MALAYALIM LANGUAGE. 5
The dental ന never occurs as a medial or final: the other ന is
never used as an initial; thus നിൎബന്ധം Constraint.
11. With respect to the sound of the letters, in general, it is to be
observed that in some cases they vary a little from the pronounciation
given above; thus:
1st. The short vowel അ, contained in the consonants1 when fol-
lowed by the letters ർ, ൽ, ൾ, and ൻ,2 is pronounced something like
e in label: but, in general, such is the case only when such letters
close a word, or when such words are prefixed to others to form a
compound word: thus,
പലർ many, pronounced as pălĕr, not pălăr.
മലർ roasted paddy, pronounced mălĕr not mălăr.
മലർപൊടി flour of the above, pronounced mălĕrpody.
മണൽ sand,— mănĕl not mănăl.
മണൽകുന്ന sand hill,—mănĕlkunna.
തിങ്കൾ moon,—tinkel not tinkal.
തിങ്കളാഴ്ച monday,—tinkelāricha.
കുശവൻ potter,—kus’ăwĕn.
2nd. In very numerous instances when the first, or middle syllable
of a word closes with one of the nasal letters, or with ൽ ; and, in
every case, when syllables, in any situation, are closed with o; the
short vowel അ, belonging to the preceeding consonant, is pronoun-
ced like u in hull; thus,
| നൽകുന്നു to grant, | pronounced | nulkunnu. |
| ധനം wealth, | ,, | danum. |
| ദൈവം God, | ,, | deywum. |
| അഹംകാരം pride, | ,, | ahunkārum. |
3rd. ക, when beginning a word, is to be pronounced as direct-
ed in the table; when it occurs as a medial, very soft, something
1 The short vowel അ is inherent in every consonant except the finals:
it being an invariable rule that every open consonant not followed by
another vowel must be pronounced as if അ were written after it: thus
ബ, Ba.
2 These are called finals, for the nature and use of which, see para: 17.
