Translation:Tolkappiyam/Structural morphemes

by Tolkappiyar

use me to read Tamil

Source in Tamil

Note

The serial number at the end denotes the verse in the part of the literature

Translation

Example to the verse, cited by Elamburanar, an interpreter to the literature ‘Tolkappiyam’ who belongs to 11th century A.D. and others is given indented star-mark.

This chapter speaks on inter woven structural morphemes between or along with nouns verbs in Tamil language.

Functional definition

• Structural morphemes function in relation in nouns and verbs and they are independent entities. 1

Classes of structural morphemes

• They are semantically classified: intervening morphemes in coalescence, time designating verbal terminations, morphemes that inform case declensions, empty morpheme or expletive participle, euphonic participles, morphemes of suggestive import, comparison morphemes linking tenors and vehicle. 2

Extended functional positions

• The occurrences of the extended functions of the structural morphemes are codified: prefixed, suffixed to words, having their word-finals modified, paring with or replacing another. 3

Multivalent significations

• The morpheme [man] signifies: what is past, what has come into being and what is left understood. 4
• The morpheme [thil] signifies the three senses: desire, time and what is left understood. 5
• The morpheme [kon] signifies the four senses: fear, uselessness, time and excellence. 6
• The morpheme [um] signifies the eight senses: incompleteness, distinctiveness, doubt, negation, complementariness, enumeration, definiteness and come into being. 7
• The morpheme [oo’] signifies the six senses: exclusions, interrogation, negation, implication, definiteness and distinctiveness. 8
• The morpheme [ee’] signifies the five senses: certainty, interrogation, exclusions, enumeration and euphonic syllable in verse. 9
• The morpheme [e’na] signifies the six senses: activity, suggestiveness, euphonic suggestion, characteristics, enumeration and nominalization. 10
• The morpheme [e’ntru] signifies the same six senses. 11

Special significations

• The morpheme [thil] signifying desire goes with the verb of the first person. 12
• The morpheme [ee’] denoting desire and the morpheme [oo’] denoting distinctiveness will take elongation. 13

Individual morphemes

• The morpheme [marr’u] is used in two ways: the transformation of the verb to another form and the position of empty morpheme. 14
• The morpheme [e’rr’u] signifies what is past and gone. 15
• The morpheme [marr’aiyathu] signifies the other than that mentioned earlier. 16
• The morpheme [manr’a] signifies certainty. 17
• The morpheme [thanjam] signifies ‘being easy’. 18
• The morpheme [anthil] signifies in two ways: there and ‘holding an empty meaningless position. 19
• The morpheme [kol] signifies ‘doubt’. 20
• The morpheme [e’l] signifies ‘luster’. 21

Suffix morphemes

• Suffix morpheme [aar] after a name of a person will end accord with a predicate that ends with the same suffix. 22
• It also stands as empty morpheme in cases. 23
• Suffix morphemes [ee’] and [kurai] stand designating two senses: filling the metrical gap and empty morpheme. 24
• Suffix morpheme [maa] designates imperative mood. 25
• The six suffix morphemes [miyaa], [iga], [moo’], [mathi], [igum] and [sin] come after the verb of second person imperative mood. 26
• Among the six above, two morphemes [igum] and [sin] will also come after the verbs of other (first and second) person mood. 27

More individual morphemes

• Morpheme [amma] seeks the attention of the addressee. 28
• Morpheme [aanga] is an empty morpheme that takes a time-pass to next conversation. 29
• Morpheme [poo’lum] being an empty-simile intervenes in conversation to denote doubtfulness. 30
• The seven morphemes [yaa], [kaa], [pir’a], [pir’kku], [ara], [poo’] and [maathu] are also stand empty-morphemes. 31
• Morphemes [aaka] and [aakal] being empty-morphemes assimilate the verb [aagu] (= bee useful). 32
• Morpheme [au] that do not stand as a word or ending phoneme of a word with its individual capacity or with elongation will come between the conversation to dente acclamation. 33
• Morphemes [n”anr’ee], [antree’], [anthoo’] and [antroo’] will come to make the speaker’s tone raise, in order to receive the attention of the addressee. 34
• The two different morphemes [um] denoting succession and [um] denoting negation do not mingle together in a sentence. 35
• Morpheme [um] meaning ‘also’ does not stand in main clause. 36
• It may come in main clause being a suffix to the word [e’llaam] (meaning ‘all’), [e’llaavarr’aiyum]. 37
• Morpheme [ee’] that stands in the end of a sentence will also be articulated in single unit of sound. 38

Enumerating morphemes

• Morphemes [um] and [e’na] will mingle in succession while enumerating. 39
• The continuity of the enumerating morpheme [ee’] will disappear in some words in successive form of enumeration in a sentence. 40
• Morpheme [e’naa] having [um]-morpheme understood and morpheme [e’ntraa] are used to enumerate. 41
• Among the enumerating morphemes, morphemes [e’naa], [e’ntraa] and [ee’] will be added with the counted number. 42
• Enumerating morpheme [um] may stand ellipsis. 43
• Morpheme [um] is modified to [unthu] (in poems). 44
• Enumeration will occur on verbs too. 45
• Enumerating morphemes [e’ntru] and [e’na] and case-morpheme [odu] will mingle in succession in a sentence. 46
• Though the sense of each morpheme is described here in accordance with its nature and through they may change in form and sense when appearing with the verbs and * nouns: you must have them all after knowing their true nature. 47
• If there is new formation, we must have them within the frame-work cited. 48