Malayalam literature for learners — the shape of the tradition, and a practical staircase from where your reading is now to where you want it to be. A language you cannot read is a language you only half have. I am Dr. Reshmi R. Nair, an applied linguist from Kerala. I have taught hundreds of learners to speak Malayalam as it is actually spoken. THE WORDS പുസ്തകം (pusthakam) - book കഥ (katha) - story ചെറുകഥ (cherukatha) - short story നോവൽ (noval) - novel കവിത (kavitha) - poem കവി (kavi) - poet നാടകം (naatakam) - play ഉപന്യാസം (upanyaasam) - essay എഴുത്തുകാരൻ (ezhuthukaaran) - writer എഴുതുക (ezhuthuka) - to write വായിക്കുക (vaayikkuka) - to read പ്രസാധകൻ (prasaadhakan) - publisher വിവർത്തനം (vivarthanam) - translation THE TRADITION IN FOUR WORDS മണിപ്രവാളം (manipravaalam) - "gem and coral threaded on one string", the medieval style that braided Malayalam with Sanskrit കിളിപ്പാട്ട് (kilippaattu) - the parrot song, the verse form in which a parrot narrates the story ഓട്ടൻതുള്ളൽ (ottanthullal) - the solo satirical performance that took poetry to ordinary people രാമായണമാസം (raamaayanamaasam) - the month in which the Ramayana is read aloud at home, which is how most Malayalis first meet literature THE READING LADDER 1. Children's books and folk tales, where the sentences are short and the vocabulary is concrete. 2. Newspaper human-interest columns, which use everyday syntax. 3. Short stories, because they end before you lose momentum. 4. Novels, where you finally read for the story and stop translating. Never look up every word. Read for the shape of the sentence first. Where are you on that ladder right now? Tell me and I will suggest your next step. #LearnMalayalam #Malayalam #Kerala