Shankar Panikkar
More commonly and affectionately known simply as Shankar, Shankar Panikkar is royalty among Malayalam Actors and was one of the most famous faces in all of the 1980s. He was the second actor to be classified as a super start after the equally legendary Jayan.

Jayan
Krishnan Nair, known more commonly by his stage name of Jayan, was a naval officer, stuntman, and one of the most iconic and famous Malayalam actors ever to grace the screen. His portfolio includes some 120 of the most popular fills in the history of the genre and he built a reputation for heart-stopping action like no other actor before him and few since. His macho image lives on as truly legendary even today.

Mammootty
Known officially as Muhammadkutty Ismail Panaparambil, Mammootty is one of today’s leading Malayalam Actors and has to date worked in more than 360 films of various genres. He is in fact second only to one Prem Nazir in terms of overall lead roles in Indian movies and takes the title for most dual-roles, having performed nine to date.
 
Suresh Gopinathan
Suresh Gopi, aka Suresh Gopinathan by way of his full name is a famous Indian actor with an impressive portfolio of over 190 movies to date. He has also extended his body of work to include the small screen and currently presents a popular Indian game show.
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The Beaches
One of the best things about the beaches of Kerala is the way in which they offer the most spectacular scenery and overall experience India has to offer, without the crowds, annoyances and indeed dangers of tourist meccas like Goa. If on the lookout for truly unspoiled paradise, try out Marari Beach or Varkala Beach, which those looking for more excitement may be better suited to Kovalam Beach.

Homestays
It doesn’t matter where you choose to base yourself, with any homestay in Kerala you’re guaranteed the most hospitable and authentic experience possible. From the best local foods to secrets of the region to the greatest looking into the culture and even a chance to pick up the basics of the Malayalam language, there’s no better way to spend a visit.

Kozhikode
The crafts village at Kozhikode was set up specifically for the benefit of tourists and is not only the best place in the land to pick up local wares, but also to take a lesson or two in the creation of some truly remarkable items and products. If you want to try your hand at crafting art from palm leaves, coconut shells, bamboo, banana fiber and so on, this is one of the most beautiful places to stay in and around by far.

Marayoor
40KM from Munnat lies Marayoor, where the weather is cooler, the rainfall is more abundant and the land more verdant and lush than anywhere else in the area. This is an excellent place to get back to nature, take an elephant safari or visit some of the most stunning waterfalls on Earth.

Alleppey
Last but not least, try out Alleppey for the most stunning backwaters where you can hire a houseboat and truly redefine what it means to while away the hours in complete and total tranquility.

As in learning any other language, the alphabets in Malayalam need to be learned and understood properly before one goes on to other tasks such as learning how to pronounce words in Malayalam. Once you get hold of the alphabets of the language, you are going to have no trouble at all in learning how to speak and pronounce the words in the language in a matter of months. Therefore, it is of utmost necessity that you give proper time to study and learn the proper pronunciation of the Malayalam alphabets first before you start learning how to pronounce the words.

After having done the hard part of learning the alphabets, you are ready to move on to the next frontier, which is of learning how to pronounce the Malayalam words. Since you have understood the right pronunciation of the alphabets in Malayalam, you will not find it much hard to pronounce the words. You will just have to utter the right sounds of the alphabets you have already learned one by one and pronouncing the word would become easier for you. Thus, when learning how to pronounce words in Malayalam, your first objective would be to master the pronunciation of the alphabets.

1. Ann Augustine: She had her acting debut in the film ‘Elsamma Enna Aankutty’ (2010) and is the daughter of renowned Indian actor Augustine.

2. Shweta Menon: This Indian television anchor, model, and award-winning actress began her career in 1991 and has won several beauty shows. She has had leading roles in over 45 films across various languages.

3. Jyothirmayi: This actress has won the National Award. She started acting in TV serials and later moved to films. She has acted in numerous Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, and English films.

4. Meera Jasmine: She has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada, films. She was awarded the Best Actress “National Film Award”in 2004 and also won the Film Kerala State Award twice. She also won the Kalaimamani Award given by the Tamil Nadu government.

5. Diana Mariam Kurian: This actress uses the stage name “Nayantara”. She had her start in a film called ‘Manassinakkare’ (2003). She starred in Tamil cinema in 2004 and in Telugu cinema in 2005, following which she had starring roles beside popular leading actors.

6. Mamta Mohandas: She has appeared in her first film in 2005, directed by Hariharan. This film was not a box office success, but Mamta gained acclaim for her penetrating depiction of her character.

7. Gopika: She is a brilliant classical dancer. Her first film was ‘Pranayamanithooval’ in which she starred with Vineeth and Jayasurya.

8. Dhanya Nair: This actress is known by her film name “Navya”. She starred in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada films. She gained attention acting in ‘Ishtam’ (2001). Her acting in other films has won her acclamation.

9. Asin Thottumkal: If you don’t remember her in her Bollywood debut ‘Ghajini’, she is now one of the most popular actresses in southern India for her acting start in the movie ‘Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka’ (2001). She has also gone on to win many awards for her acting.

10. Priyamani: This actress is a Kerala born customary girl who became super dazzling and acclaimed south Indian actress. She studied at Bangalore for the film “Paaruthi Veeran” released in 2006.

Most experts in languages know the numerous benefits there are in learning a foreign language such as Malayalam. You will be better able to travel to countries where Malayalam is spoken and feel at ease, be industrious and submerge yourself in the culture of those speaking this language. Research has shown that learning another language helps keep memories sharp and naturally improves total function of the brain.

Many people may have never heard of the language of Malayalam but in South India, it is one of 4 major languages spoken by over 35 million people. So if for any reason you will be spending time in Southern India, it might be a worthy goal to learn Malayalam. When traveling abroad this language also may be used by large groups of South Indians living in Malaysia, Middle East, Australia, Singapore, Europe as well as in part of North America.

There are a number of methods to learn Malayalam. The preferred way is by actively taking part in conversations where you should try speaking to others but most important where you listen to others speak Malayalam. However, that is not always possible or you might not be in a situation where you are around those who know Malayalam. There are also online Malayalam courses that you can take which provide you with guides that can be printed out, MP3’s, videos, and plenty of chances to hear Malayalam being spoken.

With the availability of the internet, it is now easier than ever to learn a foreign language – no matter what language that is. And knowing often used phrases in different languages makes traveling that much more interesting. Therefore, if you are planning to visit the Southern regions of India continue to learn Malayalam by whatever method is easiest for you – so that in 30 days your visit to India will be that much more interesting.

The word ‘Malayalam’ is believed to have derived from the terms ‘Mala’ for mountain and ‘Alam’ for place or land. Therefore, the term ‘Malayalam’ means mountain lands.
The Malayalam language only has 53 total characters with 37 consonants and 16 short and long vowels. A new style for writing in 1981 was introduced to replace the old style; reducing the number of characters dramatically.

Malayalam together with Kota, Tamil, Kannada, and Kodagu belongs to the south Dravidian languages. It is not measured as an ancient language; and is the newest of all languages of the Dravidian family. This language is very similar to Tamil. Sanskrit and Tamil being the languages of scholarship and administration, greatly have an influence on the primary development of the Malayalam language.

When the Europeans arrived, the language was further enriched with the language absorbing numerous idioms and words from English, Dutch, and Portuguese – with the most words coming from English next to Sanskrit. Malayalam has numerous regional and even more communal dialects among the native speakers. The variation occurs in vocabulary, accent, grammar etc as community, region, social status, and religious differences. Malayalam varies in aspects such as the lack of personal endings with verbs.

Even with Malayalam language being regional with comparatively fewer speakers when matched to other Indian languages, 550 monthly periodicals, 170 daily papers, and 235 weekly papers are printed in Kerala alone. The most distributed newspaper daily in any of the India regional languages is in Malayalam.

With the passage of Malayalees from Kerala to other areas of the world, the Malayalam language also migrated abroad. Malayalam is taught now in many universities besides ones in Kerala including some in the United States.

Take your time in learning the vowels and consonants. Check our Getting Started section to help you improve your understanding of Malayalam words. Listen to what your teacher is saying, repeat the Malayalam words until it rolls of your tongue naturally and try and get the accent right. When writing the letters or words down make sure they are perfect. First trace the letter over and over than try writing it yourself until you get it perfect. When you have learnt multiple letters then try and make some Malayalam words.

Try and practice a few hours a day, print a hard copy of our printable guides and study it every chance you have. Download to your MP3 player and listen while in the car, bus or simply having a walk. Listening to the words and repeating them will help. Find an online tutorial and take short tests to determine if you are improving. The beginner’s course is easy for children let alone for adults. Try and write on online foreign forums or blogs to see if what you are saying is understood ask for help if needed. If you manage to find a person that already knows the language it can better you chances in learning quicker as the more practice the better.

Tips to Learn Malayalam Words

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Make conversation as much as possible; make as many mistakes as you want as long as you have someone or something to correct you. Remember we learn best by the mistakes we make. First learn the basic questions like how to order or greetings.
Practice, practice and keep practicing. When you study the Malayalam language you will become more familiar with the grammar and how you are suppose to place the words. Don’t be afraid to experiment add new words and make up sentences, take it slowly there is no hurry.

Make a list of sentences and continuously run through them, you can use online resources such as websites, dictionaries and live online help.

Use http://malayalamteacher.com as an easy guide to learning the language. The site will help enhance your prospects and make it easy for you with step by step procedures. Use our Audio & Video Quick Start to advance to the next level in learning the Malayalam language. You will also gain access to printable material which will be valuable to you when studying. You will also have access to an online teacher who is ready to help you with any questions you may have. This site is highly recommended by people who have already used it and there is a thirty day money back guarantee if you are not happy. So what are you waiting for! Learn the language and gain the knowledge of this mystical country.

And even if you are a vegetarian, South Indian menus offer a variety of foods which should be of interest starting from Bean pancakes referred to as pesarattu or tamarind rice, raw mangos or cabbage pachadi. Although when mentioning Indian food your mind may think it’s spicy, there are some which are less spicy and mainly consist of eggplants and salads with a little less chilli. The Kerala cuisine is by far the most popular, Malayalees have many traditions and history around their foods. Although their breakfast is rather unknown around the US its popularity in South India is outstanding. The breakfast consists of rice powder and a little grated coconut which is called Puttu and curry made of black beans and rice pancakes.

The main food of Kerala is again rice; the only difference from other states is that they prefer the more nutritional rice which is boiled with rice husk. Rice is usually prepared with a type of curry. The Kerala cook every meal with coconut oil to make an exclusive taste but is sometimes replaced by vegetable oil because of the high cost. Some more dishes which should not be overlooked are Nadan Kozhi Curry, which is a type of stew cooked with fish, lamb or chicken. Although desert is not a big issue with the Malayalam the most popular are hot rather than cold. The payasam which is a mixture of dried grapes , cashew nuts , preparation milk and extract of sugar, this is also followed by the smaller yellow bananas which are sometimes fried and also served with delicious ice cream.

If you are considering a trip to India you may want to learn how to speak Malayalam. Not only will you be benefiting from a new experience but you will be entering into a new world of cuisines and different types of menus.

The Malayalam language is thousands of years old

The Malayalam language has existed since the 6th century, and it is derived from Middle Tamil. It is possible to learn the Malayalam language by taking an online course. It is possible to begin by learning simple phrases and words that are used in daily language. Check out our free sample guide on tips and tricks on learning Malayalam. We offer lists of words in English and how to say them in Malayalam, but this alone may not be enough to learn the language without hearing the words said by someone who is fluent in the language. For this reason, it’s important to find someone who speaks Malayalam and try to converse with them. Hearing the pronunciation makes it much easier to learn to say them yourself.

Learn the Malayalee culture

Anyone who wants to speak Malayalam will also want to learn the Malayalee culture. There are many rich features of this culture that focuses on family, music, festivals, and other important times of the year. Those who speak this language are mostly Hindu, but some are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and other religions. Families live as joint families, it means when a son marries, he brings his wife to live with his parents. The wife takes care of the home, cooks, and sometimes works outside of the home. There are many other interesting facts that can be learned about this culture as you are learning the language.

Step by step Malayalam often begins by hearing the instructor say the letter or word. The next step is to write the letter or word while repeating its meaning several times. This helps the learner remember what the symbol means while learning how to draw the letter or letters. After several words are learned, the next step is usually to begin to learn simple combinations of words. These may be, “I’m sorry,” “Excuse me,” or “What time is it please?”

While learning Malayalam, it is important that the learner practices for some time each day. This can be by working with our Malayalam Audio Quick Start Guide. When words and sentences are spoken, repeated, and used in conversation, they become a natural part of the person’s new vocabulary. A tutorial will almost always review what has been learned in the previous lesson. Many times, a test is given to see if the learner has mastered the material. This helps determine if the person is ready to go on to the next lesson.

A course in Malayalam for beginners will have both children and adults speaking some commonly used phrases and sentences very quickly. In the first few lessons, they will learn to speak and write letters and words. This is very encouraging to a learner when the person sees that they are making progress because it inspires them to continue learning.

As the beginner progresses, he or she will be able to recognize some words that are written in stories, online, in emails, and in other locations. Their language skills are developing quickly if they are devoted to learning Malayalam to visit India or another area of the world where this language is spoken. If the beginner can find a person who knows the language well, it is helpful to speak Malayalam with this person as often as possible. The more practice that the beginner has in using the language, the faster it will become their second or third language.

Learning Malayalam also involves learning the culture and social expectations of the people who live in regions that speak this language. It is important to understand how to use language when speaking because what is acceptable in one culture is often not acceptable in another. This applies to the spoken word as well as the written word.