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K. Srinivasan • August 11, 1995 


>From: sreekrishna@mmd.com
>Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 15:13:29 -0400 (EDT)
>To: prapatti@srirangam.esd.sgi.com
>Subject: More on Tatachar/Iyengar
>
>Ayya is used in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada as well (as a mark of repect). But I
>think only in Tamil it means Father . I know it does not mean father in  Kannada
>(the word for father in Kannada is Appa or Appayya or Tande) 

Father in Tamil commonly is appaa. In formal Tamil it is thandhai. (Both same as Kannada).

Actually, ayyaa has the meaning of "guru" in Tamil and Malayalam (Probabably in
Kannada also). That is probably the root for the title "Aiyar".

aiyam in classical Tamil  means doubt, question etc.
So "ayyaa" could mean philosopher also.

K. Srinivasan