Tamil Study Group

[vijayjohn]

I'm going to go ahead and create this for Tamil.

There are a few people here who have some interest in Tamil (including at least one heritage speaker) plus at least one native speaker. I propose using Tamil Language in Context as a learning resource for this study group. I say this hesitantly only because our heritage speaker has been studying Sri Lankan Tamil, and I'm pretty sure TLC ( = Tamil Language in Context, not Tender Loving Care. Although it is a course that's nice enough to be similar to Tender Loving Care! ) uses Madurai Tamil, so I'm a little worried that could be a source of confusion. Fortunately, it always teaches Centhamil alongside Madurai Tamil, so if we're using this, let's just keep in mind that this doesn't necessarily use the variety of Tamil you may be personally interested in (or have been learning)!

Update 10/15/2018: dEhiN and I have decided to switch over to தமிழ் பாடநூல் instead.

We can also use this as a comparative study thread. I myself intend on using this as an opportunity for comparing Tamil to Malayalam (I've already made these kinds of comparisons before anyway ).

Any thoughts? Does this sound like an okay idea?

Weekly Assignments (beginning June 20):
Due June 27: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Dialogues 1 & 2 and Exercises 1 & 2)
Due July 7: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Dialogues 3 & 4)
Due July 14 (moved to July 28): Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Reading 1)
Due August 4: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Exercises 3 & 4)
Due August 11: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (UPDATE: Dialogue 5)
Due August 18 (moved to August 19 ): Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Dialogue 6)
Due August 25: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Exercises 5 & 6)
Due September 1: Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction (Reading 2, Diagnostic Test, and Conversations)
Due September 8: Year 1, Unit 2, Invitation, Hospitality, and Reception (Dialogue 1)
Completed by September 24: Year 1, Unit 2, Invitation, Hospitality, and Reception (Dialogue 2)
Due September 29: Year 1, Unit 2, Invitation, Hospitality, and Reception (EDIT: Exercise 3)
Due October 6: Year 1, Unit 2, Invitation, Hospitality, and Reception (Exercise 4)
Due October 20: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Intro 3-4
Due October 27 (moved to November 3): தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lessons 1-6
Due November 10: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 7
Due November 17: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 8
Due November 24: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 9
Due December 1: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 10
Due December 8: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 11
Due December 22: தமிழ் பாடநூல் Lesson 12 (CANCELLED)
Update (January 13, 2019): This study group is currently dead/inactive/hibernating/choose your word of choice ( ) until further notice.

[księżycowy]

Why did you do this, Vijay? Why?

[vijayjohn]

Am I tempting you?

[księżycowy]

YES! AND IT'S NOT OK!

[vijayjohn]

You know this is my forum, right?

[księżycowy]

So? That still doesn't make it ok!

[rmanoj]

Sure, I'm in.
Do you mean the Tamil Language in Context book or the website? Not sure I'd be able to get hold of the former.

[księżycowy]

I'd love to say I'm in as well, but I'll have to just follow this thread for now and maybe join eventually.

[vijayjohn]

Sure, I'm in.

மகிழ்ச்சி!
Or however Tamils say "yay!"

Do you mean the Tamil Language in Context book or the website? Not sure I'd be able to get hold of the former.

The website. I don't have the book, either.

[księżycowy]

It's about 45$ on Amazon (look under the "1 New from" tab and the seller should be Thetamillanguage.com, the publisher of the book), for those who want a (new) copy of the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Tamil-Language-C ... 0615533477

[vijayjohn]

Thanks! But I'll stick with the online version for now lol

[dEhiN]

OMG!!

Thanks for starting this! Yeah I like the idea of using the website. Does the website teach centhamizh as well?

As for learning the Madurai dialect, I wouldn't necessarily mind, at least in terms of understanding. My problem (I assume I'm the heritage speaker you speak of ) is more not knowing basic grammar and vocabulary. I would say my ability is A1 or grade 1 (in a school setting).

I do have 563 Tamil cards in my Anki deck. I could export them and post them here. They're a mix of vocab, including some not-so-basic vocabulary, grammar points and sentences. If you guys want, we could go through them together.

Also, who's the native speaker?

[vijayjohn]

OMG!!

Thanks for starting this! Yeah I like the idea of using the website.

Np.

Does the website teach centhamizh as well?

Yes:

Fortunately, it always teaches Centhamil alongside Madurai Tamil

I assume I'm the heritage speaker you speak of

Yes.

I do have 563 Tamil cards in my Anki deck. I could export them and post them here. They're a mix of vocab, including some not-so-basic vocabulary, grammar points and sentences. If you guys want, we could go through them together.

How do people go through Anki cards together? You mean study them together?

I think we're all kind of at different levels of proficiency. You know some Tamil, I know some more, rmanoj knows more than me, and then we have at least one native speaker. Plus we have at least one person who has learned some Tamil before but who I don't necessarily expect to get back into it anytime soon, and maybe some other people who are interested but don't actually know any yet like księżycowy.

Also, who's the native speaker?

The last person who replied on your personal thread in this forum!

Here's the website btw: http://www.southasia.sas.upenn.edu/tamil/index.html.

One thing that sucks about it, though, is that its videos use QuickTime...or at least that sucks for me. But I can still work with it and watch them through Google Chromium. If you want, I can even send the URLs for each video as you need it.

[dEhiN]

How do people go through Anki cards together? You mean study them together?

I think we're all kind of at different levels of proficiency. You know some Tamil, I know some more, rmanoj knows more than me, and then we have at least one native speaker. Plus we have at least one person who has learned some Tamil before but who I don't necessarily expect to get back into it anytime soon, and maybe some other people who are interested but don't actually know any yet like księżycowy.

Yeah, I was thinking that if I posted them here, then we would all be on the same page in terms of vocabulary and grammar. But it's not necessary.

The last person who replied on your personal thread in this forum!

Speaking of, I totally forgot to respond to their reply!

Here's the website btw: http://www.southasia.sas.upenn.edu/tamil/index.html.

One thing that sucks about it, though, is that its videos use QuickTime...or at least that sucks for me. But I can still work with it and watch them through Google Chromium. If you want, I can even send the URLs for each video as you need it.

So how do we begin? Should we go through the links on the left-hand side, or the Year 1 and 2 materials (found here)? If the materials on the left-hand side, then we could possibly skip "Tamil Alphabet", unless a few others join the group who don't know the script.

Maybe we should wait for a few more days or even a week to see if anyone else joins?

[vijayjohn]

So how do we begin? Should we go through the links on the left-hand side, or the Year 1 and 2 materials (found here)?

I was thinking of the Year 1 and 2 materials.

If the materials on the left-hand side, then we could possibly skip "Tamil Alphabet", unless a few others join the group who don't know the script.

Maybe we should wait for a few more days or even a week to see if anyone else joins?

I think it's up to you. We don't know if or when anyone else will join; it could take a week, it could take months, maybe it could even take years if this thread lasts that long! So I think it's fine to just go ahead and start working through it and/or figuring out where you'd like to start, as long as you're fine with potentially helping people catch up later. I think I'm fine with that; I went through about half of the dialogues in this course years ago anyway.

This is my favorite course for Tamil btw.

[dEhiN]

Sounds good; why don't we do weekly Wednesday goals, like with the Hokkien group? That would, at least for me, keep things more consistent and ordered.t

Perhaps we could do Year 1, Unit 1, Introduction? So that would consist of Dialogues 1 & 2 and Exercises 1 & 2. I am tempted to go through the Tamil Words and Tamil Grammar sections, but most likely a lot of that stuff will be covered in the units.

We could maybe start on June 20, and make that the goal from June 20 - 27? What do you think?

[vijayjohn]

Sounds good to me!

Yes, the grammar is covered in the units themselves, and the vocab is organized by unit.

An advance warning about the videos: Beware of loud flute music at the beginning and end of a lot of these videos (especially the first several) and reduce the volume at once! (Unless I guess you already have the volume down very low or something).

[księżycowy]

If the materials on the left-hand side, then we could possibly skip "Tamil Alphabet", unless a few others join the group who don't know the script.

We don't know if or when anyone else will join; it could take a week, it could take months, maybe it could even take years if this thread lasts that long! So I think it's fine to just go ahead and start working through it and/or figuring out where you'd like to start, as long as you're fine with potentially helping people catch up later.

All of which would apply to me, once I do eventually join.

[dEhiN]

If the materials on the left-hand side, then we could possibly skip "Tamil Alphabet", unless a few others join the group who don't know the script.

We don't know if or when anyone else will join; it could take a week, it could take months, maybe it could even take years if this thread lasts that long! So I think it's fine to just go ahead and start working through it and/or figuring out where you'd like to start, as long as you're fine with potentially helping people catch up later.

All of which would apply to me, once I do eventually join.

That's ok; we can help you catch up. And depending on when you finally join, if Vijay, rmanoj and I are good enough in Tamil, we could have full on conversations in script about you all the while we help you (in English) to catch up!

[księżycowy]

I would expect nothing less...