Tatsama
Encyclopedia
Tatsama are Sanskrit
loanword
s in modern Indic languages like Bengali
, Marathi
, Hindi
, Gujarati
, Sinhala and Central Dravidian language Telugu
. They belong to a higher and more erudite register
than common word
s. That register can be compared to the use of words of Greek origin in English (e.g. hubris).
is traced to tenth century poet
s, who felt that the colloquial language
was not suitable for their expressive needs. Another wave of tatsama entered then Bangla language by Sanskrit
scholars teaching at Fort William College
in Calcutta at the beginning of the 19th century. The textbook
s used in these courses paved the way for more tatsama words entering common usage.
Literate Bengali contains about 70% tatsama as of today, whereas the colloquial language contains about 40%.
The writers Ramram Basu
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Mrityunjay Vidyalankar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt
and Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay brought a large number of tatsama words into Bengali. This led some critics to accuse them of Sanskritisation
of the language.
Tatsama words in Bengali use which retain their Sanskrit pronunciation are called samochcharita, while those with a differing pronunciation are called asamochcharita.
s of Sanskrit or Pali
terms. Tatsama in Sinhala can be identified by their ending exclusively in -ya or -va, whereas native Sinhala words tend to show a greater array of endings. Many scientific concepts make use of tatsama, for instance grahaņaya 'eclipse', but they are also found for more everyday concepts.
Telugu is composed of approximately sixty percent Tatsama and Tadbhava words with origin in Sanskrit.
Metrical poetry
in Telugu ('Chandassu') uses meters such as Utpalamala, Champakamala, Mattebham, Sardoola, Sragdhara, Bhujangaprayata etc.. which are pure sanskrit meters.
Telugu has many Tatsama words. They are called Prakriti which are equivalent to Sanskrit words. The equivalent colloquial words are called Vikrutis. Vikruti means distorted. However Prakriti is only used as medium of instruction in educational institutions, offices etc.
For example:
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s in modern Indic languages like Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Sinhala and Central Dravidian language Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. They belong to a higher and more erudite register
Register (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
than common word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
s. That register can be compared to the use of words of Greek origin in English (e.g. hubris).
Tatsama in Bengali
The origin of tatsama (tôtshôm) in BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
is traced to tenth century poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s, who felt that the colloquial language
Colloquial language
Colloquial language, especially in philosophy of language, is natural language which, among other properties, uses colloquialisms. In the field of logical atomism, meaning is evaluated differently than with more formal propositions.-See also:...
was not suitable for their expressive needs. Another wave of tatsama entered then Bangla language by Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholars teaching at Fort William College
Fort William College
Fort William College was an academy and learning centre of Oriental studies established by Lord Wellesley, then Governor-General of British India. It was founded on July 10, 1800 within the Fort William complex in Calcutta...
in Calcutta at the beginning of the 19th century. The textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s used in these courses paved the way for more tatsama words entering common usage.
Literate Bengali contains about 70% tatsama as of today, whereas the colloquial language contains about 40%.
The writers Ramram Basu
Ramram Basu
Ramram Basu was a notable early scholar and translator of the Bengali language , and credited with writing the first original work of Bangla prose written by a Bengali....
, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Mrityunjay Vidyalankar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt or Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagardari , on the bank of Kopotaksho [কপোতাক্ষ] River, a village in Keshobpur Upozila, Jessore District, East Bengal . His father was Rajnarayan Dutt, an eminent lawyer, and...
and Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay brought a large number of tatsama words into Bengali. This led some critics to accuse them of Sanskritisation
Sanskritisation
Sanskritization or Sanskritisation is a particular form of social change found in India and Nepal. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to...
of the language.
Tatsama words in Bengali use which retain their Sanskrit pronunciation are called samochcharita, while those with a differing pronunciation are called asamochcharita.
Tatsama in Sinhala
The way the tatsama entered the Sinhala language is comparable to what we find in Bangla: they are scholarly borrowingLoanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s of Sanskrit or Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
terms. Tatsama in Sinhala can be identified by their ending exclusively in -ya or -va, whereas native Sinhala words tend to show a greater array of endings. Many scientific concepts make use of tatsama, for instance grahaņaya 'eclipse', but they are also found for more everyday concepts.
Tatsama in Telugu
Sanskrit influenced Telugu of Andhras for about 500 years. During 1000-1100 AD, Nannaya's Telugu in Mahabharata, Telugu in several inscriptions, Telugu in poetry reestablished its roots and dominated over the royal language, Sanskrit. Telugu absorbed the Tatsamas from Sanskrit.Telugu is composed of approximately sixty percent Tatsama and Tadbhava words with origin in Sanskrit.
Metrical poetry
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
in Telugu ('Chandassu') uses meters such as Utpalamala, Champakamala, Mattebham, Sardoola, Sragdhara, Bhujangaprayata etc.. which are pure sanskrit meters.
Telugu has many Tatsama words. They are called Prakriti which are equivalent to Sanskrit words. The equivalent colloquial words are called Vikrutis. Vikruti means distorted. However Prakriti is only used as medium of instruction in educational institutions, offices etc.
For example:
- Bhojanam is Prakriti (the noun form of food) and Bonam for Vikruti.
- Arya (Sir) is Prakriti and Ayya is Vikriti.
- Vidya (Education) is Prakriti and Vidde is Vikriti.
- Rakshasi (Evil) is Prakriti and Rakkasi is Vikriti.