Arabi Malayalam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arabi Malayalam (Malayalam script : അറബി മലയാളം) is a system of writing Malayalam language language in a variant form of Arabic script.The Arabic script has been modified to represent the peculiar sounds of Malayalam.[1]Writing Malayalam in this script is mainly carried out in Malaysia and Singapore by the migrant Muslim community.[2]It is also used to teach Malayalam in Madrassas of Kerala , a South Indian state of India and Lakshadweep.[3]It is also used by some Muslims in Kerala to write Malayalam.[4]

[edit] Persian origin

There were many problems to write Malayalam using Arabic letters, a Semitic language. Only 28 letters were available in Arabic language to pronounce over 53 letters in the Malayalam language. It was overcome by taking the help of Persian alphabets.[5] The letters like ‘Pa’, ‘gha’ ‘kha’, ‘nga’,’ nja’, ‘zha’,’ga’, ‘cha’ were not available in the Arabic alphabets. The script which stand for zha, cha, pa, ga (Ý, º, É ·) are ژ, چ, پ, گ respectively in Arabi Malayalam. These letters though look like Arabic letters, are not. All these letters were taken from the Persian alphabets. The Persian language being the daughter of Arabic language the adoption simply became a natural process.

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ "Malayalam resource center". 
  2. ^ "Arabic script for malayalam". 
  3. ^ "Arabi Malayalam in Lakshadweep". 
  4. ^ "Arabic script for malayalam". 
  5. ^ "Persian alphabets". 

[edit] Related Topics

Languages