Classification[edit]Main article: Dravidian languages

Tamil belongs to the southern branch of the Dravidian languages, a family of aro
und 26 languages native to the Indian subcontinent.[36] It is also classified as
being part of a Tamil language family, which alongside Tamil proper, also inclu
des the languages of about 35 ethno-linguistic groups[37] such as the Irula and
Yerukula languages (see SIL Ethnologue).
The closest major relative of Tamil is Malayalam. Until about the 9th century, M
alayalam was a dialect of Tamil.[38] Although many of the differences between Ta
mil and Malayalam demonstrate a pre-historic split of the western dialect,[39] t
he process of separation into a distinct language, Malayalam, was not completed
until sometime in the 13th or 14th century.[40]
History[edit]
Silver coin of king Vashishtiputra Satakarni (c. AD 160).
Obv: Bust of king. Prakrit legend in the Brahmi script: "Siri Satakanisa Rano ..
. Vasithiputasa": "King Vasishtiputra Sri Satakarni"
Rev: Ujjain/Satavahana symbol left. Crescented six-arch chaitya hill right. Rive
r below. Early Tamil legend in the Tamil Brahmi script: "Arah(s)anaku Vah(s)itti
makanaku Tiru H(S)atakani ko" which means "The ruler, Vasitti's son, Highness S
atakani" -ko being the royal name suffix.[41][42][43][44]According to linguist B
hadriraju Krishnamurti, Tamil as a Dravidian language, descends from Proto-Dravi
dian, a Proto-language. Linguistic reconstruction suggests that Proto-Dravidian
was spoken around the third millennium BC, possibly in the region around the low
er Godavari river basin in peninsular India. The material evidence suggests that
the speakers of Proto-Dravidian were the culture associated with the Neolithic
complexes of South India.[45] The next phase in the reconstructed proto-history
of Tamil is Proto-South Dravidian. The linguistic evidence suggests that Proto-S
outh Dravidian was spoken around the middle of the second millennium BC, and tha
t proto-Tamil emerged around the 3rd century BC. The earliest epigraphic attesta
tions of Tamil are generally taken to have been written shortly thereafter.[46]
Among Indian languages, Tamil has the most ancient non-Sanskritised Indian liter
ature.[47] Scholars categorise the attested history of the language into three p
eriods, Old Tamil (300 BC AD 700), Middle Tamil (7001600) and Modern Tamil (1600pr
esent).[48]
Etymology[edit]The earliest extant Tamil literary works and their commentaries c
elebrates the Pandiyan Kings for the organization of long-termed Tamil Sangams,
which researched, developed and made amendments in Tamil language. Even though t
he name of the language which was developed by these Tamil Sangams is mentioned
as Tamil, the exact period when the name "Tamil" came to be applied to the langu
age is unclear, as is the precise etymology of the name. The earliest attested u
se of the name is found in Tholkappiyam, which is dated as early as 1st century
BC.[49] Southworth suggests that the name comes from tam-mi? > tam-i? 'self-spea
k', or 'one's own speech'.[50](see Southworth's derivation of Sanskrit term for
"others" or Mleccha) Kamil Zvelebil suggests an etymology of tam-i?, with tam me
aning "self" or "one's self", and "-i?" having the connotation of "unfolding sou
nd". Alternatively, he suggests a derivation of tami? < tam-i? < *tav-i? < *tak-
i?, meaning in origin "the proper process (of speaking)".[51]
The Tamil Lexicon of University of Madras defines the word 'Tamil' as 'sweetness
'.[52] S.V Subramanian suggests the meaning 'sweet sound' from 'tam'- sweet and
'il'- 'sound'.[53]