Many competent learners stay silent in groups for reasons that have nothing to do with their Malayalam. Kerala conversation runs at the fast end: short gaps, plenty of overlap, and silence felt as a problem to solve. This class gives you the fillers that let you claim a turn before your sentence is ready, explains why overlap signals engagement rather than rudeness, and sets out the backchannel sounds that keep a speaker going in Malayalam instead of switching to English. It also covers when silence is uncomfortable and when it is exactly right. Words and phrases in this class: അതായത് (athaayathu) – that is to say എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞാൽ (ennu paranjaal) – which is to say ഒരു കാര്യം (oru kaaryam) – one thing എന്താ പറയുക (enthaa parayuka) – what to say എന്റെ അഭിപ്രായത്തിൽ (ente abhipraayathil) – in my opinion ഞാൻ പറയാൻ പോകുന്നത് (njaan parayaan pokunnathu) – what I'm going to say is ഒരു കാര്യം പറയട്ടെ? (oru kaaryam parayatte?) – may I say one thing? ഉം (um) – mm (I am listening) അതെയോ? (atheyo?) – really? ആഹാ (aahaa) – aha കൊള്ളാം (kollaam) – nice അയ്യോ (ayyo) – oh no പിന്നെ (pinne) – then In this class: • Why your processing time is longer than the turn allows • Fillers that hold the floor, and asking for it outright • Overlap as engagement, and the backchannel that keeps a speaker going • When silence is uncomfortable, and when it is exactly right Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.