Macbool Alimmohamed Nuhman (born 10 August 1944) is a Sri Lankan linguist and academic. He is a poet, literary critic and translator and has published numerous books.

Early life

Nuhman was born on 10 August 1944 in Kalmunai in south eastern Ceylon.[1][2] He was educated at Wesley High School in Kalmunai.[2]

Career

After school Nuhman taught in Periya Kinniya before receiving training at Addalaichenai Teachers Training College.[1] He then taught in Polonnaruwa District and Kalmunai.[1] He joined the University of Ceylon, Colombo in 1971, graduating from the University of Sri Lanka in 1973 with a BA and BPhil degree in linguistics.[1][3]

Nuhman was a lecturer in Tamil and linguistics at the University of Sri Lanka Jaffna campus, and its successor the University of Jaffna, from 1976 to 1990.[4] He received a MA degree from the University of Jaffna in 1982 after producing a thesis on Tamil wordage of Muslims in the Batticaloa region.[1][3] He received a Ph.D. degree from Annamalai University after producing a research paper titled A Contrastive Study of the Structure of the Noun Phrase in Tamil and Sinhala.[1][4]

Nuhman joined the University of Peradeniya as a senior lecturer in 1991 and in 2001 he was promoted to professor of Tamil.[1][2] He was visiting professor in linguistics at Tamil University in Thanjavur.[1] He was also a visiting professor at the University of Malaya and the SIM University.[1][3][4] He was an academic consultant for the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka and the Open University of Sri Lanka.[1][4] He retired in 2009.[1][3]

Nuhman was a member of the board of directors of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.[3] He was a member of the Official Language Commission and the academic board of the National Institute of Language Education and Training.[3] He was a member of the advisory board of the University of Colombo's Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies.[3] He is a member of the advisory board of the Noolaham Foundation.[4]

Works

Nuhman has published more than 30 books including:

• தாத்தாமாரும் பேரர்களும் (Grandparents and Grandsons) (Readers Association, 1977)
• இருபதாம் நூற்றாண்டு ஈழத்துத் தமிழ் இலக்கியம் (Twentieth Century Eelam Tamil Literature) (Readers Association, 1979; co-authors C. Maunakuru and Chitralekha Maunaguru)
• பலஸ்தீனக் கவிதைகள் (Palestinian Poems) (Readers Association, 1981)
• அழியா நிழல்கள் (Immortal Shadows) (Narmada Publishing, 1982)
• மழை நாட்கள் வரும் (Rainy Days are Coming) (Annam, 1983)[1]
• பதினொரு ஈழத்துக் கவிஞர்கள் (Eleven Eelam Poets) (Kalachuvadu, 1984; co-editor A. Yesurasa)[1]
• பாரதியின் மொழிச் சிந்தனைகள்: ஒரு மொழியியல் நோக்கு (Bharathi's Language Ideas: A Linguistic Perspective) (University of Jaffna, 1984)
• திறனாய்வுக் கட்டுரைகள் (Review Articles) (Annam, 1985)
• மார்க்சியமும் இலக்கியத் திறனாய்வும் (Marxism and Literary Criticism) (1985)[4]
• Communication, Language and Modernization (1993)[4]
• அடிப்படைத் தமிழ் இலக்கணம் (Basic Tamil Grammar) (Readers Association, 1999)[1]
• மஹாகவியின் மூன்று நாடகங்கள் (Mahakavi's Three Plays) (National Art Literary Council, 2000)
• ஆரம்ப இடைநிலை வகுப்புகளில் தமிழ் மொழி கற்பித்தல் (Teaching Tamil Language in Early Intermediate Classes) (Colombo Tamil Association, 2002)
• Lankan Mosaic: Translation of Sinhala and Tamil Short Stories (Colombo, Three Wheeler Press, 2002; co-editors Ashley Halpe, Ranjini Obeyesekere)[4]
• A Contrastive Grammar of Tamil and Sinhala Noun Phrase (University of Peradeniya, 2003; ISBN 9789555890595)[4]
• Understanding Sri Lankan Muslim Identity (International Centre for Ethnic Studies, 2004)
• மொழியும் இலக்கியமும் (Language and Literature) (Kalachuvadu, 2006)[1][4]
• Sri Lankan Muslims: Ethnic Identity within Cultural Diversity (International Centre for Ethnic Studies, 2007; ISBN 9789555801096)[4]
• Lost Evenings, Lost Lives: Tamil Poets from Sri Lanka's War (Arc Publications, 2015; co-authors V. I. S. Cheran and V. I. S. Jayapalan; ISBN 9781904614999)

References