In most languages weather is small talk. In Malayalam it is a subject, because of one word: മഴ. Kerala is where the Indian monsoon comes ashore, and it gets a second one in October that most of India does not. Both are named after the calendar months they arrive in: ഇടവപ്പാതി and തുലാവർഷം. You also hear how the English word monsoon came from the Arabic for season, carried by the spice trade, why മഴ പെയ്യുന്നു needs no dummy 'it', and the words a rain culture has for drizzle, downpour, thunder, flood, sun, heat and shade. Words and phrases in this class: മഴ (mazha) – rain മഴ പെയ്യുന്നു (mazha peyyunnu) – it is raining (rain is falling) ഇടവപ്പാതി (idavappaathi) – the southwest monsoon തുലാവർഷം (thulaavarsham) – the northeast monsoon ചാറ്റൽമഴ (chaattalmazha) – drizzle പേമാരി (pemaari) – torrential rain, a downpour ഇടിമഴ (idimazha) – thunderstorm വേനൽമഴ (venalmazha) – summer rain before the monsoon മഴക്കാലം (mazhakkaalam) – the rainy season മിന്നൽ (minnal) – lightning വെള്ളപ്പൊക്കം (vellappokkam) – flood വെയിൽ (veyil) – sunshine, the sun’s glare തണലിൽ ഇരിക്കാം (thanalil irikkaam) – let's sit in the shade In this class: • Why the monsoon's arrival in Kerala is national news • Two monsoons, each named after a Malayalam month • Monsoon: an Arabic word for the wind that carried ships to Kerala • No dummy subject: മഴ പെയ്യുന്നു, and kinds of rain, sun and heat Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.