EVOLUTION OF KANNADA
The evolutions of Kannada prose as a spoken language
and as a literary language have run parallel courses and it is not fair to
arrive at conclusions about one on the basis of observations done in another.
However one is left with with little option because the available evidences are
essentially literary. Even the inscriptions have taken recourse to a standard
variety of the language. No doubt literary texts contain evidences in the form
of conversations. But there is a time interval that elapses before the spoken
variety is given the status of literary variety and even there the adaptation
is within the frame work of literary art. The fact that poetry was the preferred
mode of communication in most literary texts makes the problem more acute. Hence a scholar has to indulge in lots of
speculation.
The usual practice of tracing the evolution of Kannada from
‘Ancient old Kannada’ (pUrvada haLagannaDa), ‘Old Kannada’ (haLgannaDa),
‘Medieval Kannada’ (naDugannaDa) and ‘Modern Kannada’ (hosagannaDa) is based on
an analysis of the written texts available in Kannada. (Including the
inscriptions) This hinges on many assumptions. Firstly the poets might have
preferred a particular variety of the language as against others. This could be
true both in terms of both social dialects and geographical dilects. Some other
poets might have chosen another variety that might have prevailed earlier also.
For instance the prose dialect used by Devanuru Mahadeva a contemporary dalit
poet was in use for centuries. However it was selected for literary use only in
the third quarter of the twentieth century. Therefore, it is inappropriate to
arrive at a conclusion about the antiquity of a particular variety based on its
literary use. The selections made by poets such as Basavanna and Rudrabhatta do
not throw any light on the antiquity of either ‘Halagannada’ or
‘Nadugannada’
Another method that is usually adapted is the comparative method.
This method traces the history of the language in two stages. The first stage
is to delineate the descent of Kannada from an imagined ‘Proto Dravidian’ (ªÀÄÆ® zÁæ«qÀ) language. Here we compare Kannada with its cognate
languages in the Dravidian family and travel backwards to get at a proto form.
From that point we move downwards to an imaginary ‘Proto Kannada’ language.
From Kannada one moves towards the number of geographical dialects that are in
use now. Hence unbroken lineage from the ‘Proto Dravidian’ right up to the
concurrent forms is created. Comparative method studies various phonological
and morphological changes that have taken place over a period of time.
Scholars such as
R.Narasimhachar, (1924) B.M.Srikantaiah and T.S.Venkannaiah (1936),
P.G.Kulakarni (1957) and K.M.Krishna Rao (1968) have adapted the earlier method
of comparing the literary texts. They have created categories such as pUrvada
halagannaDa, haLagannaDa, naDugannaDa and hosagannaDa. Geographically they
speak of the southern dialect and northern dialect paying scant attention to
the dialects used in coastal Karnataka. The preferences of writers are socio
political they hardly reflect their contemporary realities.
The comparative method suffers from the lack of raw data and one
has to delve deep in to the resources that are latent. This is an attempt that
should be undertaken by a multilingual team. However Shankara Bhat D.N. has
provided a tentative route map in his recent writings. According to him Proto
Kannada has descended from the
It is possible to look at the
situation from another point of view also. According to this theory propounded
by K.V.Narayana, a standard variety emerges from a merger of many small modules
rather than the other way round. This involves the policy of retention and
relinquishments depending upon social and political factors.
References:
1.
‘History
of Kannada Language’, R.Narasimhachar, 1924.
2.
‘Kannada
Kaipidi’ by B.M.Srikantaiah and T.S.Venkannaiah (Relevant sections) 1936.
3.
‘Kannada
Bhasheya Charitre’ by Pra.Go. Kulakarni, 1957
4.
‘Kannada
Bhasheya Svaroopa’ K.M.Krishna Rao, 1968.
5.
Kannada
Bhasheya Kalpitha Charitre’, D.N.Shankara Bhat, 1995.
6. ‘Kannada Jagattu: Ardha
Shatamana’, K.V.Narayana, 2007,
Links: 1. [PDF] 1 An apparent sprinkling of Altaic words in a Dravidian language ...