Tirunelveli Tamil


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, Kanyakumari and some parts of Virudhunagar 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 Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Tuticorin, some parts of Ramanathapuram, Virudunagar Districts.It differs substantially from Madurai Tamil

Features

The Tirunelveli Tamil Dialect has on the whole 41 phonemes of which 31 are segmental and the remaining 10 are suprasegmental.
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.

Regions of Nellai Tamil

Peculiar Nellai Tamil Words/ Phrases

  • அன்னாச்சி = Used to call a person of respect
  • எப்படி இருக்கீய? = How are you?
  • சுவம் = wellness
  • சுவமா இருக்கியாலா? = Are you doing well?, Are you in good health?
  • சுவம்தானா? = Are you doing well?
  • தூரமா? = 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
  • Aveyn Cholludhamle = He says
  • Naa Cholludhamla = I am telling you
  • Payaluva = Boys
  • Podusu = Little one
  • Payavulla = Fellow / Son of
  • Pileyl = Girls
  • Pottachi = A girl
  • Avanuvol, Ivanuvol = Those guys, These guys
  • Penjathi/ Ponjathi = Wife
  • Engana? = Where?
  • Inganakula = Nearby
  • Anganakula = Within there
  • Nikki = waiting / standing
  • Pidikki = to like, holding
  • Vaaren = I'm coming
  • ...pla = it seems - used as a suffice to personal verbs Vanthapla = He/she came, Chonnapla = He/She told
  • Choli = Work
  • Choliyatthu = Without any work
  • Andhaanikku = So
  • Kalavaani = Thief
  • Aviya/ Avuha, Iviya/ Ivuha = Him, They
  • Thoraval = Key
  • Pydha = Type/ Wheel
  • Payya = Slowly
  • Anthaala = Likewise
  • Kaangala = Not found
  • Thaai = Younger sister
  • Osaka = Above
  • Yekka= Elder Sister
  • Kottikaren = Fool
  • Vaariyal = Sweeper
  • Anney = Elder Brother
  • Atthaan/ Machaan = Brother-in-law, cousin brother
  • Anni/ Maini/ Mathini = Sister-in-law, cousin sister
  • Maini= Sister-in-law in some cases maternal uncle's elder daughter
  • Kolunthiya = Sister-in-law
  • Machi/ Mottamaadi = Terrace
  • Nadumatthi = Exact centre
  • Appadi podu aruvala! = Attaboy!
  • 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,
Asuran,
Attagasam
Kamal Haasan's 2015 movie Papanasam, a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam, also features Nellai Tamil.