From Tamil Linguistics to Tamilology: In Search of an Integrated Discipline of Linguistics and Cultural Studies

Hiroshi Yamashita
Tohoku University

It is obvious that there was a profound knowledge not only of languages but also cultures and thoughts of the East and the West behind the insights and inspirations of Sir William Jones (1746-1794), the pioneer of comparative linguistics and Indo-European studies. It is no exaggeration to say that integral knowledge on languages and cultures brought about the dawn of modern linguistics. The same is true of Tamil studies. Tamil or Dravidian linguistics was founded and developed in parallel with, and under the constant influence of the development of neighboring areas such as religion, literature and cultural studies in South India . In this sense, the accomplishment of Tamil or Dravidian linguistics is none other than the crystallization of Tamilology or Dravidology in general. After one and half century since the establishment, however, Tamilology or Dravidology is fragmented into various subdivisions to such an extent that it looks no longer what it used to be as an integrated though multifaceted discipline. Tamil or Dravidian linguistics, even though it is one of the most advanced and sophisticated divisions of Tamilology or Dravidology, virtually has nothing to share with the other branches of Tamil or Dravidian studies. If Tamilology or Dravidology as such stands for an integrated approach, free from excessive ramifications, toward overall cultural phenomena including language-related ones in Tamil- or Dravidian-speaking India , then we should rather take a reverse course to rebuild and incorporate fragmented Tamil studies in search of an integrated kind of discipline. Kamil V. Zvelebil, a Czech Dravidologist, and others show that this effort is neither barren nor anachronistic but rather productive to upheave the overall standard of Tamil researches. In this paper, my field experiences in rural Tamilnadu as well as our latest attempt to shed light on Indus Valley Civilization will be cited in the context of language and cultural studies.