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The following gives the answer to the question - "Did Telugu Exist Before Sanskrit Came Into Existence?" answered by Dr. V. Siva Prasad, Retired Professor, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India.
Subject:
Telugu and Sanskrit
Question:
May you please elaborate more(in terms of siting more references) on the following statements(italicized-quoted,below) that you wrote in one of your answers(Those statements made me think that Telugu existed even before Sanskrit and Sanskrit evolved from Telugu. Is this correct? If so to how much extent?):
"Another legend given in a few Puranas say that Saraswathi
spoke Telugu (another name for Andhra) when she began to speak, and
created Sanskrit when she matured."
Thank you.
Answer:
Samskarana means refinement. One definition for Sanskrit language is
"Samskaritha bhaashaam Samskrtitham" - Sanskrit is a language refined
from an existing language. Which Indian language gets qualified
for it ? Telugu.
Ayithareya Brahmana of the Rig Veda mentions the
Andhras. Some ancient Sanskrit texts describe the
Andhras as an ancient tribe and as one of the ancestors
(Bhattacharyya 1988:39). The popular saying in Andhra
Pradesh is "Desa bhaashalandu Telugu lessa"; Telugu is
the best among Indian languages. Of all languages in
the world, Telugu has the largest number of alphabets.
We know that Sanskrit was not the mother tongue of any
tribe in India. It's very name says that it is a
reformation of an existing language. In recent times,
Esperanto was created to serve as an artificial
international language in Europe. In the olden days,
Sanskrit was created for the same purpose. Who could
have been the authors of Sanskrit? The name Amdhra
gives the hidden meaning Aadi Amara, the first Sanskrit
or the former language from which Sanskrit was made.
However, it is upto researchers to find out who was
best qualified for this task in the olden days. Which
language of India contains the largest number of
Sanskrit words? Telugu. The language of the old Telugu
texts contains more than 80 percent of Sanskrit words.
"Baala rasaala saala nava pallava kavaya kanyakan.."
- all are Sanskrit words of Grandhika Andhram.
This percentage is the highest for all old books
written in the regional languages in India. The Andhras
are the only people in India to use Sanskrit for names
of months and other terminolgy words in the Hindu
calender. Which language of India has the most perfect
pronunciation? Telugu. An American university wanted
the vocal recordings of the vedas. They have gone all
over India to find who would recite the vedas with
highest perfection in pronunciation. They finally got
the recordings from the pundits at Tirupathi in Andhra
Pradesh. Some ancient texts in India say that Bhaarathi
(goddess of speech and knowledge) spoke Telugu when she
started speaking words and Sanskrit when she reached
puberty.
Telugu people traveled around the world before Sanskrit
was developed. There is one legend among some castes
that one of their ancestors went abroad more than 10000
years ago.
Many cognate words have formed due to the interaction
in ancient times. Some are given below. The second one
is a Telugu word having the same meaning which is being
used for more than a 2000 years:
attic - attaca.
asset - aasti.
beat - baadu.
boat - padava.
bore - boriya.
boy - abbayi.
cavity - guvta.
cattle - goddulu.
cheek - chekku.
chin - chunbu.
cut - kota.
dull - deela.
elope - lepuka.
fat - boddu.
foundation - punaadi.
gale - gaali.
lace - allica.
link - lanke.
mask - musugu.
master - mestri.
mead - metha.
mouth - moothi.
mud - matti.
murky - muriki.
nerve - naram.
oath - ottu.
pale - paali.
pan - penam.
pap - pappa.
piece - pisaru.
put - pettu.
site - chotu.
short - chiruta.
show - choopu.
slice - cheelchu.
suck - cheeku.
surprise - achcheraparachu.
sweat - chewata.
theft - thoepidi
thick - dukka.
thread - thraadu.
value - viluva.
veil - valle.
vomit - vaamthi.
upon - paina.
with - waththa.
wonder - winta.
yean - yeenu.
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