i20 (3) Oreiut forumoli yirelut torumoiio yiraņțiran ticaikkun toțarmoļi yuļappața Mūņrē moļinilai tõņriya neriyē From usage, words may be classified in three ways: One-lettered word, two-lettered word and word having more than two letters. From these Sūtrams we are sure of the great significance that the one-lettered words had even in the times of Tolkāppiar. Further, we understand from the first and second siltrams that they are common to both vowels and vowel consonants. But from the commentaries of Ijampiãranar" and Naccinárkkiniar” it is known that the short vowel consonants No and Tu were also used as onelettered words. From the third Sūtram we find the three kinds of classifications made by Tolkāppiar of the whole lot of words in Tamil as one-lettered words, two lettered words and words having more than two letters. The significance of the one-lettered words is perhaps very ably meant in this Sūtram not only becuase of the fact that the one-lettered word finds its first place in the classification of words, but by the expression ‘Tögriya neriyê'. The word “Töpriya’ may mean not only ‘appearing’ (or usage) but “originating.” If the latter meaning is acceptable in this context also it can be said that it was the considered view of Tolkāppiar that the most ancient forms of words were the one-lettered monosyllables, although some modern linguists may feel reluctant to agree with this line of thought.” Next to Tolkāppiam the most important and popular work on Tamil grammar is Nanniil by Bavananti Munivar who is said to have lived in the latter half of the twelfth century and the first half of the thirteenth century.” In the second chapter of his work on ‘wordology’ Bavanantiyār begins his chapter by saying in the very first sitram that “The learned say that the letters are termed words when they denote a meaning either singly or (two or more) taken together, and that such words are of two kinds, viz., Simple and Compound” and speaks about the one-lettered words more clearly and elaborately than Tolkāapiar in a way. His Sūtram is as follows”: Uyirmavi Lärus tapanavi Laintum Ålavacavi stālum yavvi logorum
