Editing Tamil language (section)

=== Middle Tamil ===
[[File:Tanjavur Tamil Inscription2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Middle Tamil]] inscriptions in [[Vatteluttu|Vatteluttu script]] in stone during [[Chola empire|Chola]] period {{circa|1000}} CE at [[Brahadeeswara temple]] in [[Thanjavur]], Tamil Nadu|left]]
{{Main|Middle Tamil language}}
The evolution of [[Old Tamil]] into [[Middle Tamil]], which is generally taken to have been completed by the 8th century,<ref name="Lehmann 1998 75"/> was characterised by a number of phonological and grammatical changes. In phonological terms, the most important shifts were the virtual disappearance of the aytam (ஃ), an old phoneme,<ref>{{Harvnb|Kuiper|1958|p=194}}</ref> the coalescence of the alveolar and dental nasals,<ref>{{Harvnb|Meenakshisundaran|1965|pp=132–133}}</ref> and the transformation of the alveolar [[plosive]] into a [[Rhotic consonant|rhotic]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kuiper|1958|pp=213–215}}</ref> In grammar, the most important change was the emergence of the present tense. The present tense evolved out of the verb ''{{IAST|kil}}'' ({{lang|ta|கில்}}), meaning "to be possible" or "to befall". In Old Tamil, this verb was used as an [[Grammatical aspect|aspect marker]] to indicate that an action was micro-durative, non-sustained or non-lasting, usually in combination with a time marker such as ''{{IAST|ṉ}}'' ({{lang|ta|ன்}}). In Middle Tamil, this usage evolved into a present tense marker – ''{{IAST|kiṉṟa}}'' ({{lang|ta|கின்ற}}) – which combined the old aspect and time markers.<ref>{{Citation | doi = 10.2307/601707| jstor = 601707| title = The Duration of an Action-Real or Aspectual? The Evolution of the Present Tense in Tamil| journal = Journal of the American Oriental Society| volume = 105| issue = 2| pages = 277–291| year = 1985| last1 = Rajam | first1 = V. S.}} at pp. 284–285</ref>