im interested in  learning how to pronounce the 'zh' sound
i hear that tamil is not pronounced with L sound but some retroflex sound...

There is no symbol in Devanagari for the 'zh' sound.  It is not the retroflex 'l', which is there in Sanskrit and looks like this:

ळ

That is one of the 'l's in Malayalam, which should properly be transliterated into Devanagari as मलयाळम but which in Hindi is written as मलयालम

The best way is to get a Tamil or Malayalam speaker to pronounce the sound for you, as it is found only in those two languages.  Properly transliterated, Tamil is 'Tamizh'.

The way I pronounce 'zh' is almost like 'yra' but I am not a native Malayalam/Tamil speaker so I'm not positive that this is the correct way to say it. 

[panjabigator]

there are sites which pronounce the letters...ill try and find one...

[Daniel]

Marathi also uses ळ a lot.

[wannabe]

Marathi also uses ळ a lot.

As does Telugu.  It really used to bug me the way the Hindi actors pronounced the word "Kalaakaar" (artist) with what I always thought of as the wrong "l" sound. 

[Ishiqa]

How does one say in Tamil, "look after yourself and your family."

If saying it casaually, it would be like this,
you = unn
your family = unn kudumbam
look after = paarthuk kol

"look afer yourself and your family"
unnaiyum un kudumbathaiyum paarthukkol

If saying it to elders or formally with respect,

you =ungal
your family = ungal kudubam
look after = paarthuk kolungal

ungalaiyum ungal kudumbathaiyum paarthukkolungal

[Prem Rogue]

Marathi also uses ळ a lot.

What is that sound?  I can't read Marathi (or is that Hindi, I have no idea).

[wannabe]

Marathi also uses ळ a lot.

What is that sound?  I can't read Marathi (or is that Hindi, I have no idea).

When you make the "la" sound, your tongue starts out with its tip against the back of your upper front teeth.  (Try it, you'll see what I mean).  To make this sound, start with your tongue with its tip on the roof of your mouth at the back, and say "la" as you normally would, and you'll hear a different sound.

[bollyking]

thanks ishika!

[lillekvinne]

I'm curious....one letter can represent more than one sound right? is there a regular pattern like in korean how one letter sounds like 'ch' in the initial position, j in the medial, and t in the final...or do you just have to know how to pronounce and spell a tamil word from the beginning?

[Prem Rogue]

When you make the "la" sound, your tongue starts out with its tip against the back of your upper front teeth.  (Try it, you'll see what I mean).  To make this sound, start with your tongue with its tip on the roof of your mouth at the back, and say "la" as you normally would, and you'll hear a different sound.

Thanks.

[bitterlemons]

Lillekvinne,


No, there isn't a correlation between the position of the letter and the sound - you do need to know what the word is when you read it - which comes from the context, most of the time.

That is one of the problems with writing Tamil, as my son (5 years old, just starting to learn to write Tamil) is finding out! :-)

Regards,

Bitterlemons.

[ber]

I wonder what's written on a calendar that was offered to me in my usual Indian grocery.

[Ishiqa]

I wonder what's written on a calendar that was offered to me in my usual Indian grocery.

It's 'Indhiya, Ilangai maligai porutgal, marakkari, pasumai maaramal udanukkudan iragumathi seygiroam' which translates, we import indian, sri lankan, provisons, vegetables without changes in its freshness, as soon as possible.

'udanukkudan' means as soon as possible or immediately but in this sense, as soon as possible.

[piyaara]

 I recently bought the soundtrack to Kaadhal.  As usual, their was another soundtrack coupled with it...Putham Putham Padalgal...or, so I thought.  The other eight tracks are from various films, so I was wondering what it meant, unless Ayngaran have actually paired the soundtrack with a compilation album. 

[Ishiqa]

 I recently bought the soundtrack to Kaadhal.  As usual, their was another soundtrack coupled with it...Putham Putham Padalgal...or, so I thought.  The other eight tracks are from various films, so I was wondering what it meant, unless Ayngaran have actually paired the soundtrack with a compilation album. 

hehe, that could have been'Putham puthiya paadagal' which means latest or very new songs. I think the other songs must have been just random new songs right? It usually is done that way.. 

[piyaara]

 Ah, another mystery solved, thanks Ishika.

  Jithan, Devathayai Kandaen and M.Kumaran s/o Mahalakshmi where amongst the films 'raided' for songs.  Considering Kaadhal is 2 years old your explanation makes sense.

 Thanks. 

[piyaara]

 Well, I was looking at this article at behindwoods about the top ten punch-dialogues in Tamil cinema.

 I was hoping someone might be kind enough to translate them if possible:

 ‘Manandal Maha Devi. Illayael Marana Devi!’

 ‘Sabaash, sariyana potti!’

 ‘Netrikann thirapinum kutram kutramae!’

 ‘Nee munthinda nokku, naan munthinda nekku’

 ‘Parattai, keduthuttiye parattai!’

 ‘Neenga nallavara kettavara?’

 ‘Kadavulae, Kadavulae’

 ‘Mannippu, thamizhla enakku pidikkatha vaarthai!’

 ‘Maapu, vechuttanya aappu!’

 ‘Naan oru thadavai sonna nooru thadavai sonna madiri’

 The article lists the contexts and the films if that is any help.  Thanks for your time.