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"To us
all towns are one, all men our kin. |
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"To us
all towns are one, all men our kin. |
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Selected Writings by Sachi Sri Kantha
Professor Susumu Ohno (1919-2008), 2 September 2008
[see also The Genealogy of the Japanese Language: Tamil and Japanese - Susumu Ohno ]
Susumu Ohno, the linguist, derived recognition, notoriety and some derision (among some academic circles) for his provocative hypothesis of tracing the affinity of Japanese language to Tamil language. Prof. Ohno introduced this hypothesis at a plenary lecture he delivered on January 5th 1981 at the 5th International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies (Madurai, India). I was fortunate to be an eye-witness to this plenary lecture, which at that moment infused a breeze of fresh air to the staid theme of Tamil linguistic relationships. To be frank, Prof. Ohno�s presentation in English on that day lacked the eloquent display of English oratory for which Tamils have been attuned. He didn�t need it though, since his main message contained the mesmerizing quality on its own. Until 1981, (in directional context) the origin, the heritage and the influence of Tamil language from central Tamil Nadu had been explored in relation to the North, West, South and Southeast regions of Asia. Prof. Ohno, in soft tones, woke up the Tamils with his message, �Haven�t you ignored the path Tamil language traversed in the East direction towards Japan?�. By 1981, Prof. Ohno had gained recognition as one of the foremost Japanese linguists in Japan. His academic profile, up to 1981, has been summarized as follows, in one of the books (Worldview and Rituals among Japanese and Tamils, Gakushuin University, 1985) he co-authored with Prof. A.Sanmugadas and Manonmani Sanmugadas: Born in 1919, graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1943. Professor of Japanese Linguistics at Gakushuin University. He had co-edited the oldest extant Japanese poetry anthology The Manyoshu (Iwanami Shoten, 1957-62), the second oldest extant compilation of Japanese history, The Nihonshoki (Iwanami Shoten, 1965-67) and Iwanami Kogojiten/Iwanami Dictionary of Early Japanese (Iwanami Shoten, 1974). Other books and articles he has published include:
In the Preface to his 1985 co-authored book, Prof. Ohno had described briefly how his interests on the linguistic relationship between Japanese and Tamil languages came to be developed. To quote,
[L-R] Professor A. Sanmugadas, Professor Susumu Ohno and Dr. Manonmani Sanmugadas Professor Pon Kothandaraman and Professor D.J. Vacek, of Charles University, examined all the words presented in the list that I submitted to the Conference and advised me to omit certain words. I went to the University of California at Berkeley where Professor Masao Miyoshi introduced me to Professor M.B. Emeneau. Professor Emeneau went through my list and encouraged me to proceed with the study. Professor Kamil V. Zvelebil, University of Utrecht, showed interest in my book and wrote a letter to me when I was in Madras. He came to Japan in 1983 and we met. After reading my two papers and Sound Correspondences between Tamil and Japanese, he wrote a paper, �Tamil and Japanese � Are They Related? The hypothesis of Susumu Ohno� in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, vol. 48, part 1, 1985). But for encouragement and friendly advice given by these eminent Dravidianists, this investigation could not have proceeded up to this point. I am indebted to them and I would like to express my gratitude for their help and encouragement.� In the 1981 plenary lecture he delivered at Madurai International Tamil Conference, Prof. Ohno observed the following:
The Susumu Ohno hypothesis on the origin of Japanese language from proto-Dravidian (Tamil) has been critiqued strongly by other Japanese linguists (both, native variety and non-native variety). But Prof. Ohno is neither a listless crank nor a linguist-impostor. His credentials as one of the ranking Japanese linguists of his generation makes it difficult to discard his Japanese-Tamil language links as fluffy and lacking merit. Commenting about his critics, Prof. Ohno had noted, �I was frankly astonished by much of the hubbub at that time, for I realized that my critics were for the most part neither scholars of old Japanese nor of Tamil. As they are unfamiliar with the ancient literature, they could not comprehend the forms and meanings of the words I was citing. At the time, no university in the country was actively studying the possibility of a Tamil-Japanese connection, but as a result of my probing the issue, the University of Tokyo as well as Gakushuin University where I teach, opened up an inquiry into the matter. There was suddenly a surge of media coverage of the subject, and I found myself, although at the beginning of my research, in the center of a nationwide debate. Furthermore, The Japan Times newspaper obituary (July 15, 2008) of Prof. Ohno recorded that, �In 1999, he wrote Nihongo Renshucho (Japanese-language practice), which initiated the general public on the depths and intricacies of Japanese. It became a publishing phenomenon, selling nearly 2 million copies.� As such, natives of Tamil language are, in turn, indebted to Prof. Ohno for opening a research path in comparative linguistics that has remained unexplored until his pioneering efforts. He will be remembered in the years to come, for his novel and invigorating academic insights linking the Japanese and Tamil languages.
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