Tamil: A Biography by Shulman, David

Tamil: A Biography

Spoken by eighty million people in South Asia and a diaspora that stretches across the globe, Tamil...
Dhs. 237.86 AED
Dhs. 237.86 AED
SKU: 9780674059924
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 0 left in stock
Author: David Shulman
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: Dhs. 237.86
10 customers are viewing this product
Tamil: A Biography by Shulman, David

Tamil: A Biography

Dhs. 237.86

Tamil: A Biography

Dhs. 237.86
Author: David Shulman
Format: Hardcover
Language: English

Spoken by eighty million people in South Asia and a diaspora that stretches across the globe, Tamil is one of the great world languages, and one of the few ancient languages that survives as a mother tongue for so many speakers. David Shulman presents a comprehensive cultural history of Tamil--language, literature, and civilization--emphasizing how Tamil speakers and poets have understood the unique features of their language over its long history. Impetuous, musical, whimsical, in constant flux, Tamil is a living entity, and this is its biography.

Two stories animate Shulman's narrative. The first concerns the evolution of Tamil's distinctive modes of speaking, thinking, and singing. The second describes Tamil's major expressive themes, the stunning poems of love and war known as Sangam poetry, and Tamil's influence as a shaping force within Hinduism. Shulman tracks Tamil from its earliest traces at the end of the first millennium BCE through the classical period, 850 to 1200 CE, when Tamil-speaking rulers held sway over southern India, and into late-medieval and modern times, including the deeply contentious politics that overshadow Tamil today.

Tamil is more than a language, Shulman says. It is a body of knowledge, much of it intrinsic to an ancient culture and sensibility. "Tamil" can mean both "knowing how to love"--in the manner of classical love poetry--and "being a civilized person." It is thus a kind of grammar, not merely of the language in its spoken and written forms but of the creative potential of its speakers.

Author: David Shulman
Publisher: Belknap Press
Published: 09/26/2016
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.40w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780674059924


Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2017

About the Author
Shulman, David: - David Shulman is Renee Lang Professor of Humanistic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Related Products

Recently Viewed Products