The Malayalam Thread

[Vijay]

"Meaning"

There are at least four ways I can think of that I've seen people explaining what something means in Malayalam. I think one of the most common ways I've seen them do it is using the expression [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl] or, colloquially (though people don't seem to admit this form exists and I'm guessing it's proscribed), just [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaː]. [ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl] (or [ʋɛˈt͡ʃaː]) literally means 'if [unspecified subject] put(s)' or 'if you (generic) put'. [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl] is thus literally something like 'if you put it like'. For example, 'handkerchief means [t̪uˈʋaːla]' in Malayalam would be handkerchief [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl t̪uˈʋaːla]. [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl] can also mean 'meaning', e.g. if you said something like "we asked for a handkerchief, meaning a [t̪uˈʋaːla]."

A very similar term that I honestly only remember encountering in books is [en̪ˈn̪aːl], literally something like 'in that case', e.g. handkerchief [en̪ˈn̪aːl t̪uˈʋaːla].

Both [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl] and [en̪ˈn̪aːl] can be used in conjunction with the phrase [en̪ˈn̪aːɳərt̪ʰəm], literally something like 'thus is the meaning'. I guess this is just another way of clarifying what something means, e.g. handkerchief [ˈen̪n̪ɯ ʋɛˈt͡ʃaːl t̪uˈʋaːle jen̪ˈn̪aːɳərt̪ʰəm] or handkerchief [en̪ˈn̪aːl t̪uˈʋaːle jen̪ˈn̪aːɳərt̪ʰəm] 'handkerchief is what [t̪uˈʋaːla] means'.

Another way to explain what something means in Malayalam is to use the expression [əˈd̪aːjəd̪ɯ], which I think you could say means essentially 'that is to say'. You might say something like [ɲaːn oˈɾu t̪uˈʋaːla ˈmeːɖit͡ʃu], [əˈd̪aːjəd̪ oˈɾu] handkerchief 'I bought a [t̪uˈʋaːla]; that is to say, a handkerchief'. Of course, you could also use it in contexts where you're not necessarily talking about the meaning of a specific word, e.g. [oˈɾu t̪uˈʋaːla əˈʋiɖe poˈɖijil ˈmuːɖikɛɖən̪n̪əd̪ɯ ˈkəɳɖu], [əˈd̪aːjəd̪ɯ məˈɳɛlil koˈreː n̪eːɾəˈmaːjʈ kɛɖɛˈkʲʋaːjɾun̪n̪u] 'I saw a handkerchief covered in dust there; that is to say, it had been lying in the sand for a fairly long time'. I believe I have also seen [əˈd̪aːjəd̪ɯ] used to mean 'for example'.

[Vijay]

Causatives

In Malayalam, there are various suffixes used to change the valence of a verb as well as different verb forms. The suffixes are somewhat productive, unlike in Tamil, which apparently now uses periphrastic causatives rather than any causative verbal suffixes.

One of these suffixes is -/ikku/. It can be used both to change intransitive verbs to transitive verbs and to form causatives. For example, [əˈrijuga] means 'to know', but [əˈrijikʲuga] means 'to inform', (i.e. to cause someone to know). [ˈt͡ʃejjuga] means 'to do', but [ˈt͡ʃejjikʲuga] means 'to make (someone) do'. -/ikku/ can also be used to form verbs from nouns. For example, [ˈn̪iɕt͡ʃejəm] is the usual Sanskrit loanword for 'decision, certain(ty)', so 'to decide, ensure' is [ˈn̪iɕt͡ʃejikʲuga].

Another very similar suffix is -/ppikku/. In fact, it is so similar I'm not sure what exactly the difference between this and just -/ikku/ is, but some verbs take one suffix, others take the other, and it seems that there are still others that take neither. There may even be verbs that can take either suffix, IIRC, but with different speakers using different suffixes in different contexts. [eɻun̪ˈn̪eːlkuga ~ eɻun̪ˈn̪eːkuga] means 'to get up', but [eɻun̪ˈn̪eːlpikʲuga ~ eɻun̪ˈn̪eːpikʲuga] means 'to get (someone else) up'.

Another suffix with a somewhat different meaning is -/eːkku/. This suffix is added to the past tense form of verbs to talk about doing something for someone. [pəˈrejuga] means 'to say', and [pəˈrɛɲu] means 'said', but [pərɛˈɲeːkuga] means 'to say something (as a favor) for someone/for someone's sake'.

There are also some verbs with a causative meaning formed through processes that are not as productive. For example, [ˈaːʋuga] means 'to become', but [ˈaːkuga] means 'to make (something something else), to cause to become'.



This is another movie clip that uses a lot of causatives. Unfortunately, this clip is very difficult for me to understand, especially at certain points I've indicated with a " " icon. It's incredible how difficult it can be for me to understand Malayalam movie dialogues even after reading so many novels in Malayalam! This movie is about a woman named Kalyani. This clip includes three scenes about her cousin, Bhaskaran Nambiar, who has his eye on her family's property.

Some of these words are pronounced a little differently from how I might pronounce them right now:

[eɻˈn̪eːpikʲuga] means the same as [eɻun̪ˈn̪eːlpikʲuga ~ eɻun̪ˈn̪eːpikʲuga] (see above).
[ʔəmˈmaːɖi] I think may be a word I normally see pronounced more like [ʔəmˈbaːɖi] 'wow!'.
[n̪əˈɖəkərən̪n̪ɯ] = [n̪əˈɖəkəɾud̪en̪n̪ɯ] 'not to walk'
[ʋeːɳˈɖaːt̪əke] = [ʋeːɳˈɖaːt̪əd̪oke] 'bad stuff' (literally 'everything you don't need (to do)')
Really not sure what [muɳˈɖɪnd͡ʒepjuŋgoɳɖɯ] is supposed to mean. I think maybe she meant [ˈmuɳɖum ˈʋeːʃʈijuŋgoɳɖɯ]. [ˈmuɳɖɯ] and [ˈʋeːʃʈi] both mean this, as far as I'm aware. Alternatively, perhaps [ˈmuɳɖum t͡ʃeˈɾipuŋgoɳɖɯ] is what she meant; [t͡ʃeˈɾipɯ] means 'shoes', so this would mean 'mundu and shoes'.
[ʋiˈʋəɾəŋgɤʈa] = [ʋiˈʋəɾəŋgeʈa] (see below)
[ˈd͡ʒaːd̪ijəɭɯ] = [ˈd͡ʒaːd̪igəɭ] 'castes' (see below)
[əˈʋəɾe kaːt̪iɾiˈkʲaːn pəˈrɛɲiʈɯ] = [əʋəˈɾoːɖɯ kaːt̪iɾiˈkʲaːn pəˈrəɲiʈɯ] 'since (we) told them to wait around'
[n̪eːˈɾaːj] = [n̪eːɾəˈmaːj] (see below)
[d̪əlˈlaːɭɯ] = [d̪əlˈlaːl] (see below)
[t͡ʃeːʈənijəmˈmaːɾe] = [t͡ʃeːʈənijɛnˈmaːɾeː] 'brothers' (see below)
[kɛːˈʈa]? = [keːˈʈoː]? This word literally means something like 'did you hear?' but is often used to mean something like 'okay?'.
[n̪əmˈbjaːɾɯn̪n̪ɯ] = [n̪əmˈbjaːɾen̪n̪ɯ]
[ˈit̪rə t͡ʃɛˈrʊpə̃w ˈaːwn̪n̪] = [ˈjit̪rə t͡ʃɛˈrʊpəm ˈaːgumen̪n̪ɯ] 'that (you) would be this young'
[kuˈʈijəɭeke] = [kuˈʈigəɭe ˈjoke] 'the kids and such (accusative case)'
[boːˈd̪ʱjaːj] presumably is [ˈboːd̪ʱjəm aːj], which I guess means something like 'got the idea'
[jiniːˈpoː] = [jiˈni jiˈpoːɭ], i.e. 'now'
[əlˈlaː] = [ˈəlla], often meaning something like 'no, I mean...' at the beginning of an utterance
[n̪iˈt͡ʃeːjəɳɖə] = [n̪iɕt͡ʃejiˈkeːɳɖəd̪ɯ] 'what (we) have to decide'
[n̪d̪aː]? = [jen̪ˈd̪aː]? (literally 'what is?' but here meaning 'how about it?'
I'm not sure what [n̪əmbjaːˈɾoːʈjeːʈən] is supposed to mean, perhaps [n̪əmbjaːˈɾoːɖɯ t͡ʃeːʈɛn] or [n̪əmˈbjaːɾuɖe əˈŋoːʈɯ t͡ʃeːʈɛn].
[pərejəɳoːˈloː] = [pərejəɳəməlˈloː]
[ˈɲəŋəɖe] is a common pronunciation for [ˈɲəŋəɭuɖe] 'our (exclusive)'.
[en̪n̪ərijaːˈloː] = [en̪n̪ərijaːməlˈloː] 'surely you know that...'
[ʔɪˈʋɯɖɯt̪e] = [iˈʋiɖut̪e]
[jɛnˈdeː] = [ˈjende] 'my'
[ɾaːˈmeːjən̪d̪ra] = [ˈɾaːməd͡ʒən̪d̪rɛn]
[əd̪ˈd̪eːhɛn] is presumably a slip of the tongue for [əd̪ˈd̪eːhəm], meaning 'he' in this context.
No idea what [mejˈjaːɻt͡ʃa] is supposed to mean or whether that is, in fact, what Bhaskaran Nambiar's mother said at this point in the conversation. [ˈaːɻt͡ʃa] means 'week', so a week in May???
[əˈɖɯt̪ɯ jɛn̪ˈn̪aːɖəkəɳə̃n̪n̪ɯ ˈmoːhəm] probably means something like [əˈɖɯt̪ɯ d͡ʒɛn̪ˈn̪aːɳ əˈɖəkəm n̪əˈɖəkəɳɖijəd̪ ˈen̪n̪a ˈmoːhəm] 'the desire to conduct the funeral(?) nearby' (literally 'the desire that it is having gone nearby that they should conduct the funeral').
[ˈəpə ~ ˈəpə̃] = [əˈpoːɭ] 'then'
[ˈkuːɖəl] = [ˈkuːɖɯd̪əl] (see below)
[ʔəˈmeːɾikejn̪] = [əmeːɾikaˈjiːn̪n̪ɯ] = [əˈmeːɾikejiln̪in̪n̪ɯ] 'from America'
[əˈŋɤːɾɯɖe] = [əˈŋeːɾuɖe] 'his' (in this context)
I think [ˈmmaːrkɯ] is a dialect form of [iʋɛnˈmaːrkɯ], which in turn I think simply means [iˈʋərkɯ], literally 'to/for them'.
[ˈtɨːrt̪ɯ wərəɲiɾiˈkʲaː] = [ˈtiːrt̪ɯ bərəɲiɾiˈkʲ(ugej)aː] 'am/are/is conclusively saying'
[sʋəˈt̪ũ jeˈnikʲɯ] = [sʋəˈt̪um eˈnikʲɯ] 'wealth for me'
[ɲaːn n̪oːkəɳə̃wn̪ˈn̪aːɳoː] = [ɲaːn ˈn̪oːkəɳəm en̪ˈn̪aːɳoː] 'is it that I have to look (after)?'
[ʔen̪ˈd̪əʋit̪ra t͡ʃiɾiˈkʲaːn]? = [jen̪ˈd̪aː ˈjit̪ra t͡ʃiɾiˈkʲaːn]? (see translation below)
[ʔiʃˈʈaːj] = [iʃʈəˈmaːj] 'liked'
[sən̪d̪oːːˈʃaːj] = [sən̪d̪oːʃəˈmaːj] 'became happy' (see below)
[ʋiˈləkɯ] = [ʋeˈlekʲɯ] 'for a price'

And these are the new words in this clip:

[piˈɖikʲuga] - to grab
[ɖeː]! - hey! (roughly translated)
[əmˈmaːma] - my uncle (at least in this family's kinship terminology)
[ʋəˈɖi] - stick
[ʋəˈɖijum ˈkun̪d̪um] - stick and such
[əlˈleːlum] - even otherwise (literally 'also if (it) isn't')
[ʔəˈŋeːɾɯ] - (a somewhat respectful 3SG pronoun)
[eˈŋaːnum] - somewhere
[ʔəˈŋeːɾ əriˈɲaːl] - if he finds out
[məˈd̪i] - enough
[poːˈɾaː] - isn't enough
[poːˈɾeː] - isn't it enough?
[məd̪iˈjaːkuga] - to have enough (of something)
[puˈgil] - apparently something like 'showing off'
[əmmeˈjaːjʈɯ] - as my mother
[ərijiˈkaːd̪ iɾun̪ˈn̪aːl məˈd̪i] - it's enough if (you) remain without informing, i.e. all you have to do is not let anyone know
[ˈʋeːʃəm] - clothes (similar to the 'costume' meaning I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread)
[poˈrəm] - back
[ʋiˈʋəɾəm] - knowledge
[ʋiˈʋəɾəŋgeʈa] - ignorant
[ˈd͡ʒaːd̪i] - caste
[ˈd͡ʒaːd̪igəɭ] - castes
[ˈəlpəm] - a little bit
[ʋɛˈla] - price, value
[ˈəlpəm ʋɛˈla t̪əˈɾiga] - to place a little value on me(/you)
[ˈkaːt̪iɾikʲuga] - to wait for someone
[koˈreː] - some
[koˈreː n̪eːɾəˈmaːj] - it's been a while
[d̪əlˈlaːl] - broker, commission agent
[ˈkaːɾəɳəʋɛn] - maternal uncle (not sure who uses this term or whether this is the intended meaning here)
[ˈpaːlijət̪ɯ] - in Paliyam(?)
[aːˈloːd͡ʒikʲuga] - to think, ponder
[t̪əˈɖi] - wood; can also refer to someone being fat
[t̪əˈɖut̪ɯ biˈɖikʲuga] - to feed(??)
[oˈrəpikʲuga] - to arrange, set up, take care of (a situation)
[ˈt͡ʃeːʈɛn], [ˈeːʈɛn] - older brother (in families of the Nair caste)
[t͡ʃeːʈənijɛnˈmaːr] - older and younger brothers
[oˈɾumit͡ʃɯ] - together
[n̪əˈɖət̪uga] - something like 'to make (something) work'; etymologically the causative of [n̪əˈɖəkuga] 'to walk (intransitive)' and thus perhaps can still also mean 'to walk (transitive, as in "walk the dog")'
[ba]! - come on/along/with me!
[t͡ʃɛˈrʊpəm] - young
[ˈuːhikʲuga] - to imagine
[ˈboːd̪ʱjəm] - acceptance
[kəˈɭejuga] - to throw away
[n̪iɕt͡ʃejiˈkeːɳɖəd̪ɯ n̪əˈɖət̪i kəɭeˈjaːm] - (we) can go ahead and make the necessary decisions
[ˈjeŋgilum] - nevertheless, even so, still
[ˈkaːɾjəm] - matter, situation
[t̪əmbuˈɾaːn] - (land)lord
[t̪əmbuɾaːkɛnˈmaːr] - lords
[kuˈrumbɛn] - Kurumba man, i.e. a man from any of several tribes in the Nilgiri Hills that are all called "Kurumba"
[kurumbɛnˈmaːr] - Kurumbas
[ˈkaːɖɯ] - forest
[ʋəˈɾe] - to, until; the opposite of [ʋəˈɾe] is [muˈd̪əl] 'from, first'
[əd̪ʱigaːɾəm] - power, authority
[kəˈʋəɖi] - cowrie (a kind of shell, historically sometimes used as money)
[ˈʋaːɾuga], [ˈʋaːɾiʋɛkʲuga] - to accumulate (something)
[pəˈɳikɛn] - pundit, scholar
[pəɳikɛnˈmaːr] - pundits, scholars
[ˈmuɻɻɛnum] - all, whole, wholly, completely
[ˈmət͡ʃɯ] - ceiling
[bʱəˈgəʋəd̪i] - goddess
[ˈuɭɭəm] - inside (as in the noun, not the preposition)
[ˈkaːləm] - (period of) time, age
[ˈajɕʋəɾjəm] - wealth
[ˈmətte]... - the other... (cf. [ˈʋeːre] 'another')
[mətˈton̪n̪um ˈʋeːɳɖa], [ˈʋeːrejon̪n̪um ˈʋeːɳɖa] - don't need/want anything else
[ˈpəɳɖɯ] - long ago
[ˈst̪ʰaːni] - title-holder, person with high position or title
[ˈst̪ʰaːnigəɭ] - title-holders, people with high positions or titles
[kuˈɖumbəm] - family
[ˈaːɾeŋgilum] - anyone, whoever
[məˈɾikʲuga] - to die
[d̪ɛˈhipikʲuga] - to cremate
[ˈjeːʈət̪i] - sister-in-law(?), in my community probably [ˈt͡ʃeːɖət̪i], though [ˈt͡ʃeːɖət̪i] is probably where [ˈt͡ʃeːt͡ʃi] 'older sister' comes from
[kəˈt͡ʃəʋəɖəm] - business
[porəˈpeɖuga] - to set out (for a destination)
[əˈɖəkəm] - funeral
[əˈɖəkəm n̪əˈɖəkuga] (also [əˈɖəkəm n̪əˈɖət̪uga]?) - to conduct a funeral
[t̪iːɾuˈmaːnikʲuga] - to decide
[ˈoːho]! - aha! I see!
[ˈkuːɖɯd̪əl] - more
[jeˈrəŋuga] - to go/come out
[ˈsʋət̪ɯ] - wealth (seems more common/less formal than [ˈajɕʋəɾjəm])
[pəˈɳəm] - money
[ˈjaːd̪oɾu] - any
[əʋəˈgaːɕəm] - right
[ˈtiːrt̪ɯ bəˈrejuga] - to say conclusively/decisively(?)
[piɖiˈʋaːɕi] - quarreling over money(?)
[pəˈɖərpɯ] - spreading, contagion, copying (not completely sure about any of these translations)
[t̪əmˈbraː] - vocative form of [t̪əmˈbraːn] i.e. [t̪əmbuˈɾaːn] '(land)lord'
[t͡ʃiˈɾi] - laugh, smile (noun)
[t͡ʃiˈɾikʲuga] - to laugh, smile
[jenˈnaː] - What is it?
[oːˈɾoːn̪n̪ɯ] - various things, certain things
[ˈoːrkuga] - to remember, think (about)
[jeːˈd̪aːjaːlum] - anyway, in any case, at any rate (sometimes also 'at least' or even 'for example'?)
[ʋiˈɭikʲuga] - to call
[ubəˈd̪eːɕəm] - advice
[ubəˈd̪eːɕi] - preacher, evangelist
[ubəˈd̪eːɕikʲuga] - to advise
[ˈət͡ʃɛn] - father (in some families. Christians use this word to mean 'priest')
[ˈt̪əmmil] - between
[ˈt̪ettuga] - to make a mistake
[ˈpaːɖilla] - something like 'won't work'
[kəˈɾud̪uga] - to consider, think
[ʋəˈga] - own, wealth, property, means, relation, mode, manner, sort, item
[sən̪ˈd̪oːʃəm] - happiness
[əˈgəm] - inside
[ˈəssəl], [ˈəssəlɯ] - exactly like, excellent
[ˈt͡ʃeːrt͡ʃa] - fit (noun)
[ʋiˈʋaːhəm] - wedding, marriage
[ˈt̪ən̪d̪a] - (usually obscene) word for 'father'
[ˈt̪əɭɭa] - archaic word for 'mother', apparently often considered rough-sounding nowadays
[jɛɖəbəɖuga ~ jiɖəbeɖuga] - to interfere, intervene
[əbʱiˈpraːjəm] - opinion
[ˈd͡ʒiːʋikʲuga] - to live
[ˈind͡ʒɯ] - inch
[ˈkajgəɖət̪uga] - to interfere
[ˈsneːhəm] - love, being nice to other people
[ʋeˈla] - price
[ˈʋaːŋuga] - to buy, get
[t̪eˈɭijuga] - to be clear
[t̪eˈɭijikʲuga] - to prove
[pəɾiˈbuːrɳa] - complete
[ˈpin̪d̪uɳa] - support
[prəˈkʰjaːbikʲuga] - to declare

Finally, my feeble attempt to transcribe and translate everything that is said in this clip:

Bhaskaran Nambiar: [on̪ˈn̪enne piˈɖit͡ʃ eɻn̪eːpikʲəˈɖaː]!
'Just help me get up!'
Murugan: [ʔa ʔa ʔa ʔəmˈmaːɖi]...[ʔa]!
'grunting Oof!...There!'
Bhaskaran's mother: [ɖeː], [ɲaːn n̪inˈnoːɖet̪ra ˈpraːɕəm pəˈrɛɲiʈoɳɖɯ], [ʔəmˈmaːmeːɖe jiː ʋəˈɖijuŋ kun̪ˈd̪uŋgoɳɖɯ n̪əˈɖəkərən̪n̪ɯ]! [ʔalˈleːlum n̪iː ʋeːɳˈɖaːt̪əke t͡ʃejjuɭˈɭuː]. [ʔəmˈmaːmeːɖe jiː muɳˈɖɪnd͡ʒepjuŋgoɳɖɯ] [n̪əɖəkun̪n̪əˈd̪eː], [ʔəˈŋeːɾ eˈŋaːnum əriɲaːl]...!
'Hey, how many times have I told you not to walk around with this stick and such of your uncle's?! Bad stuff is all you do anyway. If your uncle finds out somewhere that you're walking around with this mundu and veshti ...!'
Bhaskaran: [həhəh əˈmeːɾikejl iɾiˈkʲun̪n̪a əmˈmaːma], [ˈjɛŋəne əriˈjaːnaː]?
'Haha, how is my uncle living in America going to find out?'
Mother: [ˈjen̪d̪inɯ]? [kəˈljaːɳi jəriˈɲaːlum poːˈɾeː], [puˈgilinɯ]?
'Why not? For showing off, isn't it enough if Kalyani finds out?'
B: [ˈaːɾum əˈrijilla]. [ʔəmmeˈjaːjʈɯ ˈʔaːɾe jərijiˈkaːd̪ iɾun̪ˈn̪aː məˈd̪i]. [ʔiː ˈʋeːʃət̪indejoke porəˈt̪aːɳɯ ʔiː ʋiˈʋəɾəŋgɤʈa ˈd͡ʒaːd̪ijəɭɯ ʔeˈnikʲ ˈəlpəm ʋɛˈla d̪ɛˈɾun̪n̪əd̪ɯ]. [ʔəmmeˈjaːjʈɯ ʔəd̪illaːˈd̪aːkəlleː]!
'No one will find out. As my mom, all you have to do is not let anyone know. It's because ('on the back') of these clothes that these stupid (low-)caste (people) place some value on me. As my mom, don't change that for the worse!'
Bhaskaran's sister: [ʔəmˈmeː], [d̪eː jəˈʋəɾe kaːt̪iɾiˈkʲaːn pəˈrɛɲiʈɯ koˈreː n̪eːˈɾaːj].
'Hey, mom, it's been a while since we told them to wait around.'
B: [ʔaːˈɾaː]?
'Who?'
M: [ʔaː d̪əlˈlaːɭɯ krɯʃɳɛŋguʈiˈn̪aːjeɾe]. [maːˈŋaːʈɯ ˈkaːɾəɳəʋəɾũw ˈuɳɖɯ]. [ˈpaːlijət̪ aːˈloːd͡ʒikʲaːn ˈʋən̪n̪əʋəɾe t̪əˈɖut̪ɯ biˈɖit͡ʃ iˈŋoːʈɯ goɳɖɯʋən̪n̪iɾiˈkʲaː]. [n̪iː iˈd̪əŋ oˈrəpikʲɛɳəm]. [t͡ʃeːʈənijəmˈmaːɾe], [ˈɾəɳɖɯ beːɾ ˈoɳɖɯ]. [n̪əˈmukid̪oɾumit͡ʃ ˈəŋɯ n̪əɖəˈt̪aːm]! [kɛːˈʈa]? [ba]!
'That broker, Krishankutty Nair. There are maternal uncles from Mangattu, too. They fed the people thinking (about buying land) in Paliyam and brought them here. You should set this up. There are two brothers. We'll take care of this together, okay? Come on!'
Prospective customer(?): [n̪əməsˈkaːɾəm]. [ˈpaːskɛɾɛn̪ n̪əmˈbjaːɾɯn̪n̪ɯ keːʈəˈpoː ˈit̪rə t͡ʃɛˈrʊpə̃w ˈaːwn̪n̪ ˈuːhit͡ʃilla]!
'Hello. When we heard of Bhaskaran Nambiar, we never imagined he would be this young!'
B: [iɾiˈkʲuː].
'Have a seat.'
Krishnankutty Nair(?): [kuˈʈijəɭeke ˈkəɳɖu]; [boːˈd̪ʱjaːj]!
'The kids saw everything and accept!'
Murugan: [ˈn̪əmma ˈpəɳɳa ˈpaːt̪e jelˈlaːrkum piˈɖikʲə̃], [əʋɛnˈnaː piˈɾijum]?
(in Tamil) 'Everyone likes it when they see what we've done; why would they disagree?'
Krishnankutty Nair(?): [əlˈlaː], [jiniːˈpoː], [n̪iˈt͡ʃeːjəɳɖə n̪əˈɖət̪i kəɭeˈjaːm]!
'Yeah, but now, we can go ahead and make the necessary decisions!'
Customer(?): [əˈd̪e].
'Yes.'
Krishnankutty Nair(?): [n̪d̪aː]?
'How about it?'
C(?): [ˈeŋgilum], [ˈkaːɾjəŋəɭoke n̪əmbjaːˈɾoːʈjeːʈən ˈon̪n̪ɯ ˈn̪eːɾiʈɯ pərejəɳoːˈloː]! [ˈjen̪d̪ɯ goɖuˈkam]? [jen̪ˈd̪uɳɖɯ]?
'Still, you should surely just talk directly to Nambiar. What can we give him? What is there?'
B: [koɖuˈkaːn en̪ˈd̪aː]? [ʔiː jʊɭɭəd̪ɛllˈlaːm ɲəŋəɖeˈjaːɳɯ]. [maːmburət̪ɯˈgaːɾaːɳɯ ʔiː ˈn̪aːʈile t̪əmbuɾaːkɛnˈmaːr en̪n̪ərijaːˈloː]! [ʔiˈʋiɖɯt̪e kurumbɛnˈmaːɾum ˈkaːɖumʋəɾe ˈɲəŋəɖ əd̪ʱigaːɾət̪iˈlaːɳɯ].
'What is there to give? All of this is ours. Surely, you realize that the Mamburathu people are the lords of this land! Even the Kurumbas here up to the forest are under our power.'
C(?): [ˈkeːʈɪʈʊɳɖɯ].
'So we've heard.'
B: [kəˈʋəɖi ˈʋaːɾiʋɛt͡ʃa] (?) [pəɳikɛnˈmaːɾɯ ˈmʊɻɻɛnum pəˈrejum], [ˈmaːmburət̪ɯ ˈmət͡ʃil bʱəˈgəʋəd̪i jiɾun̪ˈn̪oːʈuɭɭəm] (??) [ˈkaːləm ˈʔajɕʋəɾjət̪inɯ mətˈton̪n̪um ˈʋɛːɳɖən̪n̪ɯ]. [ˈpinne ˈɲəŋəɭɯ pəɳˈɖeː st̪ʰaːnigəˈɭaː]! [saːˈmuːd̪iɾi kuˈɖumbət̪il ˈaːɾeŋgilum məɾiˈt͡ʃaːlɯ ʔɪˈʋɯɖɯt̪e t̪əmbuˈɾaːn] - [hahah ʔəˈd̪aːjəd̪ ˈipəm ɲaːn] - [t͡ʃen̪n̪aːˈleː d̪ɛhipiˈkʲuː]!
'Pundits who accumulated cowries(?) all say that as long as the goddess (which goddess?) has stayed(??) on the ceiling(?) of the Mamburathu (household), it needs nothing else for wealth. Moreover, we have been title-holders for a long time! Whenever anyone in the Samudiri family dies, they wouldn't be cremated until the lord here - now namely me, haha - arrived!'
C(?): [ʔəː], [ʔiˈpəɻət̪e t̪əmbuˈɾaːn əˈmeːɾikejl ˈaːɳɛn̪n̪ɯ]...
'Uh, (we've heard) that the current lord is in America...'
B: [ʔɑː], [hhəˈha], [jɛnˈdeː jəmˈmaːma ɾaːˈmeːjən̪d̪ra meːˈnoːn]. [əd̪ˈd̪eːhɛn iˈŋoːʈɯ ʋəˈɾilla].
'Ah yes, haha, my uncle Ramachandran Menon. He won't be here.'
C(?): [ʔəd̪ɛn̪ˈd̪aː]
'Why is that?'
B: [ʔaːd̪ɯ]...
'Uh, well...'
M: [ʔa̰ː], [ʔaˈd̪ɯ]...[ˈʔeːʈɛnum ʔeːʈəˈt̪iːm ˈmoːɭum ʔoˈɾu mejˈjaːɻt͡ʃa](???) [kəɻiɳəˈd̪aːɳɯ]. [ʔəˈmeːɾikejile t̪əˈɖikət͡ʃəʋəɖə̃ʋoke məd̪iˈjaːki ʔiˈŋoːʈɯ ʋaˈɾaːn porəpɛʈəˈd̪aː]. [ʔəʋɯɖə̃ʋɛˈt͡ʃeː], [ˈeːʈət̪i məˈɾit͡ʃu]. [ʔaˈʋɯɖe ˈt̪ənne jəˈɖəkəʋum n̪əɖəˈkeːɳɖi ˈʋən̪n̪u]. [ˈʔeːʈɛn məɾikʲumˈboː jeːʈəˈt̪iːɖe jəˈɖɯt̪ɯ jɛn̪ˈn̪aːɖəkəɳə̃n̪n̪ɯ moːhəŋgoɳˈɖaː ʔiˈŋoːʈɯ ʋəɾun̪n̪ilˈlaːn̪n̪ɯ t̪iːɾuˈmaːnit͡ʃəd̪ɯ].
'Oh, well...my brother (i.e. Ramachandran Menon) and sister-in-law and their daughter had ("are the ones who") stayed a week in May(???). They'd had enough of the lumberjacking business in America and set out to come here. There, my sister-in-law died, and they had to conduct her funeral right there. My brother decided not to come here due to his desire to be buried next to my sister-in-law when he dies.'
C(?): [ˈoːho]. [ˈəpə ˈpinne ˈkuːɖəl ˈon̪n̪um pəreˈjaːnilla]. [ˈɲəŋəɭ ɛˈrəŋun̪n̪u].
'I see. Then there's nothing else to say. We'll see ourselves out.'

B: [ˈʔəpə̃ əmˈmaːme jiˈni ʔəˈmeːɾikejn̪ iˈŋoːʈɯ ʋəˈɾun̪n̪illa ʔen̪n̪aːˈɳoː bəˈrejn̪n̪əd̪ɯ]?
'So my uncle's saying that he isn't going to come here from America now?'
Purushothaman Kaimal: [ʋəɾun̪n̪ilˈlaːn̪n̪ɯ ˈmaːt̪rəməlla], [əˈŋɤːɾɯɖe ˈsʋət̪ilum pəˈɳət̪ilum ˈon̪n̪um ˈmmaːrkɯ ˈjaːd̪oɾ əʋəˈgaːɕəʋum ilˈlaːn̪n̪ɯ ˈtɨːrt̪ɯ wərəɲiɾiˈkʲaː]. [piɖiˈʋaːɕi əŋeːɾɯɖeˈkuːɖə pəɖərpaːɳəlˈloː]!
'Not only is he not coming, but also he's saying conclusively that these people have no right to his wealth or money. Quarreling over money sure is common with him!' (I highly doubt I translated this accurately)
B: [ˈəpə̃ jelˈlaː sʋəˈt̪ũ jeˈnikʲɯ] - [ˈəlla jelˈlaː ˈsʋət̪um ɲaːn n̪oːkəɳə̃wn̪ˈn̪aːɳoː]?
'So I (get) all the wealth - I mean, do I have to look after all the wealth?'
Kurumbas: [t̪əmˈbraː], [t̪əmˈbraː], [t̪əmˈbraː]!
'Lord, lord, lord!'
Kaimal: [ʔen̪ˈd̪əʋit̪ra t͡ʃiɾiˈkʲaːn]?
'What is there to laugh so hard about?'
B: [ʔɛ]? [t͡ʃiɾiˈt͡ʃoː]?
'Huh? Did I laugh?'
K: [ʔɛnˈnaː]?
'What is it?'
B: [ʔaː], [t͡ʃiˈɾit͡ʃu]. [ˈhahahaha]! [həˈhah əˈŋɛne joːˈɾoːn̪n̪ ˈoːrt̪ɯ], [ʔɛŋɛneˈjaː t͡ʃiɾiˈkʲaːd̪iɾikʲa]? [ʔeːˈd̪aːjaːlum], [ɲaːn kəˈlʲaːɳije ʋiˈɭit͡ʃɯ ʔon̪n̪ubəˈd̪eːɕit͡ʃɯ gəɭeˈjaːm]. [ˈʔət͡ʃɛnum məˈgəɭum ˈt̪əmmil t̪etˈtaːn paːɖilləlˈloː], [ʔeː]?! OK, [kaːˈɳaːm].
'Oh, yeah, I did laugh. Hahahaha! Haha, how could I avoid laughing, thinking about certain things like that? Anyway, I'll call Kalyani and give her my advice. You can't go wrong between the dad and his daughter, can you?! OK, see you later.'

[ʔon̪n̪ɯ ˈt̪əmmil kaːˈɳaːm ˈen̪n̪ɯ gəˈɾud̪i ˈmaːt̪rəm ʋən̪n̪əˈd̪aːɳɯ]. [ɲaːn ʋəˈgejilɯ ʔi̤ˈʋəɭɖe joɾ əmmaːʋɛˈnaːɳɯ]. [ˈkəɳɖu], [ʔiʃˈʈaːj], [sən̪d̪oːːˈʃaːj]!
'I came here only thinking we'd just meet. I happen to be an uncle of hers (this appears to be a lie, btw). I saw you and like you, so I'm happy!'
Ravi: [ʔen̪ˈnaː]...[ɲaːn əgəˈt̪eːkɯ]...
'Then...I'll (go) inside...'
B: Okay, okay, okay, okay! [n̪əlˈləssəlɯ ˈpajjɛn]! [ˈn̪iŋəɭɯ ˈt̪əmmilum ˈn̪əlla ˈt͡ʃeːrt͡ʃa]. [ˈpinne], [ˈkaːɾjəŋəɭoke ɲaːn əˈriɲu]. [ʋiʋaːhəˈkaːɾjəŋəɭil ˈt̪ən̪d̪ejum ˈt̪əɭɭe jɛɖəbəɖʊn̪ˈn̪oːɖɯ ʔeˈnikʲɯ ˈjaːːd̪oɾ əb̥ʰiˈpraːjəʋum ˈilla]. [n̪iː jaːɾuɖeˈguːɖe ˈd͡ʒiːʋikʲɛɳəm ˈen̪n̪ɯ t̪iːɾuˈmaːnikeːɳɖəd̪ɯ n̪iːˈjaːɳɯ]. [əˈd̪il əmˈmaːmɛkʲ oɾind͡ʒɯˈboːlum kajgəɖəˈt̪aːn əʋəˈgaːɕə̃w ˈilla]. [ʔamˈmaːmeːɖe pəˈɳət̪inɯ ˈn̪inde ˈsneːhəm ʋiˈləkɯ ʋaːˈŋaːm pətˈtilla ˈʔen̪n̪ɯ n̪iː t̪eˈɭijikʲɛɳəm]! [ʔiː ˈkaːɾʲət̪il ˈjɛndɛ pəɾiˈbuːrɳa ˈpin̪d̪uɳa ɲaːn prəkʰjaːbikʲeˈjaːɳɯ]. [ʔɛ]? [ʋəˈɾəʈe]!
'An excellent boy! You go well together. Also, I found out about what's going on. I don't have any opinion at all about your old man and woman intervening in your marriage. You're the one who should be deciding who you should live with. My uncle has absolutely no ("not even an inch of a") right to interfere in that. You should prove that my uncle's money can't put a price on your love! I am declaring my complete support in this situation. Okay? Bye!'

[MacAnDàil]

I was looking at theses and found this one about Malayalam:

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2410814151

[Nachtswalbe]

How does Malayalam derive words for modern technologies?