A Grammar of the Telugu Language

1840·25.2 MB·English

by  Brown, Charles Philip, 1798-1884

THE
GRAMMAR
OF THE
TELUGULANGUAGE

THE
GRAMMAR
OF THE
TELUGULANGUAGE
CHARLES PHILIP BROWN
SECOND EDITION
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NEW DELHI • CHENNAI • 2006
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PREFACE.
The English Government of Madras extends over various IlimKi
nations, each of which has its peculiar language. At the date of
the Musulman invasion, eiglijt centuries ago, while Canute ruled
Britain, the Telugu, Karnataca (Carnatic), and Tamil countries
were ruled by “Karnataca Razulu,” Kings of the Carnatic, who
took the title Tribhuvana Chacravarti (or Trailokya Malla), as
“ Lords of the Three Realms/’ in which these three languages
were spoken. The last of these princes, named Betteda Raya,
quitted the Jaina sect, and becoming a worshipper of Vishnu
(in A.D. MCXI., about the time of Henry the First of England),
took the title Betteda Vishnu Vardhana. He patronized the
Bramhans, and in his days the first part of the Mahabharat
(their sacred book) was translated from Sanscrit into Kannadi,
Telugu, and Tamil metre. That work is to this day read in every
village throughout the country. The earliest poems and philo¬
logical treatises (now somewhat antiquated) are believed to have
been written in the days of this raja. Actuated by a zeal for their
hierarchy, the Bramhans of former ages translated this ‘‘Iliad
of India,” and also the Ramayan and Bhagavat, into every
language.
About the time when, in England, Queen Elizabeth’s reign
began, the Telugus were ruled by Krishna Rayalu, who patro¬
nized literature ; and the most eminent of the poets have sung his
praises. But the Musulman power had gradually increased until
about A.D. 1580, when the Telugus were finally conquered. From
that time the languages of the three countries became more and
more infested with foreign words ; the literature was, as far as
possible, crushed ; and yet to this day every work of merit sur¬
vives: these may be seen in a library which I collected, and pre¬
sented to the Literary Society cf Madras, 'it will, I hope, long
remain in the College Library, although; while I write, the College
has been dissolved.
C. P. Brown's Telugu Grammar; Second Edition.
4I I• PREFACE.
The Musulman rulers strove to make their subjects learn Per¬
sian and Hindustani, but with little success: and the few
Hindhs who managed to learn Hindustani (which they never could
pronounce aright) altered its syntax, and hence arose the lan¬
guage called Dakhini, which gives the words a peculiar arrange¬
ment.
Each language of Southern India has (like English) a poetical
dialect, which uses the entire vocabulary ; and a colloquial style,
which requires only about one-fourth of the phrases. Some have
fancied that the poets use a separate vocabulary ; but this is not
the case. To exemplify this in English : the words u Horse,
courser, steed, nag, palfrey, hunter, pony, barb, jade, hack, bay,
roan, grey”—“To think, reflect, consider, ponder, muse,weigh”
— are all one; but the Hindu, understanding the first word alone,
may fancy the rest obsolete, merely because they arc not used in
ordinary life.
While the language used in the poets is uniform, local dialects of
Telugn vary ; and we may be able to speak that of Kadapa, while
unable to understand that of Rnja-mahendra-varam, or CondapiUi,
or Visakha-patnam. But, for the purposes of mere tuition, now
that the u Reader” is printed, a native of any part of the Telugu
country will suffice for a tutor: indeed at Chittoor, and even at
Tanjaur and Trichinapali, in the heartof the Tamil country, I met
with Telugu brarnhans who were excellent assistants. But, while
voung in the study, we should, as soon as possible, get rid of a
tutor who can speak English : such a munshi is apt to neglect
teaching, while he eagerly learns English from his pupil. In
hirino- servants, also, though such as talk English abound, we
should early obtain such as will speak to us in Telugu. After we
speak the language correctly, it is an indulgence to those around
us to converse with them in English, for this benefits them.
Hindh grammarians, like those of China, neglect the colloquial
dialect, which they suppose is already known to the student, and
teach only the poetical peculiarities. They are willing to aid our
studies, either in Telugu poetry or in Sanscrit; they are reluctant
to teach us the language of common business : but unless vie fiist
surmount this, the lowest step (which natives attain untaught)
how can we climb to the highest ? A shrewd critic has obser\ cu.