Ancient
words in any language are like fossils and can be useful in understanding the
mysteries of antiquity. Ancient words in Tulu language similarly provide us
useful hints that enlighten factors relating to the origin and evolution.
Linguists
have traced dual features of south central and southern Dravidian trends of
evolution in Tulu language ( ref:) though there has not been clear explanation
of this duality. Earlier posts in this blog have identified and explored
explicit evidences of an Austro-Asiatic base of Munda group of language under
the Dravidian linguistic heritage in the evolution of Tulu language.
Ancient
words like paggu (=first month in
Tulu calendar), tude (=river), tāri (=toddy palm), urdu(=black gram)……. etc apart from numerous place names in
Tulunadu that still carry a prefix of Munda- or manki or related words –are all suggestive of an explicit undercurrent
of an older layer of Adi-Dravida or pre-Dravida traditions in this land, before
the onset of Dravidian phase of socio-cultural
and linguistic evolution.
Relicts of
ancient Austro-Asiatic Munda culture and language still exist in Eastern and
North eastern India. Bengalis and Odiyas sport such ancient words as Desi in their languages.
Let us
discuss two of such ancient desi
words, surviving in Bengali language, struck me because of their significance
in the evolution of Tulu language and culture here below:
Bari
Bari is a very
common word in Tulu language representing genetic lineage of person. It was
used traditionally to identify a person and distinguish him or her from persons
of other lineages especially in matrimonial proposals. Persons from the same bari were considered traditionally to be blood relatives among whom
marriage was a taboo. Bari is
alternately known as bali, gotra, bedagu
or illam in other socio-cultural
groups. The origin of bari or gotra system
predates the introduction of caste based communities as we discussed in an
older post.
The analogy
between the words bari (Tulu) and bali (Kannada) earlier led us to suggest
that bari was an alternate form of
the word bali (balli) which usually meant a plant creeper. The Tulu word bari at present means a side or margin. The
meaning was adopted by some since it approximately conveys the connotation of a
lineage.
However, the
understanding that bari is a desi word of Austro-Asiatic origin existing
in Bengali suggests fresh dimension of origin and meaning to the Tulu word bari. The word bari
of Austro-Asiatic origin means home in Bengali.
Thus it is possible that the heritage word bari in existing in Tulu language means the
name of the home or the original house of person. In ancient cultures a person
was identified by the name of his home. In this way it appears synonymous with the
term illam (=home) used by Malayalis or
gotra (name of cowshed) used by
cowherds in northern India during the ancient history for lineage.
Pulo
In the same
vein we can see that the word pulo
means a flower in Bengali. We can compare pulo
with phool in Hindi.
Kepulo
A red
colored wild flower (usually occurring as a bunch of flowers or inflorescence)
commonly seen in rural settings is known as kepulo
or kepula. We can understand the origin of the name of
this wild red flower as it is ke+pulo,
where ke represents red and pulo
means flower.
We also may
understand that with passage of time, the original pulo has been reduced to poo
(= flower) and the original ke has
become kempu (=red).
Significance
Tulu
language has absorbed words from Austro-Asiatic and other pre-existing languages
during the prolonged course of evolution. Many of these words are pre-Dravidian in
nature, and the presence of such ancient words in contemporary Tulu suggests partial
or selective socio-cultural assimilation of ancient tribes with Dravidians during
the history. This explains the basic reason for the exposition of dual South-central
and Southern Dravidian linguistic trends in the evolution of Tulu language.
R
