[3] The Jaffna Tamil dialect has a very similar intonation(tone) to Malayalam.
These drummers had historically played an important role as ritual players of drums at funerals and folk temples and as heralds and traditional weavers.
They also maintained the family records of their feudal lords and even practised medicine and astrology in folk traditions[4] The Jaffna district is very close to South India, being separated by a narrow stretch of sea called the Palk Strait.
In spite of the continual contact with India by sea, Sri Lankan Tamils have over the centuries become a distinct people developing dialects that differ in several aspects from the Indian Tamil dialects.
The Jaffna pronunciation [nitka]>[nikka] for nirka “to stand’ is likely to preserve the ancient plosive nature of /r/, which in colloquial middle Tamil inscriptions is already confounded with the dental trill in this position.