The Tamil Script

This is the third post from a series that examines linguistics of the Tamil language. In this post we take an introductory look at the script.

Like the sounds of Tamil, the letters are also divided into three categories உயிர் ('uyir' meaning life), மெய் ('mei' meaning body), and உயிர்மெய் ('uyirmei' meaning life-body).

How Humans Create Sound

This post is the second of a series that examines the linguistics of the Tamil language. In this post we take a closer look at how humans produce speech, classification of sounds and the sounds of Tamil.

Speech is made up of ordered sequences of phonemes. Individual phonemes are produced by changing the positions of the various organs associated with speech thereby modulating the air we exhale. The actual sound that is produced and perceived will depend on the immediate neighbors that surround a phoneme (we will discuss this in more detail in a future post).

How Humans Make Sound

In humans, two sets of organs are used to produce sounds; movable and stationary. The movable organs consist of the vocal chords, jaws, lips, and tongue. The teeth and palate make up the stationary organs. The tongue and palate can each be separated into three distinct areas based on the sounds they produce. The sections of the tongue are the tip (நுனிநா), mid (இடைநா) and back (கடைநா). The palate starts with the alveolum (நுனியண்ணம்), the area behind the teeth, followed by the hard palate (இடையண்ணம்) and ends in the velum (கடையண்ணம்), the softer area at the back.

Sounds are produced when two movable organs or one movable and one stationary organ come into contact each other.

What is Linguistics?

This post is the first of a series of posts that examines the linguistics of the Tamil language. 


Humans are social beings. Our need to be in groups and collaborate with others is part of our genetic make up. And language is the link that allows us to communicate with each other. It is the orderly arrangement of sounds that are created consciously  to express an idea, opinion or emotion. There are many sounds that humans create subconsciously; expressions to display happiness, astonishment, disgust, and pain and even though they may be understood they are not considered language.

Language learning happens at a very young age, subconsciously as toddlers and infants and with great revulsion (for most) in the early and late teens. We start with a system of sounds followed by a script and then a set of rules to assemble the smaller components (letters, words, phrases, sentences) into larger, more complex, and, hopefully, cohesive pieces. Learning occurs rapidly in the early years but mostly by rote without developing an understanding of the underlying structure of the language.

Writing about Time

Time markers are essential to good writing. A reader will need to understand the sequence of events and how they relate to each other for a piece of writing to make sense. The following is a short list of adjectives and adverbs that writers routinely use to convey various temporal relationships. 

அபூர்வம்மாக -  Rarely

Headline from an article about  the rare occurrence of three fetuses in one ovum.

மனித இங்கிலாந்தில் அபூர்வமாக ஒரே கருமுட்டையிள் மூன்று பெண் குழந்தைகள்

பெரும்பாலும்    Mostly

Writer Jeymohan quotes on how the mind is mostly a creature of circumstance.

மனித மனம் என்பது எப்பொழுதும் சூழல்களின் சிருஷ்டி. உடல் என்ற மனிதனால் அறியமுடியாத அமைப்பின் ஒரு பகுதியே மனம் என்பது.

அடிக்கடி            Often, Frequently

Can't think of an better example than a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page.

கைதொலைபேசி - அடிக்கடி கேட்க்கபடும் கேள்விகள்

எப்பொழுதும்     Always

The line below is a Tamil translation of a Chinese proverb. Here's the English translation.

ரோஜாக்கள் தரும் கைகளில் எப்பொழுதும் சிறிது நறுமணம் வீசும்

சிலசமயம்          Sometimes

Writer Jeyamohan in a book review talks about the poignant smiles that the author sometimes evokes.

நாவல் முழுக்க மென்மையான ஒரு புன்னகை (சிலசமயம் கசப்பான புன்னகை) இருந்துக்கொண்டே இருக்கிறது.

ஏக காலத்தில்  Simultaneously

Part of a headline talking about providing vocational training to students while they are still in school.

பாடசாலைக் கல்வியை தொடரும் ஏக காலத்தில் மாணவர்களுக்கு தொழ்ற்பயிற்சி கற்கைகளை வழங்கும் நோக்கில்...

உடனடியாக      Immediately

At the first sign of imminent danger, retaliate immediately. Part of a news headline.

உடனடி அச்சுருத்தல் இருந்த்ததால், உடனடியாக பதிலடி கொடுப்பது அவசியமாக இருந்தது

அன்றாட        Everyday, Daily     

Newspaper headline ponders why humans find science in daily life so difficult.

அன்றாட வாழ்வில் அறிவியல் மனிதர்களுக்கு ஏன் வியர்க்கிறது?

     

நாளடைவில்        In Time            

Another headline: Ebola will eventually be transmitted through the air.

எபொலா வைரஸ் நோய் நாளடைவில் காற்றுவழியாக பரவும்....

நித்தியம்       Eternity       

A line from the song தீ தீ in திருடா திருடா.

அழகே அழகே நித்தியத்தில் இன்று கலந்துப் போவோம்

A few additional terms that are more commonly used when writing about history or literature.

முற்காலத்திய                       In earlier times

தற்கால, சமகால                   Contemporary

எதிர்காலத்திய, வருங்கால  In the future

தீ தீ - Eternity and Gravity

Tamil has a rich, and expansive vocabulary but everyday conversations tend to be sterile. Some words were replaced with English or Hindi equivalents and over time the Tamil word, to describe the particular thought or idea, was lost from conversation.

Describing Eternity

நித்தியம் - அழியாமை, எப்பொழுதும், சமுத்திரம், நாடோறும் (everyday, the entire day), மோட்சம், சாசுவதம்

A children's song from மலரும் உள்ளம்:

சத்தியம் காட்டிடும் நடுவினிலே
சர்க்காவின் முக்கிய சக்கரமாம்.
நித்தியம் சுற்றிடும் நிலாமலே,
நீதியை நாட்டும் சக்கரமாம்

And another example from a literary work, this one from the திருவருட்பா (ஆறாம் திருமுறை):

புத்தியஞ் சேல்சற்றும் என்நெஞ்ச மேசிற் பொதுத்தந்தையார்
நித்தியஞ் சேர்ந்த நெறியில் செலுத்தினர் நீஇனிநன்
முத்தியும் ஞானமெய்ச் சித்தியும் பெற்று முயங்கிடுவாய்
சத்தியம் சத்தியம் சத்தியம் சத்தியம் சத்தியமே.

The definition of நித்தியம் lists an alternative சாசுவதம், with the same meaning. While researching these words I stumbled on a post from writer Para introducing to his book யாளி முட்டை. In it he describes the folly of believing data exists forever.

கணினியில் எழுதத் தொடங்கியபிறகு அனைத்தும் சாசுவதமாக இருக்கும் என்று எண்ணிக்கொண்டேன்.

The Earth's Gravitational Field

புவியீர்ப்பு மையம் - describes a gravitational center, derived from

புவி (earth) + ஈர்ப்பு (attraction) + மையம் (center) 

புலம் is the word to describe a field. மின்புலம் is an electric field.

And now for the song from which these words were mined.

இடை வழி

Of Embraces and Sacred Baths

This song caught my attention for the two lines below. Most of the words in these two lines I had never heard before and they seemed to hold the explanation for the accompanying visuals. They did. But they also led me to a world of sacred baths and the Kamasutra.

ஆலிங்கனம் ஆராதனம்
ஆனால் பின்பு திருமஞ்சனம்

Definitions

இடைவெளி - ஊடுவெளி, நடுவெளி both referring to open expanses or spaces; பிளவு meaning rift or cleavage
ஊடல் - கலவியிற் பிணங்கல், meaning entwined in the act of making love; பிரிவு, meaning separation; விரோதம் meaning antagonism.
கூடல் - சேர்தல், புணர்தல் to join, blend, unite.
ஆலிங்கனம் - தழுவல், to embrace.
ஆராதனம் -  சமைத்தல், to cook; நிறைவேற்றல், to fulfill; சம்பாத்தியம், salary or earnings;
திருமஞ்சனம் - a sacred bath meant for the Gods.
முத்தாடும்போது - from முத்தாடுதல் meaning to kiss.
மாது - woman
இரணங்கள் - இரை, prey; அரவம்; போர், war;  உப்பளம், saltern; புண், wound; சதுப்புநிலம், wetland ;  வனாந்தரம், wilderness.
அனுசரி - அனுசரித்தல், to adapt, accommodate.

தொட்டு தொட்டு என்னை

Tamil has many instances of adjectives and adverbs that sound alike. Often they appear to come from the same root word, when in reality they are derived from separate noun and verb forms.

உன் நிலையில் இளைப்பாற வருவேன் கண்ணே
உள்ளே நிலைக்கும்

The two lines above, from different sections of the song, contain a form of the word நிலை. In the first line it is used as an adjective and is derived from the noun நிலை. The second line uses the verb form derived from நிலைத்தல். Although the noun and verb form sound similar their meanings are often quite different.

Definitions

இளைப்பாற - to relax
நிலையில் - from the noun நிலை which has multiple definitions including நேரம்;time, இடம்;place, நிச்சையம்;certainity
நிலைக்கும் - from the verb நிலைத்தல் meaning தங்கி விடுதல்; to settle, stay, நிலைபெருதல்; to get to certain level.
கருவிழி - iris

மன்றம் வந்த தென்றல்

Intelligibility is taken for granted and noticed only when a lyric or line is incomprehensible. The first word in the lines below (பூவாலம்) is written to match the way it is pronounced but such a word  does not exist. The mistaken word is likely பூபாளம் or பூவானம். Strange oversight for a song recorded in the 80's when meaningful and intelligible lyrics were quintessential to the success of song.

பூவாலமே கூடதென்னும்
வானம் உண்டோ சொல்

Definitions

மஞ்சம் - couch or bed
கட்டழகு - extreme beauty
பயணம் - journey, trip
உலாவும் - v. to tour or journey
மாலை - evening, dusk or a garland. Not to be confused with மாழை.
ஓடை - refers to a stream
பூபாளம் - refers to ragam used in Carnatic music.
பூவானம் - a type of sky (according to madurai thamizh paeragarathi)

என்ன இது என்ன இது

Many words have multiple definitions. The alternates may only be slight variants of the original but can change the meaning significantly. Take the two lines below from the song 'Enna Ithu' in the movie 'Nala Damayanthi'. Take the use of the word நிகழ்கின்றதும் in lines below.

புதிதாக ஏதோ நிகழ்கின்றதும்
புரியாமல் நெஞ்சம் நிகழ்கின்றதும்

If I applied the only meaning I knew (to happen), the second line did not make much sense. But a quick look at a dictionary showed a couple of alternate meanings that are more appropriate.

Definitions

நிகழ்கின்றதும் - from நிகழ்தல் meaning ஒளிசெய்தல்; to illuminate, சொல்லல்; to say, நடத்தல்; make happen
அகல்தான் - from அகல் with multiple definitions including சட்டி meaning clay pot, தகழி meaning the bowl of a lamp. Not to be confused with அகழ் 
இறகு - feathers, plummage
விடுகதை - riddle
தொடர்கதை - serialized story
வேண்டும் - required
வசந்தம் - spring 
கண்ணுறக்கம் - sleep, slumber. This is a composite of கண் + உறக்கம்
நீங்கி - to stop, cease

Note to Self

Note the 'l' used at the end of பிறந்தவள் and பிறந்தால்.

நியூ யார்க் நகரம்

'New York Nagaram' from the movie 'Sillinu Oru Kaadhal'. Simple lyrics set to a beautiful melody. The video really doesn't do justice to the song.

Definitions

உறங்கும் - sleeping, dormant
அடர்ந்தது - (find meaning)
படர்ந்தது - (find meaning)
தீர்க்க - to solve, settle
உவமை - illustration, similie
செந்தணல் - red-hot flame

அஃக நக

When I heard the first two lines of 'Aga Naga' I thought the leading words were simply filler lyrics. But scraping through a good dictionary I discovered that they were actual words and being used appropriately. 

அஃக நக அஃக சிரிப்புகள் அழகா
திகு தக தக நிலவுகள் அழகா

I never watch the video when I'm transcribing a piece. This forces me to listen closely and remove all the clues that I might otherwise get from watching the video. Occasionally you stumble upon lines like the one below which you'll never figure out without the video.

தொன தொன தொன vertu பேச

And you'll find a rhyming word that perfectly fits the context (like virtue for vertu) and think no more of it until you watch the video :)

Definitions

அஃக - குறைய; meaning a smidgen, சுருங்க; meaning to shrink, நுண்மையான; meaning fine as in finely detailed pattern 

நக - ஒளிவிட; luminous, புன்னகை கொள்ள; to smile, இகழ; to despise
திகு - தாளக்குரிப்பு, ஜதிக்குரிப்பு; something that denotes a beat
தக - பொருந்த meaning suitability
பணி - means work, job. Not to be confused with பனி meaning snow or ice.
படைப்பு - means creation
வீச்சுகள் - rays like rays of the sun.
யாக்கை - body
சிலுசிலுப்புகள் - chill, querulousness, mischief. Definitions from agarathi.com 

கூ கூ என ஒரு குயில்

'Koo Koovena' from the movie 'Kanda Naal Mudhal'. This song has two instances of eponyms, சகுனி (saguni) and நாரதன் (nAradhan) that are commonly used in everyday Tamil.

ep·o·nym

ˈepəˌnim

noun

noun: eponym; plural noun: eponyms

1. a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named.

   • a name or noun formed after a person.

   
   

Notes and Definitions

மடலா - from மடல் refers to letter, card etc. in general something that is a sheet of paper.

தாயக்கட்டை - dice

சகுனி (சகுநி) [1] - a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharatha who was supposedly the mastermind behind the war. Colloquially, calling someone சகுனி implies he/she is an intelligent and devious person.

நாரதன் [2] - A Vedic sage famous for his wisdom and mischief.  In everyday speech this refers to someone who creates mischief or causes trouble.

ஆசியிலே - from ஆசியம்: அவமதிச்சிரிப்பு meaning இகழ்ச்சி, contempt or
அவ்விடம் meaning that place. The lyric in this song refers to the latter.

பெற்றோரின் ஆசியிலே...அத விடமாட்டேன்

மாசியிலே [3] - refers to the eleventh month in the Tamil calendar.

முதல் நாள் இன்று

Another fantastic listening exercise. Mahalaxmi Iyer and Kay Kay are fantastic in their vocal renditions but some sections are distinctly indiscernible. A lot of work went in to deciphering the ten second clips starting at 1:21, 2:42 and 3:43. Have a listen and try to make out the lyrics yourself before reading the transcription. Not that it matters but the lip syncing on this song is also horrendous.

Definitions

• வேறாக - from வேறு meaning different. Not to be confused with வேர் meaning root.
• அங்கங்கு - here, there and everywhere
• சட்டென்று - immediately
• கிருமிகள் - germs
• உரைத்தாலே - from உரைத்தல் meaning to speak, orate, teach. Not to be confused with உறைத்தல். There is also உரைதல் and உறைதல்.

மனசு ரெண்டும்

'Manasu Rendum' from the movie 'Kadhal Kondaen'.  Many of the words listed below are quite common but I had always given them my own definitions based on context. But taking a closer look helped seal that gap between my inference and the actual definition.  Heads up - the video might unsuitable in some places.

Defintions

• தீண்டல் -  touch, feel
• வெள்ளம் - to flood or overflow
• வேட்கை - desire, lust
• வலி, வழி - pain, way
• சருகானபின்பு - dried leaf, betel leaf or drizzle
• மோகம் - lust
• சாபம் - bane, curse
• சீறுதே - to hiss
• பரவுதல் - to spread
• வேதனை - suffering, distress
• உறைந்து - to freeze
• இடக்குவிடு ??
• பித்தம் - commonly refers to bile but has several other meanings including madness, dizziness and absent-mindedness
• தணிப்பேன் - from தணிப்பு meaning to quench, cool down, reduce, mitigate
• மரிப்பேன் - from மரிப்பு meaning to die

வான் நிலா தரும்

'Vaan Nila Tharum' from Kadhal Virus was an interesting listening exercise. For large sections of the song the music overwhelms the lyrics especially at the beginning of a stanza. That coupled with the speed at which words are spoken made it a challenge to hear the individual words. This was also the first time I noticed how much our brains 'fill in'.

Definitions

• பார்புகழ்
• உவமைகள் - similie
• புலப்படும் - from புலர்தல் meaning to become clear, visible.
• குரிஞ்சி - meaning mountain and its related regions
• நெரிஞ்சி - thistle. Check this link for the only definition I was able to find.
• தழுவி - meaning embrace or cuddle
• கனம் - multiple definitions including பாரம், heaviness, weight, பெருமை, pride, பருமை, magnitude and பொன், gold. Not to be confused with கணம் meaning கூட்டம், a crowd, கலநுட்பம், a minute point in time, பிசாசம், அற்பம், small, trifle திரட்சி, accumulation, பாரிடம், earth, demon
• வார்க்கும் - from வார்தல் meaning ஒழுதல், to leak or overflow and உரிதல், to peel.

Unidentified

ஒரு சோல்ஜல்

மனசெல்லாம் உந்னிடம் கொடுத்தேன்

'Manasellaam' from the movie Kulir 100° was a very interesting listening exercise. The song has a definite hip hop feel to it. Although I've listened to this song many times I never really paid attention to the Tamil rap section. Nicely done!

Definitions

• நடை பிணம் - walking corpse.  நடை meaning walk; பிணம் meaning corpse. 
• குமிழி - refers to a bubble

கண்கள் இரண்டால்

Beautiful lyrics set to a beautiful melody. 'Kangal Irandaal', from the 2008 movie Subramaniapuram, topped the charts when it was released and remained a popular song for many months. This was JamesVasanthan's debut as a music director in Tamil cinema.

Definitions

• நகர்வேன் - meaning will move (future tense of move)
• கழியுமா - from கழியும் meaning to spend, while away
• மறுபுறம் - conjunction of மறு meaning other and புறம் meaning side.
• அண்டாத - from அண்டல் meaning நெருங்குதல், to get close, and பகைத்தல், enmity.
• அல்லாத - alternate form of இல்லாத meaning, not, without
• அன்றி - except, exception
• ஊன் - body

பூவுக்கெல்லாம் சிறகு முளைத்தது

Simple guitar melody from the movie 'Uyirodu Uyiraga'.

Definitions

• கசிந்தது from கசிதல் meaning to seep
• விட்டம் multiple definitions diameter; timber; body
• கற்றை  refers to a segment of a ray or hair (கதிர்தொகுதி, மயிர்தொகுதி).
• குழல் commonly refers to something tubular or barrel-like; curly hair; hair. A flute is called புல்லாங்குழல்.
• கொழுந்துவிட்டது refers to the spawn of new leaves on a plant.

பொண் மாழை பொழுது

Tamil songs, at least in the movies, are always about love. Hopeful love, fulfilled love, unrequited love, young love, old love, tall love, short love; you get the point. 'Pon Maalai Pozhuthu' from the movie Nizhalgal is about nature; it describes the moments before the sun sets. There are plenty of references to nature in Tamil songs but they are almost always used metaphorically to describe the female form.

"வானம் எனக்கொரு போதி மரம்
நாளும் எனக்கது சேதி தரும்"

Definitions

• நானுகிராள் - unable to find the meaning
• பூணுகிராள்  - from பூணுதல் meaning மேற்கொள்ளுதல், to undertake
• ஜாலமிடும் - from ஜாலம் meaning magic
• சாமரம் - an implement used like a hand fan
• நிகளும் - நிகள்வு is an occurrence
• கேள்வி - question
• வேள்வி  - a hymn

நீதானே

These days songs have a very short window of time in which they need to impress the listener. If there's nothing interesting in the first few seconds it simply gets skipped never to be listened to again. 'Neethane' from the movie Sarvam was one such song on my list. The first time I listened to this song I couldn't get to my computer in time to skip it! It was a good thing. It exceeded a lot of my initial expectations and the lyrics contained several words that I encountered for the first time.

Definitions

• சுவடு - refers to an identifying mark, a trace
• கருமனி - the black of the eye
• தடங்கள் - plural form of தடம் meaning a clue or trace. Not to be confused with தடங்கல் meaning obstacle.
• பிரபஞ்ச refers to the world.
• இரவல் refers to something borrowed, or loaned. Something that needs to be returned
• சதுக்கம் - an intersection, crossroads
• கிளிஞ்சல் - clam

என்னமொ ஏதொ

'Ennamo Edho' from the movie Ko. I've heard this song many many times without ever paying attention.  Interesting what happens when you pay attention to the task at hand.

Word Definitions

• திரளுது - from திரள் meaning a crowd or accumulation. There is also  திறல் meaning light or victory.
• குவியம் - focus
• பேடை - refers to a hen, I think this is a transliteration error probably written as pedhai..this is likely பேதை meaning woman
• அவிழ்தல்* - has multiple meanings including மலர்தல் meaning to bloom and உதிர்தல் meaning to wither!
• அண்டல்* - multiple definitions two of which are நெருங்குதல் meaning to get close, and பகைத்தல் enmity. Another word that has near opposite definitions.
• அகல்தல் - multiple definitions including நீங்குதல் to suspend, பிரிதல் to tear apart or go apart, கடத்தல் meaning to kidnap, and விரிதல்.
• யெந்திரம் - from இயந்திரம்  meaning machine
• வினா - means question
• மழலை - as a noun it refers to an infant, as an adjective childlike (not  childish)

டம்மக்கு டம்மக்கு

Interesting song from the movie 'Aadhavan'. The song starts with a bunch of filler lyrics but then goes on to describe modern day philosophies :). Nothing exceptional about the lyrics in the song but there were a couple of everyday words that could be confused.

"நேறென்பது முடிந்தது நினைவில் இல்லை
நான் நாலைக்கு நடப்பதை நினைபதில்லை
இன்றென்பதை தவிரவும் எதுவுமில்லை
கொண்டாடினால் இதயத்தில் கவலை இல்லை

Definitions

• தில்லாலங்கடி - colloquial word meaning 'smart ass' or 'smart alec'. Could also refer to someone street smart.
• இலக்கு means target. There is also இழக்கு which means fault, mistake, wickedness
• சோலி -  means a job or work
• தோள் means shoulder, Not to be confused with தோல் which means skin. This is a tricky one.

நருமுகயே

'Narumugaiye' takes the listener to a distant past where Tamil was more rigid, poetic, with only slight differences between spoken and written language. This is the kind of language you encounter in Tamil literature. There were a few words that I had never encountered before but it was interesting that my guesses were very close to the correct true definitions. With slight modifications many of these words still exist in regular speech.

Word Definitions

1  நாழிகை வட்டம்  is a clock. நாழிகை is moment
2  அற்றை - on that day (refers to a day past).
3  திங்கள் means month. For a long time I kept thinking this meant week; I don't know why.
4  கொற்ற* (see next section)
5  பொய்கை* (see next section)
6  புரவி means horse, steed.
7  பசலை** (see next section)
8  மேகலை - ornament worn around the waist
9  செம்புலம் - fertile soil

Further Discussion

There are a few different words that are similar to கொற்ற; the word with the best contextual match was கொற்றவி meaning queen. பொய்கை  refers to a natural water body. Based on these definitions the sentence containing there words likely refers 'to a queen bathing in a lake or river'.

பசலை also has several meanings. The two most appropriate for the given context, பொன்னிறம் and அழகுத்தேமல்.

ஹெல்லோ மிஸ்டர் எதிர்கட்சி

Jazzy, bluesy and oh so beautiful. Aishwarya Rai plays two roles in this movie; a comely housewife and an audacious actress. This song introduces the second character. AR Rahman's score for this song is truly magnificent, especially the bassy sections of the song. And Harini delivers a sensational vocal performance.

பூ கொடியின் புன்னகை

Everything about 'Poo Kodiyin Punnagai' is reminiscent of 50's and 60's Tamil cinema; the backdrops, clothing, music and everything else you see . The vocals reminds one of the legendary P.Susheela but it was sung by her daughter-in-law Sandhya JK!

வெண்நிலா வெண்நிலா

Back after a short break to get some stuff done in real life :) and continuing from where I left off last week.

Another beautiful song that retains the jazzy, bluesy undertones used in the rest of the soundtrack. This song was sung by the silvery voiced Asha Bhonsle. There are several spots in the songs where the lyric is muffled and I had to guess the word.

ஆயிரத்தில் நான் ஒருவன்

'Aayirathil Oruvan' takes you back to the days to an earlier period in Tamil cinema. This video captures the essence of that period in its artistic styling, dance movements, and anti-authoritarian sentiments.

கண்ணை கட்டிக்கொல்லாதே

This week I'll be transcribing songs from the 1997 Mani Ratnam movie 'Iruvar'. AR Rahman produces a fascinating a musical score that has stood the test of time. This was also the former Ms World Aishwarya Rai's  first movie.

மாலை நேரம்

மாலை நேரம் மழை தூரும் காலம்
என் ஜன்னல் ஓரம் நிற்கிரேன்
நீயும் நானும் ஒரு போர்வைக்குல்லே
சிறு மேகம் போலே மிதக்கிரேன்
ஓடும் காலங்கல் உடன் ஓடும் நினைவுகல்
வழி¹ மாரும் பயணங்கல் தொடர்கிரதே
இதுதான் வாழ்க்கையா ஒரு துணைதான் தேவயா
மனம் ஏனோ என்னையே கேற்கிரதே

முத்தம் முத்தம் முத்தமா

This was an interesting listening exercise. Listen closely and you'll hear a few words repeatedly mispronounced.

அன்பே சிவம்

'யார் யார் சிவம்' (Yaar Yaar Sivam) from the movie அன்பெ சிவம் (Anbe Sivam) is heavy on philosophy but very light on lyrics. This song was sung by Kamal Hassan, notably known for his predilection to Tamil and using it accurately. Pay attention to the pronunciation.

The video includes the cinematic version and the audio version. Start at the 3:50 mark to get to the audio version directly. Most people think this movie was directed by Kamal himself. Interesting tidbit; it was directed by Sundar.C.

வீரபாண்டி கோட்டயிலே

There is a difference between hearing and listening. This song is from the Maniratnam movie 'Thiruda Thiruda' which was released in 1993. All these years I thought I knew the lyrics to this song. I found out how far I was only during this little exercise.

அதிசைய திருமணம்

பூக்களே சற்று ஓய்வெடுங்கள்

Without any exceptions this was the best song in the movie; stunning visuals backed by a beautiful melody and imaginative lyrics. The center piece of the song is the use of the word 'ஐ' (ai) in its various forms and meanings. Lyrics by Madan Karky.

மெரிசல்லாயிடேன்

'மெரிசல்லாயிடேன்' is written in a dialect spoken in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This is an informal form of the language that has its own vocabulary and pronunciation.

என்னோடு நீ இருந்தால்

'என்னோடு நீ இருந்தால்' is an orchestral melody but very light on the lyrics. Long sections of the song are instrumental and the chorus takes up about a third of the remaining time. The lyrics are plain but set to tune and express the emotions of the characters in the song. Clearly, the video is inspired by 'The Beauty and the Beast'.

Aila....Aila

This was the big surprise. The first time I listened to 'Aila Aila' it felt like a bunch of words were thrown together to the tune of the song. However, on listening closer I discovered many new words and some interesting usage.

The lead vocals on the song are exemplary but the latter part of the song clearly shows that the female vocalist does not speak Tamil.  With a phonetic language like Tamil subtle changes in intonation can drastically change the meaning of words. I need to keep in mind these songs are not written with the intent of teaching vocabulary :).

The transliteration in the video is mostly correct but there are a few areas that are confusing or spotty.  Don't be confused if the transcription does not match the words in the video.

As usual I'm leaving out the filler lyrics at the beginning of the song. Sections of the transcription marked in red need clarification. If you know what the words, phrases or sentences mean use the comments section to fill in the gaps.

Lady-o

This week I'll post songs from Shankar's new movie 'ஐ'.  When listening for the first time the soundtrack feels very noisy but a good pair of headphones will quickly put this idea to rest.  A couple of the songs also have show interesting use of words.

The lyrics to the song below use a lot of words from the ad-world.  Skipped the filler lyrics at the beginning of the song.

என்னென்ன செய்தோம் இனி

From the movie 'மயக்கம் என்ன'. 

என்னென்ன செய்தொம் இன்று இதுவரை வாழ்விலே
எங்கெங்கு பொனோம் வந்தோம் விதி எனும் பேரிலே
கானாத துயரம் கண்ணிலே
கோயாத சலனம் நெஞ்சிலே   (did i hear the first word correctly?)

உறவுகல் தொடர்கதை

A classic from the late 70's. This song is from the movie 'அவள் அப்படித்தான்'. 

உறவுகல் தொடர்கதை

உணர்வுகல் சிறுகதை

ஒரு கதை என்றும் முடியலாம்

முடிவிலும் ஒன்று தொடரலாம்

இனியெல்லாம் சுகமே

கண்ணன் வருவான்

This song is from the movie பஞ்சவர்ண கிளி. This song has a lot of words that I don't normally use in conversation. Seemed appropriate for a first transcription.

Word Definitions