Re: [WMASTERS] Initial voiced stops.

["Ilanko&Anandi@xtra.co.nz" <Ilanko_Anandi@xtra.co.nz>]

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Dear friends,

Just responding to Selva's comments:
>
>     I've heard people pronounce kavani and payam (more common in the
>     south TN than in the north). This is also the 
>     preferred pronounciation since that is closer to tamil way of
>     pronouncing. If gavani and bayam *should* be encouraged 
>     (I don't see why), why not
>     write the way I suggested as (ng)kavani, (m)payam.
>     Do English say maankaay or mango? inji_vEr or ginger ?
>     kattumaram or catamaran ? paRaiyan or paraia ? 

We don't have to follow the English example. In fact, it is precisely for
this reason I would like to see Tamils accommodating foreign sounds,
particularly proper nouns.  I am not suggesting that we should keep Grantha
characters to write ƒø˜Ö, but to write ÷‘Å instead of œ‘Å.  Of course we can
learn to read œ‘Å as Sam, but then one needs to know the rules.  With
foreign names, it is not possible to apply rules of phonetics.  One can't
accommodate all foreign sounds, but Tamils have accommodated some (Grantha)
and it is best to keep them.

>     I certainly don't understand *WHY* 
>     Tamils have to represent accurately all these borrowed words
>     while English or other languages don't have to. 

We should do it, not because we HAVE TO, and not because the linguists' or
scientists' demad, but simply to become less dependent on English
characters.  If the font developers all decide to do away with Grantha
characters, we can't have a convenient phone directory in Tamil. 

Regards.

-Ilanko.



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