കള, തള, വള

കള, തള, വള have similar etymologies. Each comes from the corresponding -അളയുക form of the verb.

കളയുക (to discard) > കള (that which is discarded) weed

തളയുക (to be fettered) > തള (that which fetters) > anklets

വളയുക (to bend) > വള (that which is bent) > bangle

Do you know other nouns that follow this pattern? 

Two pronunciations of ങ്ങ

In Malayalam there are two possible pronounciations for ങ്ങ. 

In words like മാങ്ങ, പൊങ്ങി, the pronounciation of ങ്ങ is very 'pure' - it sounds exactly like two ങ's. Whereas, in words like തേങ്ങ and മുരിങ്ങ, the pronounciation is more like 'ങ്യ' (ങ് + യ ). 

Is it completely random, or is there a rule behind it?

It seems that when the preceding sound is gutteral (e.g. അ, ഓ or ഉ), the pronounciation is the pure one. When the preceding sound is palatal (e.g. ഇ, ഏ), the pronounciation is mixed with യ. 

For a set of contrasting examples, consider: ചങ്ങാതി (1), ചിങ്ങം (2), ചുങ്ങി (1), ചേങ്ങില (2), ചൊങ്ങ്‌ (1), where (1) denotes pure and (2) denotes impure pronunciation. 

Can you think of other examples that demonstrate this difference in pronounciation? 

Interesting false cognates

Here are a couple of false cognates in Sanskrit and Malayalam that I thought was funny.

ആന means elephant in Malayalam. യതി, a tathsamam from Sanskrit, means 'breaking'. If you combine the two, you get ആനയതി. This is meaningless in Malayalam but in Sanskrit this means 'he brings'.

Approximately switching the order, അതിയാൻ means 'that man' in Malaylam. A very similar-sounding അതിയാനം meaning 'passing by' in Sanskrit.

Isn't that interesting? 

One root, four forms

I came across this in Indo-Aryan Loanwords in Malayalam.

The four words in Malayalam, ആരിയൻ, അയ്യൻ, അച്ചൻ and ആശാൻ, all come from original Sanskrit ആര്യ. However, they took four different paths to get to Malayalam.

ആരിയൻ 'an Arya' comes directly from Sanskrit.

അയ്യൻ 'lord' comes via Pālī.

അച്ചൻ 'father' comes via Prākṛt

ആശാൻ 'teacher' comes from Marathi or Hindi ājā, 'grandfather, any respectable person'

Isn't that interesting?

ചേതവും നഷ്ടവും

ചേതം and നഷ്ടം are two common words used to denote loss or destruction. Both of them have their origins in Sanskrit.

നഷ്ടം is the noun form of നശതി, to destroy, to disappear. നശതി -> നഷ്ടം, just like വിശതി -> വിഷ്ടം.

ചേതം, though very native Malayalam-sounding, is a തത്ഭവം from ഛേദം which means split.

Do you know equivalent Tamizh origin words for ചേതം and നഷ്ടം?

(I can guess, കളഞ്ഞു പോവുക could be an equivalent of നഷ്ടമാവുക.) 

How-many-th?

One of the pronouns that is unique to Malayalam is

എത്രാമത്തെe-thraa-ma-ththe

, that can be roughly translated as 'how-many-th'.

Here is a breakdown of this word.

എത്രാമത്തെ = എത്രാമത് + എ = എത്ര + ആം  + അത് + എ  < എത്ര + ആകും + അത്  + എ

എത്ര /ethra/ 'how many'
ആകും /aakum/ '(it) is'
അത് /ath'/ 'that'
എ /e/ intensifier

Thus the literal translation of എത്രാമത്തെ can be written as something like "how-many-is-it-that-which-is".

The answers are something like:
ഒന്നാമത്തെ = ഒന്ന്  + ആം + അത് + എ < ഒന്ന് + ആകും + അത് + എ. Literally, this means "that which is one(first)".

A lesser used form is ഇത്രാമത്തെ = ഇത്ര + ആം + അത് +എ.  For example,

ഒരു കാര്യം എത്രാമത്തെ എന്ന് ചോദിച്ചാൽ അത് ഇത്രാമത്തെ എന്നു പറയണം.

I don't think the form അത്രാമത്തെ is used much. An example is

ഒന്നാം പട്ടികയിൽ എത്രാമത്തെ സംഖ്യയാണോ ഏറ്റവും വലുത് രണ്ടാം പട്ടികയിൽ അത്രാമത്തെ സംഖ്യയുടെ അടിയിൽ വരയ്ക്കുക.

In English you would say it as

Underline the number in the second table corresponding to the largest number in the first table.

Technically, there should also be a form യത്രാമത്തെ, but I am not sure if it actually exist.

Space and Right?

ഇട means gap. By extension, it also means opportunity.
ഇടയുക means to interlock, mix-up and by extension, to fight. An extension is ഇടകേട് ( ഇടങ്ങേട്), meaning complication.
ഇടയൻ is a shepherd.
ഇടം means space.
ഇടത്‌ means left.

Why is space or gap associated with left?

(വലം ('right') seems to be related to വൽ- meaning 'big'. Compare to വലിയ. )