கண்மணி குணசேகரனின் நடுநாட்டுச் சொல்லகராதியை முன்வைத்து நடுநாட்டுச் சொற்கள் / Presentation of Midland Words (Nadunattuch Chorkal) by Kanmani Gunasekaran's Nadunattuch Chollakarathi

The Tamil people integrated the essence of life into their existence and their language reflects their everlasting cultural and intellectual heritage. Language serves as a medium in understanding social history and many scholars have long performed linguistic studies to explore its unique characteristics. Over time, while some words have faded from use, new ones have emerged and reflect the dynamic evolution of Tamil. Kanmani Guna Sekaran’s dictionary is an essential resource for Tamil linguists and cultural historians for research on middle regional Tamil lexicons to safeguard linguistic heritage. This article is a study of Mid-Land words about Kanmani Guna Sekaran’s “Nadunattu Chollakarathi” which documented the linguistic richness of the Nadunadu region of Tamil Nadu that encompass the areas such as Cuddalore, Panrutti, Thirukovilur, Virudhachalam, and Vadalur. This dictionary preserves many archaic words that are still in use. Kanmani Guna Sekaran’s work is pioneering as the first dedicated lexicon for the Nadunattu dialect. It offers semantic and etymological insights into regional vocabulary. So, the study examines the “Nadunattu Chollakarati” to understand the phonological, morphological and sociolinguistic features of the words of the Central Tamil Nadu dialect. The paper highlights the cultural and historical significance of regional dialects in Tamil Nadu’s linguistic identity. It also aims to trace the etymological roots of Midland (Nadunattu terms) and investigate them. Thereby, the study assesses the dictionary’s impact on conserving endangered words of this dialect.