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Tirunelveli Tamil also known as Nellai Tamil or ThenPaandi Tamil is one of the dialects of Tamil which is spoken in the districts of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari, as well as over the vast area of south Tamil Nadu which was once ruled by the Pandiya Kings. Nellai Tamil is also known as Thenpaandi Tamil. Thenpaandi Seemai refers to the part of a Pandya kingdom which includes the present day Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Tuticorin Districts.[1][2]

Features

The Tirunelveli Tamil Dialect (TTD) has on the whole 41 phonemes of which 31 are segmental and the remaining 10 are suprasegmental.[3] Nellai Tamil also preserves archaic kinship terms that other dialects have long discarded. However, the most unusual feature of the Tamil spoken in the Tirunelveli region is that the medial "c" is pronounced as a voiceless palatal affricate as in Old Tamil and has not undergone the change to the dental "s" as in most other dialects.[4]

Regions of Nellai Tamil

• Tirunelveli
• Sankarankovil
• Palayamkottai
• Tuticorin
• Melapalayam
• Virudhunagar
• Cheranmahadevi
• Poovankurichi
• Sivagiri
• Tenkasi
• Rajapalayam
• Sivakasi
• Srivilliputhur
• Eruvadi
• Vasudevanallur
• Kalakkad
• Ilanji
• Surandai
• Panpoli
• Vadakarai
• Kovilpatti
• Ambasamudram
• Kallidaikurichi
• Uppuvaniamuthur
• Kadayam
• Alangulam
• Thiruchendur
• Manadu
• Ezuvaraimukki
• Srivaikundam
• Nazareth
• Udangudi
• Thisayanvilai
• Kuttam
• Nanguneri
• Kanganankulam
• Kadayanallur
• Radhapuram
• Sathankulam
• Valliyur
• Panagudi
• Pavoorchatram
• Thippanampatty
• Sengottai
• Sivanadanoor
• Kurumbalaperi
• Puliyankudi
• Vickramasingapuram
• Papanasam
• Kadayanallur
• Kazhugumalai
• Uvari
• Peikulam
• Melaseval
• Pattamadai

Peculiar Nellai Tamil Words/ Phrases

• Annaachi = அன்னாச்சி = Used to call a person of respect
• Yeppadi Irukkeeya? = How are you? (with respect)
• Chuvamaa Irukeyalaa? = Are you doing well, Are you in good health (with respect)
• Chuvamthaana = Are you doing well?
• Thoorama? = Going somewhere far?
• Elei, Yala, Yelu = Dude
• Kooruketta = Without sharpness of mind
• Yennala Panutha = What are you doing dude?
• Yabla = Feminine of Yela - Used to Call a girl (Without respect)
• Aveyn Cholludhamle = He says (Without respect)
• Naa Cholludhamla = I am telling you (Without respect)
• Payaluva = Boys
• Podusu = Little one (Child)
• Payavulla = Fellow (akin to 'Homie')/ Son of (Eg: Pya Payavulla means Son of a Demon)
• Pileyl = Girls
• Pottachi = A girl (without respect)
• Avanuvol, Ivanuvol = Those guys, These guys
• Penjathi/ Ponjathi = Wife
• Engana? = Where?
• Inganakula = Nearby
• Anganakula = Within there
• Nikki = (something is) waiting / standing
• Pidikki = to like, (something is) holding
• Vaaren = I'm coming
• ...pla = it seems - used as a suffice to personal verbs (Eg.) Vanthapla = He/She came it seems, Chonnapla = He/She told it seems.
• Choli = Work
• Choliyatthu = without any work
• Andhaanikku = So
• Kalavaani = Thief
• Aviya/ Avuha, Iviya/ Ivuha = Him (respectful form - III-person Singular), They (also used for III-person plural)
• Thoraval = Key
• Pydha = Type/ Wheel
• Payya = Slowly
• Anthaala = Like wise(Appadiye)
• Kaangala = Not found(Kaanum)
• Thaai = younger sister(thangachi)
• Osaka = above (at a higher place)
• Yekka= Elder Sister
• Kottikaren = Fool
• Vaariyal = Sweeper
• Anney = Elder Brother
• Atthaan/ Machaan = Brother in law, Cousin Brother
• Anni/ Maini/ Mathini = Sister in law (Wife's elder Sister/ Elder brother's wife), Cousin Sister
• Maini= Sister in Law (Wife's elder Sister) in some cases maternal uncle's elder daughter
• Kolunthiya = Sister in Law (Husband's younger sister)d
• Machi/ Mottamaadi = Terrace
• Nadumatthi = Exact center
• Appadi podu aruvala! = Attaboy! (Lit. Put your machete like that!)
• Adichan gosu! = What a response!

Movies featuring Nellai Tamil

Nellai Tamil has been used in a number of Tamil movies. Some of them are Seevalaperi Pandi, Dum Dum Dum, Saamy, Ayya, Kovil, Thamiraparani, Roja, Thirunelveli, Kushi, Sillunu Oru Kadhal, Raman Thediya Seethai, Pidichirukku, Shankhar Ooru Rajapalayam, Kannum Kannum, Unakkum Enakkum Something Something, Dasavatharam, Seval, Thoothukudi, Veeramum Eeramum, Gentleman, Anniyan, Saadhu, Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naatthu, Punnagai Mannan, Velai Kidaichiruchu, Thanneer Thanneer, Angadi Theru, Kadal, Osthee, Singam 1, Singam 2, Singam 3, Bhairava (Vijay Film), Asuran (Dhanush Film)

Kamal Haasan's 2015 movie Papanasam, a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam, also features Nellai Tamil.

References

Bibliography

• A. Kāmāṭcinātan̲ (1969). The Tirunelvēli Tamil dialect. Annamalai University.

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