Tamil Tutorial

Structure of the Inscript Keyboard

Tamil Characters Overview

Typing on the Inscript Keyboard


Tamil | Structure of the Inscript Keyboard
Structure of the Inscript Keyboard

The Inscript overlay is same for all the Indian scripts, and contains the basic characters required for all of them. The Inscript keyboard overlay shown above is for the Tamil script. The characters which are not used in Tamil are not shown in the overlay. Tamil script is used for writing Tamil language.

When the Scroll Lock is Off (indicated by an LED), the normal English overlay is active. Scroll Lock has to be put On for selecting Inscript overlay. Characters available in this overlay are shown in the right half of the key-top labels.

In the Inscript overlay the following English overlay characters are available in their usual places:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ( ) - , .

Inscript keyboard overlay has been optimized both for touch-typing as well as sight-typing.

Touch typing is done primarily through characters in the first three rows. The second row is the Home row in which the fingers of both hands rest. This makes the characters in the Home row easiest to type, followed by those in the 3rd row and then in the 1st row.

The characters in the 4th row are primarily meant for sight typing.


Tamil | Tamil Characters Overview
Tamil Characters Overview

The Inscript keyboard overlay allows the following basic characters in Tamil to be typed in.

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	Jü

#ô	#õ	#ö	#÷	#ø	ù#	ú#	û#	ù#ô 	ú#ô  ù#ü

  	@	(Visarg)

  	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U

  	V	W	X	Y	Z	[	\	]

  	_	`	^	a	b

  	#ó 	(Halant)

  	#	(Nukta)

The Vowel / Nasal Pad

Left half of the keyboard contains the vowels, matras,  four nasal consonants   (S, ], U, Q) and the Halant (×s°). In touch typing these characters have to be typed by the left hand.

The Vowels

The vowel structure in all the Indian languages is quite the same and similar. But  two more short vowels (G and J) join additionally in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

The Tamil vowels can be classified in a logical order as shown below:

Short vowels (Ï±p)	:	 A,  C,  E,  G,  J

Long vowels (ùS¥p)	:	 B,  D,  F,  G,  K

Dipthongs (CûQ)	:	 I  (AC),  Jü  (AE)

The home row contains the 5 short vowels in Tamil.

A    K	S  H	D A	F  C	G E	 Shift

 Home Row	 ú#ô	  ú#	   #ó	   #õ	 #÷	 Unshift

Notice that a matra is given in the Unshift position, while the corresponding vowel is given in the Shift position. This is convenient since the matras are used more often than the vowels.

A vowel has got no corresponding matra as its sound is inherently present in each consonant. A Halant #ó (×s°) has to be used to remove the inherent A sound from a consonant. Halant sign is used quite often, and is thus given in the Unshift position.

Q Jü	W I	EB	R  D	T F	 	Long Vowels

 3rd Row	 ù#ü	 û#	  #ô	   #ö	 #ø

 	A    K	S  H	D A	F  C	G  E	 	Short Vowels

 Home Row	 ú#ô	  ú#	    #ó	   #õ	  #÷

Among the 5 pairs of short and long vowels in Tamil, all the short vowels are given in the home row, and the corresponding long vowels are given in the 3rd row. One needs to remember the positions of the short vowels in the Home row. Long vowels are positioned just above the corresponding short vowels.

Z  G

1st Row	   ù#

~   J

4th Row 	`  ù#ô

The vowel G and its corresponding matra is given in the 1st row so as to be in parallel with its own triplet (G, H and I). In the same way the vowel J and its corresponding matra is given in the 4th row,  so that this vowel also can be in parallel with its own triplet (J, K and Jü). Notice both these vowels are situated on the left keys of the vowel pad.

Devanagari vowel ¬ is written as ¬,  the key of which is provided on the 4th row.

 4th Row	+    ¬	Shift

=  #ó¬	Unshift

Nasal Consonants

X     	C  Q	V    	Shift

1st Row	  	    U	   S	Unshift

Tamil has 6 nasal consonants M, O, Q, S, U and ]. The nasal consonants Q, U, S and ] are provided in the left half of the first row. The nasal consonants M and O, used infrequently in Tamil, are provided in the Shift positions of two keys in the right pad.

U  M	}  O	 Shift

 3rd Row	 a

Consonant Pad

The consonant pad is in the right half of the keyboard. The characters in this pad are to be typed by the right hand during touch-typing.

Consonant Vargs

Tamil has 5 consonant vargs, each having a pair of consonants. These consonants are accommodated in the right pad of the keyboard.

Hard Consonant	Nasal Consonant

Varg 1:	L	M

Varg 2:	N	O

Varg 3:	P	Q

Varg 4:	R	S

Varg 5:	T	U

Each varg contains a hard consonant and a nasal consonant. The five consonants noted above are placed in the home row. The Sanskrit character _ is placed in the 3rd row situated above the N key because of their similarity in pronounciation.

 	  varg	 varg	varg	 varg	  varg

 	      5 	     1  	    4  	     2  	      3

 	Y    	U    	I      	O    	P    	{     	 Shift

 3rd Row	 	 	 	  _	[     	 Unshift

 	H    	J     	K     	L     	:     	"     	 Shift

 Home Row	   T	 	  L	   R	;   N	'   P	 Unshift

The Non-Varg consonants

After the first 5 vargs of Tamil, come the non-varg consonants. These are accommodated in the consonant pad on the right half of the overlay.

V	W	X	Y	Z	[	\	]

Also there are the three Sanskrit consonants used in Tamil.

`	^	a

W is the most often used consonant amongst these, and is thus provided in the home row, for ease of typing.

U   M

 3rd Row	  a	 Unshift

 	J    \	 Shift

 Home Row	   W	 Unshift

 	B  Z	N [	M    	< `	>     	?     	 Shift

 1st Row	   Y	  X	  ^	,       	.     	/  V	 Unshift

\ which is similar to W, is provided on its Shift position.

^ are ` are provided on adjacent keys for ease of typing.

[ which is similar to X, though less frequent, is provided on its Shift position. Z which has the same pronounciation as [ is provided on the Shift position of the adjacent key.

Visarg

Visarg @ which is an aspiration sign, is used infrequently in Tamil. It is provided in the Shift position of the '-' key in the 4th row.

 	_   @	 	Shift

 4th Row	_      	  	Unshift

Nukta

Nukta character (NUK) is used for deriving four special signs ~, |, } and {. It is provided on the "]" key.

These special signs can be typed as follows:

S	NUK	=	~	(Day)

U	NUK	=	|	(Month)

Y	NUK	=	}	(Year)

E	NUK	=	{	(Number)

Conjunct Keys

For convenience of typing, two conjunct characters are provided in the Shift positions of the '7' and '8' keys in the 4th row. The action of these keys is equivalent to typing the two or three characters comprising each of the corresponding conjuncts.

#      	$      	%      	^        	&  b	*  xW	 Shift

4th Row 	3     	4      	5       	6       	7        	 8        	 Unshift

These keys are primarily meant for the occasional users. For touch-typing it would be more convenient to use the basic keys provided in the first 3 rows.


Tamil | Typing on the Inscript Tutorial
Typing on the Inscript Keyboard

Everyone can have their own style of writing, but there has to be only one keyboard. For typing a word we need to know how to break it up into a sequence of separate keystrokes.

For example: 	F£ is typed with 3 keys:  F N #õ

CûX is typed with 3 keys:  C X û#

Consonants (ùUn GÝjÕdLs)

Following consonants are present in Tamil. Each can be typed through a single keystroke.

L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U

V	W	X	Y	Z	[	\	]

_	`	^	a

Vowels (E«o GÝjÕdLs)

Tamil has the following vowels:

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	Jü

Each of the vowel, except A, has an associated matra:

#ô	#õ	#ö	#÷	#ø	ù#	ú#	û#	ù#ô	 ú#ô	ù#ü

Each vowel is typed separately, even though it may look as if it is a combination of another vowel with a matra.

The matras are shown around a dotted circle to demonstrate the correct placement of matras around a consonant or consonant cluster.

Example:

FRp	= F R X #ó  and not E [ R X #ó

JüûY	= Jü Y û#  and not J [ û# Y

Matras

A matra can attach on top, bottom, left, right or on both sides of a consonant:

L Lô ¡ ¸ Ï á ùL úL ûL ùLô úLô ùLü

It has to be typed immediately after a consonant. It cannot be typed after a vowel.

LôÕ is typed as: L #ô R #÷

RûX is typed as: R X û#

Note that all the matras are typed after a consonant according to the pronounciation. The computer logic will display it properly according to the grammatical order.

Visarg (BnR GÝjÕ)

In general, to indicate the soft or peculiar pronounciation of a following  consonant, the Guttural (Visarg) @ is used.

Example:

G@Ï, Lô@©.

Halant  (×s°)

A Halant can be attached only on a consonant, and not on a vowel. It will be shown separately if placed in the wrong position:

 	Correct :	d  =  L #ó

 	Incorrect:	¡#ó, A#ó, L@#ó

Conjuncts (áhùPÝjÕdLs)

Two consonants can combine with each other with a halant in between to give a  "conjunct" shape. The inherent A vowel is assumed to be omitted between the consonants.

Tamil uses two Sanskrit conjuncts : b, c. They can be typed as follows:

b = L #ó `

c = ` #ó W #ö

Conjunct Keys

The two Sanskrit conjuncts b and c can be typed in a single keystroke. These keystores are equivalent to typing the constituent consonants with the Halant in between:

b = L #ó `, 	T·  =  T b #õ  =  T L #ó ` #õ

xW = ` #ó W,	c  =  xW #ö 	 =  ` #ó W #ö

Note that these conjunct keys are given only for convenience of an occasional user. For touch-typing it might be easier to type in without these conjunct keys, using the basic keystrokes.

Invisible Consonant INV

Sometimes it becomes necessary to show characters such as:

ô	õ	ö	÷	ø	ù	ú	û

These can be formed only by attaching them to a consonant. If typed directly, we will get for the previous examples:

#ô	#õ	#ö	#÷	#ø	ù#	ú#	û#

An Invisible consonant called INV is provided for forming these. This INV consonant is located in the Shift position of the ESCAPE key, and is available only when the Inscript overlay has been selected.

 	INV	Shift

ESC	Unshift

The INV consonant can be used in the following ways:

ô	=	INV #ô

õ	=	INV #õ