Half of a Kerala conversation happens without words. English speakers bring their own body language with them: a beckoning finger to call someone, a thumbs-up for yes, steady eye contact with everyone, a firm hand on an elder's shoulder. Some of these feel odd in a Kerala home, and the famous side-to-side head movement confuses almost every newcomer, who reads it as "no" when it usually means "yes, okay, I'm with you". In this episode: • The head movement • Hands that call, stop and say enough • Eyes, seats and respect for elders • Footwear, space and food • Gesture words and sounds • An invented scene: the first visit • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: ശരി (shari) = OK അതെ (athe) = yes, that's right ഉം (um) = mm-hmm ആ (aa) = yeah ഇല്ല (illa) = no, there isn't വേണ്ട (venda) = no, I don't want it ഇങ്ങോട്ട് വാ (ingottu vaa) = Come here ഒന്ന് നിൽക്ക് (onnu nilkku) = Wait a moment മതി (mathi) = Enough മതി, മതി (mathi, mathi) = That's enough, really എന്താ? (enthaa?) = What? എന്തു പറ്റി? (enthu patti?) = What happened? ബസ്സിന് കൈ കാണിക്ക് (bassinu kai kaanikku) = Wave down the bus എഴുന്നേറ്റു നിൽക്കുക (ezhunnettu nilkkuka) = to stand up ഇരിക്ക്, ഇരിക്ക് (irikku, irikku) = Sit, sit (to someone younger) ഇരിക്കൂ (irikkoo) = Please sit കൈ കൊണ്ട് കഴിക്കുക (kai kondu kazhikkuka) = to eat with your hand കൈ കഴുകിയിട്ട് വാ (kai kazhukiyittu vaa) = Wash your hands and come ആംഗ്യം (aangyam) = gesture ആംഗ്യം കാണിക്കുക (aangyam kaanikkuka) = to make a gesture Learn Spoken Malayalam at Home: a complete course in everyday spoken Malayalam for English speakers. Native Malayalam pronunciation, every phrase in Malayalam script, Manglish and English, plus a language bridge comparing Malayalam with other world languages. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.