What are subject and object markers in Tamil?

In Tamil, subject and object markers are suffixes that are added to verbs to indicate the subject and object of the action. These markers help convey grammatical information about the relationships between the subject, object, and the verb in a sentence. The use of subject and object markers is a distinctive feature of Tamil syntax.

Here are the subject and object markers commonly used in Tamil:

Subject Markers:

1. -ன் (-ṉ): This marker is often used for third-person singular masculine subjects. It is added to the verb stem.

   Example:

   • அவன் சொல்கிறான். (Avaṉ solkiṟāṉ.)
     • He is speaking.

2. -ள் (-ḷ): This marker is used for third-person singular feminine subjects. It is added to the verb stem.

   Example:

   • அவள் வந்தாள். (Avaḷ vandāḷ.)
     • She came.

3. -ர் (-r): This marker is used for third-person plural subjects. It is added to the verb stem.

   Example:

   • அவர் செல்லுகிறார்கள். (Avar cellukiṟārkaḷ.)
     • They are going.

Object Markers:

1. -ஐ (-ai): This marker is used for third-person singular masculine and feminine objects. It is added to the verb stem.

   Example:

   • அவன் புதிய புத்தகமைப் பார்த்தான். (Avaṉ putiya puttakamai pārttāṉ.)
     • He saw the new book.

2. -யை (-yai): This marker is used for third-person plural and second-person singular and plural objects. It is added to the verb stem.

   Example:

   • அவன்கள் படித்தனர். (Avaṉkaḷ paṭittanaṟ.)
     • They read.

   Example:

   • நீ கேள்விகளை எப்போதும் கேட்கிறாயா? (Nī kēḷvikalai eppōtuṁ kēṭkiṟāyā?)
     • Do you always ask questions?

These markers are added to the verb stems to indicate the grammatical features of the subject and object in a sentence. The choice of subject and object markers depends on factors such as gender, number, and formality. Additionally, Tamil has a rich system of markers that provide information about tense, aspect, and other grammatical features, contributing to the language's flexibility and expressiveness.