by
Maravanpulavu K. Sachithananthan
ABSTRACT
Most of the Australian Aboriginal languages were without a written form. English alphabets are now used to write these languages. Aboriginal Research Institutes in Australia have formulated these scripts which are periodically revised and repeatedly standardized. Aboriginal language phonemes do not fit into the non-phonetic English alphabets. Non-phonetic English alphabets are also used to write the English language resulting in confusion. Aboriginal languages have a five vowel system along with twenty consonants (Jonathan Harrington). All the five vowels are distinctly similar to Tamil vowels (அ-ɑ, இ-ɪ, உ-u, எ-e, ஒ-o). All the eighteen of the twenty consonants are distinctly similar to the eighteen Tamil consonants (க்-k, ச்-ʧ, ட்-ʈ, ற்-t, த்-t̪, ப்-p, ங்-ŋ, ஞ்-ɲ, ண்-ɳ, ன்-n, ந்-n̪, ம்-m, ய்-j, வ்-v, ர்-r, ல்-l, ள்-ɭ, ழ்-ɻ). One apical post-alveolar (ɹ) and another laminal palatal are the two extra consonants. This paper assesses the genetic, social and linguistic connection Australian Aboriginals have with the Tamils, to suggest the replacement of the recently introduced non-phonetic English alphabet system with the phonetic Tamil script to the Aboriginal languages along with the appropriate Tamil Grantha script for the two extra consonants.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Westerners
The scope and extent of Australian Aboriginal languages are understood through study and description of westerners, mostly English linguists. Australian Aboriginals were considered sub-humans by early explorers from the western world. So much so the languages of the Aboriginals were looked down upon as primitive and archaic.
Australian Aboriginals were assumed to be living in geographical isolation. Westerners refused to accept that they were in contact with all communities and human formations adjacent to their homeland and with those far away. Westerners repeatedly asserted that they were the first to establish contact with the Aboriginals.
William Dawes (1788), the First Fleeter, recorded as notes the Sydney language. Lancelot Edward Threlkeld (1838) attempted to translate the Bible. Many linguists and knowledge seekers followed the pioneers.Contemporary linguists probing into Aboriginal languages are in almost all the Academic and Social Institutions for Aboriginals all over Australia.
1.1 Tamil connection
Tamil connection to the Aboriginal languages was hypothesised by 19th century linguists.
Robert Caldwell (1856) refers to the remarkable general resemblances between the Dravidian pronouns and those of Aboriginal tribes of Southern and Western Australia.
கந்தன் வந்தான், அவன் இருந்தான். அவன் = pronoun,
மாடு வந்தது, அது படுத்தது. அது = pronoun
Aboriginal pronouns have number, person, gender and case
தன்மை ஒருமை
I = நான் = Ngadhu
My = என்னது = Ngaddhi
Me = அது நான் = Dhi
முன்னிலை ஒருமை
You = நீ = Ngindu
Your = உனது = Niginya
You = நின்னது = Nu
படர்க்கை ஒருமை
He = அவன் = Ngillu
His = அவனது = Ngigula
Him = நுனது = Lugu
Close resemblance between Aboriginal Koori and Dravidian languages was suggested by W. H. Bleek (1872).
This linguistic trend of comparing sounds of Aboriginal languages to Tamil continued into the 20th century.
Mulvancy Dereck John (1925) said that many Aboriginal languages have six places where the passage of air can be closed off. Aboriginal language speakers use the blade of the tongue against the teeth, blade of the tongue against the hard plate, tip of the tongue turned back on to the roof of the mouth to make a retroflex sound similar to the languages in India. Aboriginal languages have six corresponding nasal sounds, two rhotics or r-sounds (normal and trill), and as many as four l-sounds.
R. H. Mathews (1841-1918) indicated the agglutinative nature of Wailawan language.
Possible Tamil equivalents are as follows:
The verbs have number, person, tense, and everyday mood. Like the pronouns, they have inclusive and exclusive endings to express the dual or the plural in the first person.
அடி = கும்மு = gumulli
நிகழ்காலம் ஆண்பால்
தன்மை = I hit = அடிக்கிறேன் = கும்முறான் = Gumurra-dhu
முன்னிலை = You hit =அடிக்கிறாய் = கும்முறாய் = Gumurra-ndu
படர்க்கை = He hits = அடிக்கிறான் = கும்முறான் = Gumurra-lu
நிகழ்காலம் பலர் பால்
தன்மை = We hit = அடிக்கிறோம் = கும்முறோம் = Gumurr
முன்னிலை = You hit = அடிக்கிறீர்கள் = கும்முறீர்கள் = Gumurra-ndugal
படர்க்கை = They hit = அடிக்கிறார்கள் = கும்முறார்கள் = Gumurra-lugal
The past and future forms of verbs have endings that vary according to whether the action was of longer or shorter duration. These different endings stay the same for all persons, whether in the singular, dual or plural. By adding the necessary pronominal suffix, the verb acquires a special ending for each person and each number of all the tenses, as shown by the conjugation of the indicative present given above.
கடந்தகாலம் ஒன்றன்பால், தன்மை
I hit this morning = அடித்தேன் = Gumengurranyedhu
I hit yesterday = அடித்தனான் = Gumegumbirradhu
I hit long time ago = அடித்துள்ளேன் = Gumengargambodhu
எதிர்காலம் ஒன்றன்பால் தன்மை
I will hit, straight away = அடித்திடுவேன் = Gumulla-galladhu
I will hit tomorrow = அடிப்பேன் = Gumulngurriagadhu
I will hit, soon = அடிக்கவுள்ளேன் = Gumullagawandugagadhu
R. M. W. Dixon (1980) discusses the wider affiliation of Australian languages to assert that the Dravidian suggestion deserves to be taken seriously.
Robert Lawler (1991) discusses the agglutinative nature of the Dravidian and Tasmanian languages and goes on to say that fishermen along the Coromandel coasts will easily pick up words spoken by Tasmanian Aboriginals.
1.2 Self contained
However, the trend to look at similarities of Aboriginal languages with languages outside the Australian continent shrunk during the 21st century.
Jonathan Harrington (2014) said that ‘Australian languages are self-contained; there is no evidence that they are synchronically related to languages beyond the Australian continent, except: Torres Strait islanders (are Papuan in physical type and culture); Western island languages are similar to Australian languages; Eastern island languages are related to PNG languages’.
Jeffrey G. Heath said that ‘Australian Aboriginal languages are a unique language group, having no generally accepted genetic connections with non-Australian languages’.
1.3 Genome mapping
Robert Lawler (1991) points to the physical resemblance of the Dravidians to the Aboriginals of Australia indicating a racial similarity. He goes on to clarify as to why modern anthropologists conveniently disregard it.
Spencer Wells (2007) describes how Ramasamy Pitchappan showed closer linkages using Y-chromosome markers. The Piraan Malai Kallar community near Madurai carries a piece of genetic trail as a direct genetic link to the Aboriginal community of Australia.
Josephine Flood (2006) discusses the biological angle, quoting the work of Alan Redd and Mark Stoneking. These two geneticists studied Mitochondrion Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid from present day Aboriginals to find that they are ten times closer to Indians than to New Guineans. They estimated that the time of separation of Australian Aboriginals from southern Indians was at 3390 years with 95% certainty. Josephine also quotes the study of geneticists Pellekaan linking southern Indians with Australian Aboriginals.
This finding overturns the view that the continent was isolated from the time it was first colonized about 45,000-50,000 years ago, until Europeans discovered Australia in the eighteenth century.
According to Dr. Irina Pugach, the international research team has calculated that the Tamil South Indian DNA reached the Aboriginal population 141 generations ago. Assuming that each generation is separated on an average by 30 years, the geneticists were able to conclude that the Tamil South Indian population arrived on in Australia 4230 years ago.
2. MATERIAL AND METHODS
2.1 International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
International Phonetic Alphabet Association provides notational standard for the phonetic representation of all languages. IPA can be used to create a writing system for any language. IPA is a bridging tool for transcription between scripts.
IPA charts (2015) for vowels and consonants are as follows.
2.2 Aboriginal script to IPA
Absence of scripts for Aboriginal languages is a reality. The speakers are probably satisfied to be without a written form. They do not probably need it. It may be that they were not aware of the advantages, other languges have with a writing system.
Jonathan Harrington (2014) has attempted to equate Aboriginal phonemes to IPA characters thus.
Punal K. Murugaiyan (2011) has equated Tamil phonemes to IPA characters.
Tamil vowels
அ ɑ பரம்
ஆ ɑ: காலம், பலா
இ ɪ விசனம், நிலம்
ஈ i: மீசை, வீரம்
உ ʊ குரை, முக்குலம்
ஊ ʊ: பூசை, கரூர்
எ e பெயர், நெய்
ஏ e: தேர், சொல்லேர்
ஒ o கொலை, பலசொல்
ஓ o: கோலம், தவநோக்கம்
ஐ ˀʌj ஐயன்
ஔ ˀʌv ஔவை
ஃ x அஃது
Tamil consonants
க் k கடல், பக்கம், வெட்கம்
ச் ʧ பச்சை, கட்சு, அர்ச்சனை
ட் ʈ அட்டம், வெட்கம், நட்பு
ற் t̺ காற்று
த் t̪ தலை, பத்து
ப் p பத்து, கப்பல், கற்பு, நட்பு
ங் ŋ பங்கு, தங்கம்
ஞ் ɲ ஞாயிறு, தஞ்சம்,
ண் ɳ கண், வண்ணம், கண்டம்
ன் n̺ நலம், நான், என்க, மன்னன்,
ந் n̪ எந்தை, பந்து
ம் m மனம், உமை, அம்மா
ய் j பையன், ஐயா
வ் v செவ்வாய், அவ்வை
ர் ɾ மரம்,
ல் l கல், வெல்லம், வெல்க
ள் ɭ கள், வெள்ளம்
ழ் ɻ வாழ்க, பழம், தமிழ்
3.0 RESULTS
Equating Tamil IPA of Punal K. Murugaiyan to Aboriginal IPA of Jonathan Harrington, thus.
3.1 Vowels
3.2 Consonants
4.0 DISCUSSION
4.1 Hypothesis
For early scholars researching into Aboriginal languages, collection of data to analyse and hypothesise was a tedious process. Even then, Robert Caldwell, Bleek, Mulvancy Dereck John and R. H. Mathews and few others hypothesised the strong possibility of a close link between Tamil and the Aboriginal languages.
Studies on social formation, kinship, cultural values, anthropological features and above all the genetic marker links confirm the hypothesised linguistic links between Tamils and Aboriginals.
4.2 English alphabets
English alphabets do not always represent phonemes.
IPA vowel (o) could be vocalised in three different forms, foot (ʊ), goose (ʊ:), blood (ɑ).
IPA consonant (k) could be vocalised through three alphabets c, k, and q as in car, skill and quack.
With such ambiguity, assigning English alphabets to the phonemes of the Aboriginal languages will be an uphill task. Also the English alphabet will confuse any reader who reads both Aboriginal languages and English.
4.3 Forerunner to IPA
Providing notational standards for phonetic representation is not a new phenomenon. Grantha is a script. It is not a language. It was developed by Tamil linguists during the 5th or 6th century CE in Tamil Nadu during the Pallava rule. So much so it is also called the Pallava Grnatha.
It is a standard script for the phonetic representation of languages. 30 out of the 43 Grantha alpabets are Tamil alphabets. Grantha Glyphs (vowel diacritics) are also from the Tamil script.
Scripts for many languages in South East Asia grew out of the Grantha script. Naa. Ganesan says ‘Grantha is truly a multi-language script and it can legitimately be called as “Latin” script of South India and South East Asia because it has been applied to write different language families such as Dravidian in history, like Latin script handles many languages now.’ Grantha is one of the forerunners of IPA, as reference script for many languages.
4.4 Compatibility
Of the twenty consonants in the Aboriginal languages, eighteen are compatible with Tamil consonants. For the remaining two, scripts could be borrowed from Grantha.
4.5 Incompatiblility
English alphabets as recommended now as script for the Aboriginal languages are insupportable, unsustainable, inadmissible and unsound. It will be a burden on the speakers of the Aboriginal languages, more so, with English alphabets being in use for the dominating English language.
5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Aboriginal languages require scripts. The five vowels and eighteen of the twenty consonants in the Aboriginal languages are phonetically similar to the Tamil language. Thirty character Tamil script along with two of Grantha script with the use of all the Glyphs (vowel diacritics) could easily fit into the requirement for script of the Aboriginal languages.
5.2 Australian Aboriginals have umbilical connections to Tamils, in anthropology, social kinship, culture, genetics and language. Tamils have a duty towards them. Australian Aboriginals cannot remain and do not want to remain in the cultural, linguistic gripping of the recent immigrants of Australia. They are agitating to retain their ancestral heritage as the first people of Australia. Tamil Nadu Government, academicians, linguists, historians have a duty to focus their attention to the neglected Australian Aboriginals towards reshaping their future in the shade of their cherished ancient civilisation.
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