Loan words in Malayalam
Loan words in Malayalam, excluding the huge number of words from Sanskrit and Tamil, originated mostly due to the centuries long interactions between the native population of Kerala and the trading (predominantly, spice trading) powers of the world. This included trading contacts with Arabia, Persia, Israel and China spanning millennia, and with European Colonial powers for several centuries.
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[edit] European contributions
[edit] Portuguese
Most of the Portuguese loan words are for items which the native population lacked when the encounter with Portuguese happened from around the final years of the 15th Century. Portuguese was the lingua franca in Africa, South America and Asia during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese were the major ruling colonial power in South India during this time and hence the strong influence on Malayalam (as in other Indian languages) should be obvious.
| Malayalam Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| alamaara | cupboard | armário |
| capitaan | captain | capitão |
| chaaya | tea | chá |
| chaavi | key | chave |
| chakku | sack | saco |
| isthiri | to iron, to press | estirar |
| janala | window | janela |
| kappiri | black, african | cafre |
| kasera | chair | cadeira |
| kasuvandi | cashew | caju |
| kōppa | cup, dish | copo |
| kushini | kitchen | cozinha |
| lelam | auction | leilão |
| mesha | table | mesa |
| mesthiri | foreman | mestre |
| paathiri | priest,pastor | padre |
| pena | pen | pena |
| pera | pear, guava | pera |
| raanthal | lamp, lantern | lanterna |
| raathal | a Pound (1 lb.), weight of sixteen ounces (16 oz.) | arrátel |
| savaala | onion | cebola |
| semithery | cemetery, burial ground | cemitério |
| tuvaala | towel | toalha |
| varaantha | open porch | varanda |
| veeppa | wooden cask, barrel | pipa |
| vinaagiri | vinegar | vinagre |
| chakka | jack fruit | jaca |
The Portuguese language had also taken some words from Malayalam, and they should not be confused vice-versa. Some examples are jaca for Jack Fruit (from Chakka in malayalam), manga for mango (from Mangaa or Mangai in Malayalam/Tamil).
[edit] Dutch
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| kakkūs | Toilet | kakhuis |
| Thapal | Post | Tapal |
[edit] English
Modern Malayalam dialects use countless number of English words; following are some of the unique ones.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| aapis | office | office |
| kaappi | coffee | coffee |
| Madaama | Madam | Madam/e |
| switch | switch | switch |
| apple | apple | apple |
| computer | computer | computer |
| typewriter | typewriter | typewriter |
| phone | phone | phone |
| cycle | bicycle | bicycle |
[edit] French
Compared to other European languages, the French influence on Malayalam is minimal, except for the region around Mahi.
[edit] Middle East contributions
[edit] Arabic
The Arabic language contributes a large number of words into a dialect form of Malayalam that is spoken by the Muslim (Mappila)community of North Kerala (Malabar region). There are also some common words which are used throughout Kerala.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| haajir | appear, attend, be present | ... |
| harji | petition | ... |
| jilla | District | ... |
| mahassir | report | ... |
| nakkal | copy (also can mean True copy) | ... |
| pinjaanam | bowl | فنجانفنجان |
| taluk | administrative division | ... |
| tarjima | translation | ... |
| wakalath | legal authorization | ... |
[edit] Persian
There are a few words of Persian origin in Malayalam, though it is possible many of them could be have been indirectly loaned from Urdu.
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
|---|---|---|
| parangi | foreigner,European | Farangi |
[edit] Eastern Syriac or Chaldean
| Word | Meaning | Original Form |
|---|---|---|
| maalaakha | angel | |
| koodaasa | sacrament | |
| maamodiisa | Baptism | |
| kurish | Cross | |
| pishaach | Devil | |
| Easow | Jesus | |
| Qurbana | Sacrifice (for Holy Mass) | |
| Mar | Holy Man, Saint |
Many other words like mishiha, dukhrana, kathanar, metran and methrapoleetha, which Malayali Christians use , are all derived from Syriac. Suriyani-Malayalam (or Karshoni), which used the Syriac script to write Malayalam, was a popular medium of written communication among Christians in kerala until the 19th century
