Stalin launches Tamil-Indo-European dictionary project in Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of Tamil Nadu released two new books on Tuesday in Chennai. These books are part of a larger project to create a comparative etymological dictionary of Tamil and Indo-European languages. The project is a collaboration between the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation and Oxford University Press. The state government has allocated ₹8 crore for this initiative, which involves the work of 20 experts led by Professor G. Arasenthiran. They have been working on the project since 2022. The first volume released includes the etymology of 19 words from various Western and Eastern Indo-European languages. These languages include Latin, Greek, German, French, English, Sanskrit, Pali, and Sinhalese. The findings suggest that these words originated from Tamil. The event was attended by officials from the state government, including Ministers M.P. Saminathan and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, as well as experts in Indo-European languages.