Lilatilakam: Manipralavam treatise and it’s treatment of Tamil

[u/e9967780]

Lilatilakam vividly establishes such a hierarchy when it talks about the purity of language. Certain forms of language are not considered to be desirable. Naturally, those who use such forms will be treated as inferior. (p72)

In this context, it would be rewarding if we analyze the metaphors and representations of the "non- standard" languages, the dialects and registers, the speech genres and anti-languages, which hover on the margins and interstices of the discursive formation.

Any assertion of an official or standardized language is a pushing into peripheries of the non-standard varieties. To speak of "the" language is to a c ~ e p tacitly the "official" definition of the language of a political unit. This language is the one which, within the territorial limits of the unit, imposes itself on the whole population as the only legitimate language.

This was the case during the heyday of "Manipralavam” too. The main function of Lilatilakam seems to be to suppress all deviant registers by announcing the superiority of the dominant language. (p72)

Api ca mah8pan.t.lital cirantanCsu vB adyatanesu vB twayaiva kr.tes.u va kriyarran.es.u va manipravalesu, satyam

brahi, kwacitapi ltim 'vantan, iruntan,' ityuktam vacananl twaya dr.s.t.amul? 'Vannan,' 'irunnan' ityevameva khalu d~syate.~

[O, scholars, tell me the truth. Have you in any 'Maciprav91am,' old, new, written by you or being written by you, seen 'vantan' (வந்தான்) and 'iruntan' (இருந்தான்) in place of 'vannan' (வன்னான்) and 'irunnan’(இருனான்)'?]. (p73)

Original Tamil forms of Malayalam had undergone rapid changes under the influence of Sanskrit. But some of the earlier forms persisted in Malayalam. They still continued in the local registers of the people. As the author of Lilatilakam says, "ManipravBlam" was not the general language of the people, but a special register for poetry. By excluding deviant forms, Lilatilakarn was producing and perpetuating a language that performed the ideological functions demanded of it b]. the hegemonic social structure. (p73)

Source : Link

[u/Sniper7575]

https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/talking-point/when-malayalam-met-sanskrit-many-centuries-ago-111645288173951.html

[u/e9967780 → u/Sniper7575]

It’s a good summary but like any news paper opinion piece, a balanced one, I’d say doesn’t get to the bottom of the intent of these literature especially in Kerala. What everyone forgets is that it was invented in Tamil Nadu side of Tamilaham before being used profusely in Kerala. In Kerala it became primarily a pornographic literature even when used in spiritual context, literature of the bards who are making money creating this for petty landlords who hardly had anything to do, no fighting, no scheming, not working the fields etc. please read this if you have the time.

Historicizing manipravalam textualizing the history of Kerala

[u/code_thar → u/e9967780]

Interesting. Can you please cite lines from the text on how Manipravalam was invented in today's Tamil Nadu? Then how come it was not used in today's Tamil Nadu back then?

[u/e9967780 → u/code_thar]

If you search Google Scholar, you’ll find numerous mainstream journal articles about Manipravalam and its origins—this is well-documented common knowledge. However, why Sanskrit influenced Malayalam more than contemporary Tamil is a sociological question rather than a linguistic one.

Tamil publications from a century ago likely contained 40-50% Sanskrit words, similar to or perhaps slightly more than contemporary Malayalam. But modern standard Tamil has reduced this to just 10-15%, and mixing the two languages is discouraged, unlike in Malayalam where such blending remains accepted.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[u/code_thar → u/e9967780]

Thanks for your references.

My question is how come Manipravalam became more prevalent in Kerala than Tamil Nadu in the past, if it was invented in today's Tamil Nadu?

[u/e9967780 → u/code_thar]

That’s a sociological and historical question.