Arabi Malayalam

Arabi Malayalam (Malayalam script : അറബി മലയാളം) is a system of writing Malayalam language language in a variant form of Arabic script.The Arabic script has been modified to represent the peculiar sounds of Malayalam. [cite news|url=http://www.malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/literature/contribution.html|title=Malayalam resource center] Writing Malayalam in this script is mainly carried out in Malaysia and Singapore by the migrant Muslim community. [cite news|url=http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/april/Malayalam.html#writ|title=Arabic script for malayalam] It is also used to teach Malayalam in Madrassas of Kerala , a South Indian state of India and Lakshadweep. [cite news|url=http://lakshadweep.nic.in/depts/education/profile.htm|title=Arabi Malayalam in Lakshadweep] It is also used by some Muslims in Kerala to write Malayalam. [cite news|url=http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/months/april/Malayalam.html#writ|title=Arabic script for malayalam]

Persian origin

There were many problems to write Malayalam using Arabic letters, a Semitic language. Only 28 letters were available in Arabic language to pronounce over 53 letters in the Malayalam language. It was overcome by taking the help of Persian alphabets. [cite news|url=http://e-malabari.net/culture/arabimalayalam.htm|title=Persian alphabets] The letters like ‘Pa’, ‘gha’ ‘kha’, ‘nga’,’ nja’, ‘zha’,’ga’, ‘cha’ were not available in the Arabic alphabets. The script which stand for zha, cha, pa, ga (Ý, º, É ·) are ژ, چ, پ, گ respectively in Arabi Malayalam. These letters though look like Arabic letters, are not. All these letters were taken from the Persian alphabets. The Persian language being the daughter of Arabic language the adoption simply became a natural process.

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