എറണാകുളം dialect

എറണാകുളം dialect - some examples


- ന്നു > - ണു

e.g.
വരുന്നു > വരണു
പോകുന്നു > പോകണു
ഇരിക്കുന്നു > ഇരിക്കണു


വരുന്നുണ്ടോ > വരണുണ്ടോ


  

Magic Squares

Let's take a detour today and look at magic squares.

സു	മ	തി
മ	രു	ന്നു
തി	ന്നു	ന്നു

This can be read across and down to read the same (though, with a little bit of 'cheating' in the pronunciation of ന്നു.)

Let us try something (hopefully) easier - Just making valid words reading across and down.

A small example is

പ	ത
ക	ല

A variant is

പ	ത
ക	റ

Can you think of other 2x2 magic squares? 

Moving words

The root സര in Sanskrit means to move, to flow, etc.  Some of the commonly used words in Malayalam are derived from this root, however, their meanings are very different today and one has to look deeper to get the connection with the flow.

പാദസരം  is anklet. പാദത്തിൽ സരിക്കുന്നത് = that which moves around the feet. This derivation is quite straight forward.

അവസരം is opportunity. It comes from അവ (downwards) + സരം (moving). Literally it means "befalling". Of course, opportunity befalls many times.

പരിസരം means environment. പരി (around) + സരം. That which moves around - which is the environment.

അനുസരണം means discipline. If we look closely at the components we see that it comes from അനു (following) + സരണം  (the act of moving). So literally, it means following behind, trailing behind etc. Of course, when you are acting in discipline you are following some set of norms or rules or guidelines.

പ്രസരണം means to spread out. It comes from പ്ര- (outwards) + സരണം (movement).

There are some other words, like ഉത്സരം (upward moving) which are used very closely in meaning with original Sanskrit.

Do you know other words that contain the സരം root?

Mortar and Pestle

Mortar and Pestle used to be a household staple in olden times. They are called ഉരൽ and ഉലക്ക, respectively.

ഉരൽ comes from ഉര- , to grind. But what about ഉലക്ക?

Interestingly, it also comes from the same root. One etymology is that ഉരം + കൽ = ഉരംക്കൽ -> ഉലക്ക.

(r --> l sound change has been attested in many languages and many words. )

Two ഴs

 ഴ being a native letter of our alphabet, is present in a number of Malayalam words.

But do you know a word that has two ഴs appearing together?

It is ഏഴേഴു = ഏഴ് + ഏഴ് = seven seven, literally = seven times seven = 49.

In theory, we can now construct words with any number of consecutive ഴs in this manner. E.g.

ഏഴേഴേഴു = 7 cubed = 213.

Do you know any other words with two or more ഴs in sequence? 

ഴ - words

The following are some common ഴ words.

• അഴ - loosen
• അഴി - unravel
• അഴുക് - decay
• ആഴു - to sink 
• ഇഴ - slither
• ഇഴി -
• ഇഴു - to melt/dissolve
• ഉഴർ - wander
• ഉഴി - go around
• ഉഴു - plough / till
• ഏഴു - to be raised
• ഒഴി - vacate / drain
• ഒഴു - flow
• കഴി - finish
• കഴു - neck
• കഴുക് - to wash
• കിഴി - depress
• കുഴ - to weaken, to mix
• കുഴി - pit
• കൊഴി - drop off
• ചുഴി - to spiral
• തഴ  - to discard, to pass
• താഴു - to sink
• തുഴ - to row
• നാഴി - measure (n)
• നൂഴ - sneak, trespass 
• പഴക് - to become old
• പഴു - to ripen 
• പിഴ - to falter
• പിഴി - to squeeze
• പുഴ - river
• പുഴു - worm
• പുഴുങ് - to steam-cook
• പൊഴി - to fall off
• പൊഴു - time
• മഴ - rain
• മിഴി - to open the eyes
• മുഴങ് - to resound
• മൊഴി - to speak
• വഴങ് - to comply
• വഴി - to vacate, way
• വഴു - to slip
• വാഴു - to rule
• വിഴുങ് - to swallow
• വീഴു - to fall down

Is it a coincidence that a lot of these have negative meanings? 

Soil and smell

Soil is മണ്ണ്. Smell is മണം. Is there a common etymology?

It turns out that both words come from the same root, മണക്കുക to smell.

മണമുള്ളത് മണ്ണ് = Soil is that which smells.

It sounds artificial - until you look into Indian Rhetoric theory (തർക്കശാസ്ത്രം).

Accoring to തർക്കശാസ്ത്രം,  earth (പൃഥിവി) is chrarcterized as the substance or material that is differentiated by means of smell: തത്ര ഗന്ധവതീ പൃഥിവി.

I am not sure which came first - the word മണ്ണ് that inspired the characterization or the characterization that inspired the name.

What do you think?