UPMSP Intermediate Malayalam - Code 116 key terms

The sound change that occurs when two words or morphemes join, such as vowel coalescing or consonant doubling. Malayalam grammar classifies these junction rules and applies them in spelling.

A compound word formed by joining two or more stems into a single grammatical unit, often with a linking vowel. Malayalam recognises types such as tatpurusha, dvandva, bahuvrihi and karmadharaya.

A word borrowed from Sanskrit into Malayalam without any change of form or meaning. Such words are common in formal, legal and literary registers and are contrasted with tadbhava and deshya vocabulary.

A Malayalam word derived from Sanskrit but altered in pronunciation or spelling through long use, for example through loss or change of sounds. It sits between unchanged tatsama borrowings and native deshya words.

A native Malayalam or Dravidian word that is not borrowed from Sanskrit. Deshya vocabulary covers everyday objects, kinship terms and actions, and forms the core of ordinary speech.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, allowing writers to avoid repetition or to vary tone. Examiners often ask for one or more equivalents of a given term.

A word whose meaning is opposite to that of another word, such as high and low. Questions usually ask candidates to supply an antonym that fits the sentence's context.

The part of speech that expresses an action, event or state, and in Malayalam carries tense, person and number marking. Verbs agree with the subject and can take aspectual and modal suffixes.

The part of speech that names a person, place, thing or abstract idea. Malayalam nouns take case suffixes, plural markers and postpositions rather than articles or grammatical gender agreement.

A rhetorical device or ornament that heightens the beauty and force of literary language. Theorists divide alankaras into sound-based and meaning-based types, and candidates must identify and explain them.

A simile in which one thing is compared to another through an explicit word such as pole, because they share a striking quality. The comparison remains separate, unlike metaphor.

A metaphor in which the subject and the image are identified without an explicit comparative word, so that one is spoken of as the other. It produces a more compressed effect than upama.

A figure in which the poet imaginatively supposes or fancies something to be otherwise, often using words meaning 'as if' or 'perhaps'. It presents an unreal possibility as vividly real.

Repetition of the same or similar consonants within a close sequence of words, producing a musical or emphatic effect. It is a sound-based alankara and should not be confused with semantic repetition.

A sound figure in which the same syllable group or word is repeated at intervals with different meanings or in different grammatical roles. It is valued for rhythm and verbal play.

The metrical system governing syllable count, weight and pause in verse. Malayalam uses both Sanskrit-derived metres and indigenous patterns, and scanning a line is a common examination task.

The aesthetic emotion evoked in a prepared reader by a literary work, traditionally classified into nine types such as sringara, karuna, veera and hasya. Rasa theory explains how emotions become impersonal delight.

The suggested or implied meaning that resonates beyond the literal sense of words, regarded by Sanskrit poeticians as the highest power of poetry. It depends on context, tone and reader sensitivity.

A mixed literary language of medieval Kerala combining Malayalam grammatical structure with a heavy Sanskrit vocabulary. It was used in early courtly narratives and in the grammar Lilathilakam.

An early Malayalam verse style that is sung rather than recited, marked by long flowing lines and Dravidian diction. Ramacharitam is the major surviving example of the pattu tradition.

A narrative verse form presented as a song spoken by a parrot to its listener. Ezhuthachan used it for his Adhyatma Ramayanam, and it became a dominant devotional form.

The verse libretto written for Kathakali performance, mixing narrative, dialogue and stage direction. Kottarakkara Thampuran's Ramanattam is an early model of the genre.

A satirical solo dance-drama created by Kunchan Nambiar, performed with rhythmic recitation, mime and humour. Its three varieties are Ottamthullal, Seethankan Thullal and Parayan Thullal.

Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the sixteenth-century poet of Adhyatma Ramayanam and Mahabharatam in kilippattu form, is honoured as the father of Malayalam poetry.

Cherusseri Namboothiri, the fifteenth-century author of Krishnagatha, wrote a long devotional narrative in simple Malayalam and is counted among the earliest major Malayalam poets.

An eighteenth-century satirist and performer who created Thullal and attacked social hypocrisy through lively, colloquial verse. His works remain models of humour and social criticism in Malayalam.

A fourteenth-century trio of writers, Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar, who produced Malayalam Ramayana and Bhagavata retellings in the pattu style.

Literary prose, as distinct from verse, used for essays, fiction, biography, travel writing and criticism. Modern Malayalam gadya developed in the nineteenth century under printing and Western education.

A short narrative in prose that usually centres on a single incident, a few characters and a unified effect. The modern Malayalam short story emerged in the late nineteenth century.

A long prose narrative presenting characters, society and events in an extended plot. The Malayalam novel began in the nineteenth century and became a major form in the twentieth.

An essay written in formal prose on a chosen topic, with an introduction, developed body and conclusion. In examinations it is judged for content, organisation, style and correctness.

A written message addressed to a person or office, following conventions of salutation, body, closing and signature. Malayalam letter writing distinguishes personal, official and business letters.

A formal written request to an authority for a job, leave, certificate or other benefit. It states the purpose, relevant details and a polite request in a fixed, respectful format.

The rendering of a passage from one language into another while preserving sense, tone and register. In this paper it usually involves Malayalam and Hindi or English.