Hermann Gundert in his ’Kēraḷa paḻama’, which is a "History of Malabar" from AD 1496-1531, published in 1868 and reprinted with spelling corrections, provides finite verb endings in Malayalam. About 125 occurrences were listed and the nature of the endings is analyzed so that the disappearance of the PNG (person number and gender) suffixes in Malayalam finite verbs can be gauged.1

1The use of the suffix -āre in finite verbs is found mostly in this work which appears to be based on the diary of the Portuguese in Malabar. The following classes of occurrences are available in this text:

2A) Subject epicene plural third person finite verb ending in -āre, third person epicene plural

3(1) avar aṟiyiccāre

4B) Subject third person singular while referring to the King or to a noble and the finite verb in third person epicene plural

5(2) avan (tāmudri) kalppiccāre2

6Incidentally the reference to a King with a third person singular pronoun is a practice found in the Sangam Classics and in their colophons. The Portuguese captains like Vasco da Gama, Albuquerque, etc., are included in this category.

7C) Subject third person singular and finite verb with -āre.

8(3) Mukkuvan aṟiyiccāre (mostly servants and low caste people)

9In this example the masculine singular subject takes -āre, third epicene plural finite verb.

Pattern A is predominant (60 occ.), pattern B is less frequent (48 occ.) and C is the least frequent (8 occ.)

10avar (respectful) and avan (third masculine singular ordinary) though less in frequency indicate the free use of -āre with singular subject leading finally, to its zeroing.

11In finite verbal nouns like ’vannavar’ the reference to the subject with person number marking is found even today without any confusion in the subject in modern Malayalam writing. In poetry, first and second person finite verbs with PNG are found infrequently. These are survivals of an earlier stage of finite verbs ending in PNG in Malayalam.3

Classical Tamil also at least has one finite verb ending in -um taking all person number and gender subjects.

12The other finite verbs will have PNG according to the subject. Modern Tamil mixes plural subject with the singular finite verb, which is not resented by hearers. Television or radio announcers say

13(5) avai vantatu "They (neuter-plural) came-it (neuter-singular)"

The sequences of disappearance of PNG in Malayalam may be:

• First Stage: subject and finite verbs have concord in PNG.

• Second Stage: no concord in PNG between subject and finite verb.

• Third Stage: dropping of finite verb PNG suffixes.