Wolfgang Scharlipp: Missionarslinguistik in Indien. Einige Bemerkungen zu den christlichen Missionaren in Südindien und ihren sprachwissenschaftlichen Beiträgen zur Dravidistik, insbesondere der Tamilistik in Europa, 115–138

Abstract

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of work of Christian missionaries in the Tamil territory of India, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, with a special emphasis on their linguistic research. The scope is limited to grammars composed by missionaries, with omission of dictionaries and translations; these would have to be the subject of another study. The sources point to a strong desire of individual missionaries to master indigenous languages. From the 19th century onwards, this was also strongly encouraged by the organizations that sent out missionaries. It is not surprising, therefore, that the number of missionaries who systematically engaged in linguistics during this period is astonishingly high. Their work enhanced considerably the knowledge of Europeans about the languages of the Indian subcontinent, which in turn, contributed to a rapid development of Indian Philology and Indology.

[India, Tamil, Missionary linguistics, Bible translation, Dravidian studies, Christians in South India]