Arabi Malayalam script explained

Arabi Malayalam
Also Known As:Ponnani Script
Time:c. 500 to the present

Arabi Malayalam script (Malayalam: അറബി-മലയാളം, Arabi Malayalam: عَرَبِ مَلَیٰاۻَمْ), also known as Ponnani script,[1] [2] [3] is a writing system — a variant form of the Arabic script with special orthographic features — for writing Arabi Malayalam, a Dravidian language in southern India.[4] Though the script originated and developed in Kerala, today it is predominantly used in Malaysia and Singapore by the migrant Muslim community.

Until the 20th century, the script was widely taught to all Muslims in the primary education madrasahs of Kerala.[5] Arabi-Malayalam is currently used in some of the primary education madrasahs of Kerala and Lakshadweep.[6] [7]

Letters

There were many complications to write Malayalam, a Dravidian language, using letters covering Arabic, a Semitic language. Only 28 letters were available from Arabic orthography to render over 53 phonemes of Malayalam. It was overcome by following the pattern of creating additional letters established for Persian.[8] The letters such as Malayalam: pa, Malayalam: gha, Malayalam: kha, Malayalam: ṅa, Malayalam: ña, Malayalam: ḻa, Malayalam: ga, Malayalam: ca were not available in the Arabic alphabets. The characters which stand for Malayalam: ḻa, Malayalam: ca, Malayalam: pa, Malayalam: ga (Malayalam: ഴ, ച, പ, ഗ) are Malayalam: <!--LRO-->گ,پ,چ,ژ<!--PDF-->|rtl=yes respectively in Arabi Malayalam.

MalayalamArabi MalayalamIPA
ഴژpronounced as /ɻ/
ചچpronounced as /tʃ/
പپpronounced as /p/
ഗگpronounced as /ɡ/
[9]

Vowels

(1) (1)
(1) (1)
∅ /

Notes

  1. Alternatively, historically, the following diacritic has been used for representing Malayalam letters Malayalam: എ and Malayalam: ഏ (romanized as e and ē) and that is Malayalam: اࣣ / ◌ࣣ, Malayalam: اࣣیـ / ◌ࣣیـ / ◌ࣣی (Similar to orthographic conventions in Arabi-Tamil.

Consonants

Similar to Urdu orthography, Arabi Malayalam alphabet includes digraphs meant to represent aspirated consonants. These are formed by following a letter with the letter he (Malayalam: ھ). While in Urdu, there are two separate letters he, Gol he as an independent letter, and Do-chashmi he as part of aspirated consonant digraphs, this distinction is not necessarily made in Arabi-Malayalam.

Notes and References

  1. Kunnath. Ammad. 15 September 2015. The rise and growth of Ponnani from 1498 AD To 1792 AD. Department of History. 10603/49524.
  2. Book: Panakkal, Abbas. Islam in Malabar (1460-1600) : a socio-cultural study /. 2016. Kulliyyah Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia. 27 May 2021. 27 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527064123/http://myto.upm.edu.my/find/Record/iium.u537621. dead.
  3. Kallen. hussain Randathani. TRADE AND CULTURE: INDIAN OCEAN INTERACTION ON THE COAST OF MALABAR IN MEDIEVAL PERIOD. en.
  4. Web site: Malayalam Resource Centre. 2023-01-11. archive.ph. 12 September 2012. https://archive.today/20120912185758/http://www.malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/literature/contribution.html. dead.
  5. Menon. T. Madhava. "A Handbook of Kerala, Volume 2", International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 2002. pp. 491-493.
  6. News: Arabi Malayalam in Lakshadweep. 22 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20101005155923/http://lakshadweep.nic.in/depts/education/profile.htm. 5 October 2010. dead.
  7. Web site: SAMASTHA – Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama | samastha.info. 2023-01-11. en-US.
  8. Web site: 2008-03-18. THE ARABI - MALAYALAM SCRIPTURE. 2023-01-11. 18 March 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080318235926/http://www.e-malabari.net/culture/arabimalayalam.htm. dead.
  9. Web site: 2008-03-18. THE ARABI - MALAYALAM SCRIPTURE. 2023-01-11. 18 March 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080318235926/http://e-malabari.net/culture/arabimalayalam.htm. dead.
  10. Malayalamozhi. Arabi Malayalam. https://malayalamozhi.github.io/en/arabi-malayalam/#orthography
  11. Dr Azeez Tharuvana. (25 September 2018)Arabi Malayalam. Sahapedia. https://www.sahapedia.org/arabi-malayalam-3
  12. Miller, Roland. E., "Mappila" in "The Encyclopedia of Islam". Volume VI. E. J. Brill, Leiden. 1987. pp. 458-56.
  13. Sharafudeen, S. "Muslims of Kerala: a Modern Approach, "Kerala Historical Society, 2003. pp. 152
  14. "Malayalam Literary Survey", Volume 16 (1) -17 (4), Kēraḷa Sāhitya Akkādami, 1994. pp. 88

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