Malayalam

History
Malayalam (not to be confused with Malay spoken in Malaysia) is a Dravidian language closely related to Tamil, although it is more influenced by Sanskrit than the latter. Speakers of Malayalam are called Malayalis. It is estimated that the ancestral language that gave rise to both Tamil and Malayalam split sometime in the 9th century AD, giving rise to Malayalam as a language distinct from Tamil. Tamil subsequently influenced the early development of Malayalam because it was the language of scholarship and administration. Later influences on Malayalam came from Sanskrit through religious sources.

The earliest writings in Malayalam are from the end of the 9th century, and the first literary text dates to 1125–1250 AD. The early literature of Malayalam included classical songs and poetry. Malayalam prose of different periods shows varying degrees of influence of other languages such as Tamil, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English. Modern Malayalam literature is rich in poetry, fiction, drama, biography, and literary criticism.


Status
Malayalam is spoken by 35 million people primarily in the state of Kerala and in the Laccadive Islands in southern India. It is one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also spoken in Bahrain, Fiji, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

Today, Malayalam is coming into its own as the language of administration and as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges.




Malayalam is extraordinarily rich in every genre of literature. Every year numerous books and publications are produced in Malayalam. In Kerala alone 170 daily papers, 235 weekly and 560 monthly periodicals are published in Malayalam. The most circulated daily paper in India is in Malayalam. This language is presently taught in many Universities outside Kerala including some in the United States.