Malayalam

Malayalam is a Dravidian language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Kerala and in the union territory of Lakshadweep. It has a large global diaspora, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, where many Malayali communities reside. In India, Malayalam is one of the 22 scheduled languages and serves as the official language of Kerala; it is widely used in education, government, media, and daily communication.

The language belongs to the Southern branch of the Dravidian family and is closely related to Tamil and Kannada, though it has its own distinct vocabulary, phonology, and literary tradition. Old and Middle Malayalam developed from early forms of the language, and Modern Malayalam emerged with standardized norms in the medieval and early modern periods. The Malayalam script, used to write the language, derives from the ancient Vatteluttu script and has been enriched by later Grantha influence to represent Sanskrit terms. The script is an abugida, where consonants have inherent vowels and diacritics modify those vowels.

Malayalam has a rich literary history, with classical works that contributed to the standard language and a long tradition of poetry, drama, and prose in modern times. Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, a 16th-century figure, is often regarded as the father of the Malayalam language for his influential literary contributions. In contemporary culture, Malayalam literature and cinema—often referred to as Mollywood—play important roles in Kerala’s cultural life. The language is characterized by its rich phonology, complex morphology, and diverse dialects across regions and communities.