Question

Which is a work of Tamil Grammar that is said to be the earliest extant work of Tamil Literature?
A. Tolkappiyam
B. Patinenmelkanakku
C. Patinenkikanakku
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: By studying the syllables, it classifies the alphabet into consonants and vowels. It grammars the use of vocabulary and syntax and transitions to higher language processing modes. Thirty phonemes and three dependent sounds were devised for Tamil.

Complete answer:
The oldest Tamil literature in life is Tolkappiyam. It is a treatise on grammar.
It is written in the form of brief formulaic compositions and consists of three books: the Ezhuttadikaram, the Solladikaram, and the Poruladikaram. Each of these books is broken into nine chapters. While the exact date of the work, based on linguistic and other evidence, is not known, it was dated between the third century BCE and the 5th century CE in different forms. Few contemporary historians tend to date it in parts or layers, not as a single body. Tolkappiyam is concerned with orthography, phonology, grammar, syntax, prosody, and literary topics. The Tamil language is graded by the Tolkappiyam as sentinel and koduntamil. The former refers almost entirely to the classical Tamil used in literary works and the latter refers to the dialectal Tamil spoken by the people in the different regions of ancient Tamilagamam. Sometimes, Sangam's Ettuthogai anthology is also known as Tamizh's oldest living literature, since Tolkappiam is a 'text' grammar. Between these eight Ettuthogai novels, it is very difficult to date as there is no proper evidence. Some methods are used to date old Tamizh literature, such as Gajabahu synchronization and the names of Tamizh kings referred to in the texts, but there is still space for mistakes.

So, the correct answer is Option (A).

Note: Tolkappiyam is Tamil Literature and linguists' earliest existing work. The fusion of two terms 'Tonmai (antiquity) and' kappiyam '(literature) resulted from Tolkappiyam. Three books are included—the Ezhuttadikaram, the Solladikaram, and the Poruladikaram. It grammars the use of vocabulary and syntax and shifts to the higher study mode of expression.