malayalam

Everyday

1. (a language) Malayalam is a language spoken by about 35 million people, mainly in the state of Kerala in south-west India. tree →
2. The alphabet (script) used to write that language, with rounded letters. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and language lessons, Malayalam is one of the 22 official languages of India, part of the Dravidian family (like Tamil). People from Kerala live around the world, including the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, so classmates may speak Malayalam at home. The name «Malayalam» reads the same forwards and backwards in English letters – a palindrome.

Examples

• My friend Anu speaks Malayalam with her grandparents. tree →
• Malayalam is the main language of Kerala in India. tree →
• Malayalam has its own script with curly letters. tree →
• «Malayalam» is a palindrome: it reads the same backwards. tree →
• There is a Malayalam film festival in our city. tree →
• Malayalam and Tamil are related languages. tree →
• We learned to say «hello» in Malayalam: «namaskaram». tree →
• Many nurses in Ireland come from Kerala and speak Malayalam. tree →

Note

Always written with a capital M, because it is the name of a language. Pronounced roughly «MAL-a-YAH-lam». It is not an English word; it is a name. Do not confuse with «Malay» (a different language, spoken in Malaysia) – they are not related.