മൈയും പൈയും മായും പായും

There are no diphthongs in Malayalam. Hence when Malayalees speak English, we produce a very typical accent.

One place where this happens is how we pronounce "ai" and "ou" sounds.

In Malayalam, "ai" is pronounced something like "അയ്" with a short a. In English, it is pronounced more like "ആയ്".

For example, usually we read "my" as "മൈ". But a more accurate pronunciation is "മായ്".  Similarly, "pie" is usually pronounced as "പൈ", but a more accurate reading is "പായ്".

The situation is similar for "ou" words. We pronounce "ou" in malayalam more like "അഉ", with a short അ. But the truer pronunciation is "ആവ്". For example, "cow" is less like "കൗ" but more like "കാവ്". "Now" is less like "നൗ" but more like "നാവ്".

Friends Flocking Together

Today we look at Malayalam words for "friend". Common words are: കൂട്ടുകാരൻ, ചങ്ങാതി, തോഴൻ and സ്നേഹിതൻ.

The last one is directly from Sanskrit.

The others all have an etymology that relates to "group". The most obvious is കൂട്ടുകാരൻ = കൂട്ടം കൂടുന്നവൻ, one who forms a group with you.

According to ശബ്ദതാരാവലി, the word ചങ്ങാതി is  a തത്ഭവം of സംഘാതി. Again, we see സംഘം, group.

What about തോഴൻ?

Let us look at other words that have the തൊഴു / തോഴു form:

തൊഴുത്ത് - cowshed, where the cows come together (more formally, പശുത്തതൊഴുത്ത്)
തൊഴുക - to pay respects with folded hands, where the hands come together (more formally, കൈതൊഴുക)

Here also see the idea of group or coming together. So we can safely say:
തോഴൻ = തൊഴുന്നവൻ, കൂടുന്നവൻ = കൂട്ടുകാരൻ

Also, തോഴ്മ  is friendship.