Sandhi rules and using case suffixes (வேற்றுமை உருபுகள்)

Sandhi Rules: Insertion of ய் and வ்

Examples:

இ/ஈ ending words

ஐ ending words

உ/ஊ ending words

Only those words with the syllable structure CVCV (consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel) as in தெரு (street), பசு (cow), கொசு (mosquito) take the glide வ் as above. Most of the other words ending in உ like அது (that), பாத்து (song) etc., drop the final உ, when a vowel initial suffix is added as shown below. However, this restriction does not apply to words ending in ஊ, which always take the glide வ்.

உ ending words other than CVCV structure

ஒ/ஓ ending words

அ/ஆ ending words

Consonant Ending Words

Words with the syllable structure CVC, nouns ending inஅம், டு and று, and first and second person 'oblique' (possessive) forms (such as என், நம் and உன்) undergo a number of different changes when a case suffix is added. Case suffixes in Tamil are listed as below.

Case Suffixes (வேற்றுமை உருபுகள்)

Neither the interrogative suffix ஆ nor the conjunctive suffix உம் nor the emphative suffix ஏ follows sandhi rules as noted above when added with words ending either in அம், டு or று or any of the pronoun.

Minimal words. Ex. கல், பல், கண், சொல் etc.

Any consonant ending noun with a syllable structure CVC where the vowel is short is added with any suffix (both case suffix and others like interrogative suffix, conjunctive suffix etc.), the final consonant is doubled.

அம் ending words

When a case suffix is added with a noun that ends in அம், the final ம் is deleted and an increment த்த் is added. This rule applies only when the suffix is a case suffix, but not for the other suffixes such as ஆ, உம்,ஏ etc.

அம் ending words

டு/று ending words

When a case suffix is added with a noun that ends either in டு or று, the final உ is deleted and the consonant (ட் or ற்) is doubled. However, the suffixes such as conjunctive suffix உம், interrogative suffix ஆ and emphatic suffix ஏ are added to these nouns without doubling the final consonant but only the final உ is dropped.

டு/று ending words

External Sandhi: Doubling of stop consonants when writing Tamil

As we have noted, spoken and written Tamil are quite different, in their vocabulary, pronunciation, and even their grammar. In addition, written Tamil has a number of conventions which govern how it is to be written correctly. One set of such conventions is what is called 'external sandhi' rules.

Doubling of stop consonants (க், ச், த் and ப்) as in அவனைப் பார்த்தேன் 'saw him (I)', யாருக்குக் கொடுத்தாய்? 'who did you give it to?' etc., is determined by the convention in writing Tamil whereby, given two words, a consonant is added to the end of first word which is copied from the first consonant of second word. This process, 'external sandhi,' is made following custom, and there is no satisfactory grammatical explanation/function. Usually, the words in such phrases have a 'government' relation among them. For example, in the phrase அவனைப் பார்த்தேன் 'I saw him', the word அவனை governs the verb பார்த்தேன், and hence the reason for doubling. But, this is not always the case. For example in the phrase அந்தப் பையன் the word அந்த triggers the doubling due to the government relation, but in a similar phrase like நல்ல பையன் 'good boy', the doubling isn't taking place. So, one has to memorize the rules where this doubling should and shouldn't occur. It is important to note that this is a convention of writing Tamil and these sounds aren't pronounced when spoken.

There are only in restricted contexts this doubling takes place. However, word internally when compound nouns are formed, this type of doubling is made quite regularly, as in தமிழ்ப் பாடம் 'Tamil lesson', குதிரைக் காரன் 'horse man, வீட்டுக்காரன் 'landlord' and so on.

Contexts where doubling is done compulsorily:

1. After accusative marker ஐ:

a) என்னைப் பாருங்கள் 'look at me'

b) அதைக் கொடுங்கள் 'give that to me'

2. After the dative suffix க்கு:

a) எனக்குக் கொடுங்கள் 'give that to me'

b) வீட்டுக்குப் போங்கள் 'go to your house'

3. After the adjectives இந்த (this), அந்த (that), எந்த (which), but not other adjectives like நல்ல (good), பெரிய (big) etc.:

a) அந்தச் சட்டையைப் போடுங்கள் 'put on that shirt'

b) அவன் நல்ல பையன் 'he is a good boy' (no doubling)

c) சின்னப் பையன் 'little boy'

d) பெரிய பையன் 'big/older/tall boy' (no doubling)

4. After infinitive forms:

a) நான் உங்களைப் பார்க்கச் சொன்னேன் 'I told him to see you/I told you to see'

b) நீங்கள் புத்தகம் வாங்கப் பணம் கொடுங்கள் 'you give money to buy books'

5. After verbal participle forms (AVP) except the ones that ends in து and ந்து (those that end in த்து should be doubled):

a) கடைக்குப் போய்ப் பால் வாங்குங்கள் 'go to the store and buy milk'

b) பார்த்துப் படியுங்கள் 'look and read'

But not

a) சப்பாத்திச் செய்து சாப்பிடுங்கள் 'make Chappathi and eat'

b) நடந்து போங்கள் 'walk and go'

5. After adverbs with the marker ஆக:

a) வேகமாகக் குடியுங்கள் 'drink it fast/quickly!'

b) சரியாகச் சொல்லுங்கள் 'say it right!'