Malayalam, designated as the Classical Language of India by the government of India in 2013 is the official language of the Indian states of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Puducherry; thus learning Malayalam could be a great choice for your specific needs.
It is estimated that approximately 40 million people speak this language across the globe. This language belongs to the Dravidian family and is considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn according to Google. However, the ease or difficulty of learning a language would depend on various factors which include your native language, your experience with other languages and how fast you can pick up a language. Let us understand if it is easy to learn Malayalam for Indians in particular.
Malayalam belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and for people living in other South Indian states who speak Tamil, Telugu or Kannada as their native language learning Malayalam may be comparatively easy.
More than the grammar it is the pronunciation and diction that makes a huge difference in learning Malayalam. The ‘Zhasound which is used a lot in Malayalam, though exists in other Dravidian languages is not stressed upon so much these days. Malayalis are very proud of their language and pronunciation as well. When people who speak Telugu or Tamil replace the Zha sound with la, Malayalis would not do that.
The initial purpose of learning Malayalam as an adult could be to communicate with others when you are in Kerala. However, learning and understanding the basic alphabet can be of great help when it comes to understanding the right pronunciation. Understanding the Malayalam alphabet can be of immense help in understanding how the letters sound. Though the script is different, the alphabet is similar to other Dravidian languages and Hindi. Thus, for someone who knows any of these languages, learning Malayalam could be easy.
Malayalam is highly influenced by Sanskrit. You can find many Sanskrit words in Malayalam. Thus, for someone who has learnt Sanskrit in school or otherwise, relating to Malayalam could also become easy.
Apart from this, the resources that you choose to learn Malayalam would also make a huge impact on how easily you can learn the language. Learning on your own through books or free online resources could be helpful, learning from a teacher would be more organized and structured. You can find an excellent teacher online at Multibhashi which is a language learning platform that allows you to learn Malayalam directly from the teacher.
Malayalam cinema is famous for its content. Many movies have been dubbed or remade into many other Indian languages. Watching these movies, listening to music or audio podcasts can all help in getting accustomed to the language and improving listening skills which indirectly helps in improving the speaking skills in Malayalam.
Irrespective of how a language is rated on difficulty level, if you have a passion and a strong reason to learn the language, nothing can stop you. Not every learning technique works for every individual. Try to incorporate different ways of exposing yourself to Malayalam along with your regular learning through classes for better learning.
Make an attempt to talk to people in Malayalam, most of the time they would be more than happy to interact and correct you if necessary
Find different ways of practising like writing a journal, listening and repeating audio or blogging or following other blogs in Malayalam.
Understanding and following your style of learning and practising every day for some time can help you learn Malayalam.
