Do foreigners learn Tamil?

Tamil & Sanskrit age back to ancient times. Lots to learn and many unrevealed. Hence foreigners have a distinct interest in these languages and many have adopted them too. Imagine slokas being chanted in White house and other important decorum.

What do you call a person who speaks Tamil?

The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar (Tamil: தமிழர், romanized: Tamiḻar, pronounced [tamiɻaɾ] in the singular or தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, [tamiɻaɾxaɭ] in the plural), or simply Tamils (/ˈtæmɪls/), are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who trace their ancestry mainly to India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, union …

Is learning Tamil difficult?

The written and spoken forms of Tamil are very different from each other. Although this is a common trait of major Indian languages, it makes it difficult for beginners to learn Tamil. The written form when spoken might sound very old-fashioned and pretentious.

Why is learning Tamil important?

Regardless of their religious differences, all Tamils have contributed to Tamil culture and literature. Knowledge of the language also opens you to a vast amount of work such as literature, music, and drama with which the Tamil language is rich and abundant.

How many years will it take to learn Tamil?

Tamil newspapers are using very small fonts. Very happy to note that you are keen on learning the Tamil language. Assuming you have very little to no exposure of the Language it can take about two years to be able to read, write and speak the language( At a decent level-scale of 7 out 10).

How did the Tamil language influence other languages in Southeast Asia?

Scripts brought by Tamil traders to Southeast Asia, like the Grantha and Pallava scripts, induced the development of many Southeast Asian scripts such as Khmer, Javanese Kawi script, Baybayin and Thai. The Tamil language is one of the oldest extant written languages, with a history dating back to 300 BCE.

When did the Tamils become a distinct ethnic group?

There were trade relationship between the Roman Empire and Pandyan Empire. As recorded by Strabo, Emperor Augustus of Rome received at Antioch an ambassador from a king called Pandyan of Dramira. Hence, it is clear that by at least 300 BCE, the ethnic identity of Tamils was formed as a distinct group.

What is the etymological meaning of tamitamiḻar?

Tamiḻar is etymologically related to Tamil, the language spoken by Tamil people. Southworth suggests that the name comes from tam-miz > tam-iz – “self-speak”, or “one’s own speech”.

What is the difference between Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil?

The Sri Lankan Tamils (or Ceylon Tamils) are descendants of the Tamils of the old Jaffna Kingdom and east coast chieftaincies called Vannimais. The Indian Tamils (or Hill Country Tamils) are descendants of bonded laborers who migrated from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka in the 19th century to work on tea plantations.