Scribe, Owner, or Both? Some Ambiguities in the Interpretations of Personal Names in Colophons from Tamil Nadu’

The study of the linguistic style and register of Tamil used in colophons found in manuscripts hailing from Tamil Nadu and containing Sanskrit, Tamil and Manipravalam texts brings us to the fringes of what is the conventional use of the language. Many idiosyncrasies and systematic variations from what is today accepted as standard are met and force us to reconsider linguistic assumptions. This article focuses on personal names, their syntactic position in the colophons, and the ensuing ambiguity concerning their interpretation. Often one cannot in fact immediately decide whether they refer to scribes, owners, or individuals who played both roles.