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 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 Virudunagar Districts.It differs substantially from Madurai Tamil
Features
The Tirunelveli Tamil Dialect (TTD) 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
Tirunelveli
Sankarankovil
Palayamkottai
Tuticorin
Kovilpatti
Melapalayam
Sriviliputhur
Cheranmahadevi
Poovankurichi
Sivagiri
Tenkasi
Rajapalayam
Sivakasi
Srivilliputhur
Eruvadi
Vasudevanallur
Kalakkad
Ilanji
Sambavar vadakarai
Surandai
Panpoli
Vadakarai
Ambasamudram
Kallidaikurichi
Uppuvaniamuthur
Kadayam
Alangulam
Thiruchendur
Manadu
Ezuvaraimukki
Srivaikundam
Nazareth
Udangudi
Thisayanvilai
Kuttam
Nanguneri
Kanganankulam
Kadayanallur
Radhapuram
Sathankulam
Valliyur
Panagudi
Pavoorchatram
Thippanampatty
Sengottai
Sivanadanoor
Kurumbalaperi
Puliyankudi
Vickramasingapuram
Papanasam
Kadayanallur
Kazhugumalai
Uvari
Peikulam
Melaseval
Pattamadai
Aruppukottai
Peculiar Nellai Tamil Words/ Phrases
அன்னாச்சி (aṉṉācci) = Used to call a person of respect
எப்படி இருக்கீயா? (yĕppaḍi irukkīyā) = How are you? (with respect)
சுவம் (cuvam) = wellness (from சுகம்; சுவம், சோம் forms are found in other dialects)
சுவமா இருக்கியாலா? (cuvamā irukkiyālā) = Are you doing well? , Are you in good health? (with respect)
சுவம்தானா? (cuvamtānā) = Are you doing well?
தூரமா? (tūramā) = 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 (without respect)
Aveyn Cholludhamle = He says (without respect)
Naa Cholludhamla = I am telling you (without respect)
Payaluva = Boys
Podusu = Little one (child)
Payavulla = Fellow (akin to 'homie')/ Son of (e.g.: Pya Payavulla means Son of a Demon)
Pileyl = Girls
Pottachi = A girl (without respect)
Avanuvol, Ivanuvol = Those guys, These guys
Penjathi/ Ponjathi = Wife
Engana? = Where?
Inganakula = Nearby
Anganakula = Within there
Nikki = (something is) waiting / standing
Pidikki = to like, (something is) holding
Vaaren = I'm coming
...pla = it seems - used as a suffice to personal verbs (e.g.) Vanthapla = He/she came, Chonnapla = He/She told
Choli = Work
Choliyatthu = Without any work
Andhaanikku = So
Kalavaani = Thief
Aviya/ Avuha, Iviya/ Ivuha = Him (respectful form - third person singular), They (also used for third person plural)
Appadi podu aruvala! = Attaboy! (Lit. Put your machete like that!)
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 (Vijay Film),
Asuran (Dhanush Film),
Attagasam
Kamal Haasan's 2015 movie Papanasam, a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam, also features Nellai Tamil.
References
Bibliography
A. Kāmāṭcinātan̲ (1969). The Tirunelvēli Tamil dialect. Annamalai University.