How Did Tamil and Malayalam Become Different Languages?
While most languages emerge as they slowly drift apart; these two took deliberate steps away from each other
Once upon a time, in a land far far away — there was a place called Tamilakam; Homeland of the Tamils.
For millennia, the people of this region (in what is now Southern India) were tied together — both culturally and politically.
Together, they experienced the various Sangam periods — wherein numerous academies thrived producing great works of literature and poetry.
Together, they were ruled by the three dynasties glorified by heaven: The Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas — though their respective fortunes waxed and waned over time.
Together, they saw the rise and fall of Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism — to form their religious identity.
Flash forward to today — and the region has split. The Western portion of the region is known as Kerala, and speaks Malayalam. The Eastern one, known as Tamil Nadu — speaks modern Tamil.
A denizen of one, can no longer communicate with a resident of the other. The languages are not mutually intelligible.
