Malayalam script looks complex and is not: every letter has one sound and there are no silent letters. This is the audio companion to the script book. It gives the sound of every letter, in order, so your ear knows a shape before your eye meets it. It begins with the one big idea: Malayalam is an abugida, so every consonant carries a built-in a, changed with a vowel sign and removed with the chandrakkala. Then come the fifteen vowels in short and long pairs, each with a word: amma, aana, ila, eecha. Listen while you trace, and say every letter aloud. Words and phrases in this class: അമ്മ (amma) – mother ആന (aana) – elephant ഇല (ila) – leaf ഈച്ച (eecha) – fly (insect) ഉരൽ (ural) – mortar, for grinding ഊഞ്ഞാൽ (oonjaal) – swing എലി (eli) – mouse ഏണി (eeni) – ladder ഐക്യം (aikyam) – unity ഒട്ടകം (ottakam) – camel ഓടം (odam) – boat ഔഷധം (aushadham) – medicine അംബരം (ambaram) – sky In this class: • Why this is a companion to the writing book, not a substitute • The one big idea: the abugida and the built-in a • The say-it conventions: doubled long vowels, capitals for retroflex, zh • All fifteen vowels in short-long pairs, chanted and paired with words Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.