Learn to READ Malayalam - using vinyl ("LP" record) covers and such movie-based resources

Let us look at some vinyls for this consonant group...

First for 'pa' - there is this പടക്കുതിര / patakkuthira / படக்குதிர / पटककुतिर.

This vinyl is quite interesting - it has Kannur Rajan as MD and MSV & Kamal have sung in the album o

For 'fa', we have this ഫാദർ ഡാമിയൻ / fAdhar dAmiyan (Father Damien) / ஃ பாதர் டாமியன் / फातर डामियन

We have a movie for B : ബാബു മോൻ / bAbu mOn / பாபு மோன் / बाबु मोन

Please note the "OLD" form of writing the "bu" on the vinyl cover...

We have a vinyl for "BH" letter - ഭീമൻ / bheeman / பீமன் / भीमन, a not-so-long-name of a pAndava...

We have the prosthetic leg dancer movie for the consonant "M" - മയൂരി / mayoori / மயூரி / मयूरि

Let's have the rest of the day to look at the characters, vinyls and for the practice of these.

There'll be a quiz for this series tomorrow and two days to solve

Quiz for pa series consonants (പ ഫ ബ ഭ മ)

1. മമ്മൂട്ടി / മോഹൻലാൽ

2. മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ

3. പത്തനംതിട്ട

4. പാലക്കാട്

5. മൂന്നാംപക്കം

6. ഭാര്യ വീട്ടിൽ പരമ സുഖം

7. ബോംബെ രവി

8. ഫുട്ബോൾ

9. ഫിലിപ്പീൻസ്

10. ബഹ്‌റൈൻ

(Mostly geographical places, a couple of movie names, a couple of actors, a game and one MD)

app_engine wrote:Quiz for pa series consonants (പ ഫ ബ ഭ മ)

1. മമ്മൂട്ടി / മോഹൻലാൽ

2. മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ

3. പത്തനംതിട്ട

4. പാലക്കാട്

5. മൂന്നാംപക്കം

6. ഭാര്യ വീട്ടിൽ പരമ സുഖം

7. ബോംബെ രവി

8. ഫുട്ബോൾ

9. ഫിലിപ്പീൻസ്

10. ബഹ്‌റൈൻ

(Mostly geographical places, a couple of movie names, a couple of actors, a game and one MD)

Mammotty/Mohanlal
moovandhipuzha
pattanamthittu
pAlakadu
mooNAmpakkam
bOmbE reVi

phillipaines
baharain'

bharya veetinu parama sukham

footboard

Is the #8 one not footbOL (eqvuivalent of football)?

V_S wrote:Is the #8 one not footbOL (eqvuivalent of football)?

Correct ji!
Great going, Plum!
One more day to post exact transliterations

Answers to P series quiz:

1. മമ്മൂട്ടി / മോഹൻലാൽ - mammootti / mOhanlAl -மம்மூட்டி / மோஹன்லால் -मम्मूट्टी / मोहनलाल

2. മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ - moovARRupuzha - மூவாற்றுபுழ - मूवार्रुपुल

3. പത്തനംതിട്ട -paththanamthitta- பத்தனம்திட்ட -पत्तनम्तिटट

4. പാലക്കാട് -pAlakkAtu- பாலக்காடு - पालक्काटु

5. മൂന്നാംപക്കം -moonnAmpakkam- மூன்னாம்பக்கம் -पमून्नामपक्कम

6. ഭാര്യ വീട്ടിൽ പരമ സുഖം -bhArya veettil parama sukham- பார்ய வீட்டில் பரம சுகம் -भार्य वीट्टिल परम सुखं

7. ബോംബെ രവി - bOmbe ravi -போம்பெ ரவி -बोम्बे रवि

8. ഫുട്ബോൾ -futbOL - ஃபுட்போள் -फुटबोल

9. ഫിലിപ്പീൻസ് -filippeens - ஃபிலிப்பீன்ஸ் - फिलिप्पीन्स

10. ബഹ്‌റൈൻ -bahRain - பஹ்றைன் - बहरैन

Lesson 11 Last set of consonants (Misc / Residual / non-series kind)

We'll cover all the remaining consonants in this group. First of all, let us look at the characters (all added with അ for ease of reading):

യ - ya / ய / य

ര - ra / ர / र

ല - la / ல / ल

വ - va / வ / व (same as Thamizh but without the bubble)

ശ - sha / no Thamizh equivalent, except one use as a combo "shri" - ஸ்ரீ / श

ഷ - shha / ஷ / ष

സ - sa / ஸ / स

ഹ - ha / ஹ / ह

ള - La / ள / no Hindi equivalent

ഴ - zha (one normally used, but not correct, tongue-twisted way of telling "ra" seems better) / ழ / No Hindi equivalent

റ - Ra / ற / No Hindi equivalent

Let us look at "doubling" of some of the above in the next post

Only five of the above have "COMBO" letter style for doubling...For others, it's simply twice business.

യ്യ - yya

ല്ല - lla (Funny to see how a Thamizh character gets introduced out of nowhere )

വ്വ - vva

ശ്ശ - shsha

റ്റ - RRa

I wish to also introduce another VERY IMPORTANT COMBO style in this post, of adding ya (യ) , va (വ) & ra-Ra (ര / റ) to consonants.

Let me illustrate it with the first consonant, ക്.

Somebody thought it will be easy to introduce a couple more hooks around consonants (in addition to all those thuNaikkAl, superscript style hook on right top, various walking-stick like additions on the RHS etc) and they picked this ya, va & ra sounds for that.

That way, instead of having

ക് + യ = ക് യ, they made it ക്യ. Something very similar to "kru" കൃ but without closing the hook on the bottom. So, please don't confuse between these two!

Some more samples : മ്യ (mya) പ്യ (pya) ഷ്യ (shya)

Likewise, instead of having

ക് + വ = ക് വ, they made it ക്വ ! Yes, a "reverse-L" on RHS, to add the "va" sound to any consonant.

Some more samples : ച്വ (chva) ധ്വ (dhva) ത്വ (thva)

And finally, for addition of "ra/Ra" sound, they introduced the hook on LHS! Much like "oththa suzhi" & "retta shuzhi" komboos!

That way, for ക് + ര = ക് ര, they made it ക്ര

Some more samples :

ശ്ര (shra) / ഗ്ര (gra/ ട്ര (tra)

Interestingly, you can add vowels to these combos and "double" the symbols around.

For example, say you already have "shr" as ശ്ര്

Now, you can add ee (ഈ) to that combo, and make it shree!

That will look like : ശ്രീ (This the exact equivalent of the Thamizh ஸ்ரீ, even looks alike!)

Some similar combinations, to illustrate :

പ്രേ - p + r + yE : prE

ക്വീ = k + v + ee : kvee

ബ്യൂ = b + y + oo = byoo

ട്യൂ = t + y +oo = tyoo

സ്വീ = b + v + ee = bvee

ബ്രാ = b + r + A = brA

Let me give some word examples in the next post!

I take the liberty to infuse all the "combo" concepts discussed thus for in the sample words to this relatively large group (i.e. addition of vowels, doubling of consonants, addition of these three consonants y, r, v to other consonants and adding vowels to such doubling or otherwise addition of consonants etc).

So, this may be a difficult exercise!

However, considering that we've had a few weeks of familiarity to the script otherwise, this may be tolerable IMHO!

After this, we'll only have other "hetero-combo-of-consonants" left to learn and with that, voila, we'll be done with these alphabet lessons!

അയ്യപ്പൻ - ayyappan - அய்யப்பன் -अय्यप्पन

രാവണൻ - rAvaNan - ராவணன் - रावणन

ലാവണ്യ - lAvaNya - லாவண்ய - लावण्य

വട്ടാണോ - vattANo - வட்டாணோ -वटटाणो (are you mad?)

ശ്രീവിദ്യ - shrividya - ஸ்ரீவித்ய - श्रीविद्य

തുഷാരം - thushhAram - துஷாரம் - तुषारम

സാഗരം - sAgaram - ஸாகரம் - सागरम

ഹരിഹരൻ - hariharan - ஹரிஹரன் - हरिहरन

പള്ളി - paLLi - பள்ளி - पल्ली (mosque / church)

തമിഴ് - thamizh - தமிழ் - तमिल

പാറ - pARa - பாற - पार

Time for some vinyls

We have 11 consonants in the last group, opportunity to post 11 vinyl pics

The first one, for "ya" / യ...let us pick the BM / IR / Mammootty movie

യാത്ര / yAthra / யாத்ர / यात्र (look at the "OLD" way the "thra" character is featured on the vinyl cover...Malayalam was written like that even in 1985 / 86 when I entered Palakkad )

For the next letter "ra / ര", let's have the name of a popular person in TN

രജനി / Rajani / ரஜனி / रजनि

For the next letter, la / ല, let me use a different vowel combo, li / ലി

ആലിംഗനം / Alinganam / ஆலிங்கனம் / आलिङ्गनम

Likewise, for va / വ too let me use the "i" version

വിശ്വരൂപം / vishwaroopam / விஸ்வரூபம் / विश्वरूपं

(Heard this name before? Used twice in Thamizh, once by NT & recently by Kamal...BTW, MSV the MD for this Malayalam movie)

Now the letter sha / ശ which is between sa / സ and shha / ഷ :

ശരപഞ്ചരം / sharapancharam / சரபஞ்சரம் / शरपनचरम

This one must be easy for Thamizh readers - sha / ഷ which has a similar looking letter in Thamizh as a "vadamozhi" ezhuththu

ശേഷം കാഴ്ചയിൽ / sheshham kAzhchayil / சேஷம் காழ்சயில் / शेषं काल्चयिल

Likewise, the tip-tongued "sa" / സ should be easy for TN-ers as they have a similar looking vadamozhi ezhuththu in Thamizh too

സന്ധ്യയ്‌ക്ക്‌ വിരിഞ്ഞ പൂവു / sandhyaykku virinjja poovu / ஸந்த்யய்க்கு விரிஞ்ஞ பூவு / सन्ध्यय्क्कु विरिञ्ज पूवु

IR music

For ha / ഹ, let me use a different vowel combo

ഹേമന്ത രാത്രി / hEmantha rAthri / ஹேமந்த ராத்ரி / हेमन्त रात्रि

Now we'll look at three letters that are unique to only Malayalam & Thamizh - La, zha & Ra

First, let's take "La / ള" which looks like Malayalam u/ഉ, so watch out

ഭൂഗോളം തിരിയുന്നു / bhoogOLam thiriyunnu / பூகோளம் திரியுன்னு / भूगोलम तिरियुन्नु

We have zha / ഴ now, with a very simple word

പുഴ / puzha (river) / புழ / पुल