Two Tamils: spoken and bookish
The gap between spoken and written Tamil is bigger than between any pair of varieties in this app — bigger even than the neighboring Sinhala's. Spoken (பேச்சுத் தமிழ்) and bookish (எழுத்துத் தமிழ்) Tamil differ in endings, pronouns and a share of the commonest words. For example: “நான் தமிழ் கத்துக்கிறேன்” — I learn Tamil (spoken). A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The gap between spoken and written Tamil is bigger than between any pair of varieties in this app — bigger even than the neighboring Sinhala's. Spoken (பேச்சுத் தமிழ்) and bookish (எழுத்துத் தமிழ்) Tamil differ in endings, pronouns and a share of the commonest words.
The course teaches the spoken language: it is what people speak in the shop, in the tuk-tuk and at home. You will see the bookish kind on signs and in newspapers — and, having learned a few correspondences, you will read it without a separate course.
One more thing: Sri Lankan Tamil is noticeably closer to the bookish norm than the Tamil Nadu kind, and to an ear from Chennai it sounds old-fashioned. That is the island's norm, not a mistake.
Table
| Spoken | Bookish | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| போறேன் | போகிறேன் | I go |
| இருக்கேன் | இருக்கிறேன் | I am, I stay |
| நீங்க | நீங்கள் | you (polite) |
| தண்ணி | தண்ணீர் | water |
By example
- நான் தமிழ் கத்துக்கிறேன்nāṉ tamiḻ kattukkiṟēṉI learn Tamil (spoken)
- நீங்க எங்கே போறீங்க?nīṅga eṅgē pōṟīṅga?Where are you going? (spoken)
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why spoken Tamil differs from written Tamil?
The gap between spoken and written Tamil is bigger than between any pair of varieties in this app — bigger even than the neighboring Sinhala's. Spoken (பேச்சுத் தமிழ்) and bookish (எழுத்துத் தமிழ்) Tamil differ in endings, pronouns and a share of the commonest words.
Poren vs pogiren?
The course teaches the spoken language: it is what people speak in the shop, in the tuk-tuk and at home. You will see the bookish kind on signs and in newspapers — and, having learned a few correspondences, you will read it without a separate course.
Which Tamil to learn, spoken or bookish?
One more thing: Sri Lankan Tamil is noticeably closer to the bookish norm than the Tamil Nadu kind, and to an ear from Chennai it sounds old-fashioned. That is the island's norm, not a mistake.
How sri lankan Tamil differs from indian Tamil?
One more thing: Sri Lankan Tamil is noticeably closer to the bookish norm than the Tamil Nadu kind, and to an ear from Chennai it sounds old-fashioned. That is the island's norm, not a mistake.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“நான் தமிழ் கத்துக்கிறேன்” (nāṉ tamiḻ kattukkiṟēṉ) — I learn Tamil (spoken). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.