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Etymology & Proto-Dravidian
Proto-Dravidian Number Reconstruction (personal notes, Jan 5, 2024) Personal etymological reconstruction of Kannada numerals from Proto-Dravidian roots — tracing how the Proto-Dravidian forms (oṇṟu, iraṇṭu, mūṇṭu, etc.) evolved into modern Kannada (ondu, eraḍu, mūru) through regular sound changes. The derived forms (ombattu = 9 = one + ten, ippattu = 20 = two + ten) reveal the decimal arithmetic structure of the original system.
ಒಣ್ರ್ -> ಒಣ್ಣ್/ಒಂದು (ಒಣ್/ಒರ್)
ಇರೆಂಡ್ರ್ -> ರೆಂಡ್/ಎರಡು (ಇರ್)
ಮೂಣ್ರ್ -> ಮೂಣ್/ಮೂರು (ಮೂರ್)
ನಾಳ್ರ್ -> ನಾಲ್/ನಾಲಕ್ಕು (ನಾಲ್)
ಚಯ್ಮ್ -> ಅಂಜ್/ಐದು (ಐ)
ಪತ್ತ್ -> ಪತ್ತ್/ಹತ್ತು (ಪತ್/ಹತ್)
ಒಣ್ + ಪತ್ತ್ -> ಒಂಬತ್ತು
ಇರ್ + ಪತ್ತ್ -> ಇರ್ಪತ್ತ್ -> ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು
ybharath77: ‘India’ From ‘Sindhu’ From Proto-Dravidian ‘cīntu’ (Date Palm Tree) An etymology tweet arguing that the Proto-Dravidian word cīntu (date palm, related to the Indus Valley region’s date palm trade) may be the ultimate root of the river name Sindhu and hence the derived terms Hindu, Indus, and India — a hypothesis that would give the subcontinent’s name a Dravidian rather than Sanskrit etymology.
ybharath77: Mysuru From ‘erumai nāṭu’ → Mahiṣa Maṇḍala A tweet chain tracing the etymology of “Mysuru” (Mysore) — arguing that the name derives from Proto-Dravidian erumai (buffalo/water buffalo country, nāṭu = land), which was Sanskritized to Mahiṣa Maṇḍala (buffalo kingdom), contracted to Mysor/Mysuru. The Akananūṟu (ancient Tamil Sangam poetry) is cited as early textual evidence.
ybharath77: Atman According to Various Indian Philosophies A tweet elaborating the different philosophical interpretations of ātman (soul/self) across Advaita Vedanta (universal self = Brahman), Dvaita (individual self distinct from God), Jainism (individual souls distinct and eternal), and Buddhism (anatta — no-self). The comparative framework shows how the same Sanskrit term carries different semantic weight across traditions.
ybharath77: Tungabhadra = ಕಿಱುದೊಱೆ (Little River) in Yevur Inscription A tweet identifying the name “Tungabhadra” in an inscription at Yevur (Karnataka) as equivalent to a native Kannada description kiṟudoṟe — “little/small river” — a remarkable example of bilingual inscription evidence that illuminates how Sanskrit river names were translated into functional Kannada descriptions in administrative contexts.
ybharath77: Kannada Words for LOVE — ಒಲವು, ಅಕ್ಕರೆ, ನಲ್ಮೆ, etc. A tweet cataloging native Kannada vocabulary for different nuances of love and affection — olavu (affection/desire), akkare (tender care), nalme (goodwill/fondness) — each with slightly different connotations that the Sanskrit loanword prema does not capture. A demonstration of the richness of native Dravidian emotional vocabulary.
द्विज = ಇರ್ವುಟ್ಟಿದವನು/ಳು (note) A personal note on how the Sanskrit concept dvija (“twice-born,” the term for upper-caste initiated men in the varna system) can be rendered in pure Kannada as irvuṭṭidavanu/ḷu — using the native Kannada numeral root ir- (two) plus uṭṭida (born) plus the gender suffix. An exercise in expressing Sanskrit-origin caste concepts through Dravidian word formation.
Rickshaw Etymology (etymonline.com) The etymology of “rickshaw” — from Japanese jinrikisha (person-power-vehicle), itself likely constructed from Chinese morphemes — included here as an example of how vehicle names travel globally through commercial and colonial networks, with jina potentially connecting to Jain or other Indian cultural imports to Japan. https://www.etymonline.com/
Pearl Etymology (etymonline.com) The etymology of “pearl” — traced through Old French perle and Medieval Latin perla to uncertain origins, with possible Dravidian or Persian connections given the ancient Indian pearl trade. The pearl trade between South India (Gulf of Mannar) and the Mediterranean was one of the most significant luxury trade routes of the ancient world. https://www.etymonline.com/
ಪರಲ್ Wiktionary Entry The Wiktionary entry for Kannada paral — likely a loanword from Sanskrit pravāla or possibly a Dravidian cognate of Tamil paval (coral/pearl) — documenting the native Kannada word for coral/pearl alongside its Dravidian etymology and usage examples. https://en.wiktionary.org/
Sundar (@oligoglot): ಕೇರೆಹಾವು — Not a Lake Reference, But a Cognate of Tamil சாரை A tweet by computational linguist Sundar correcting a popular folk etymology: kērehavvu (rat snake in Kannada) is not derived from kere (lake) + hāvu (snake), but is cognate with Tamil cārai (rat snake) — demonstrating how folk etymologies can mislead and why comparative Dravidian linguistics is essential for understanding native vocabulary. https://x.com/oligoglot/status/1805412389619482947