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LANGUAGE OF THE MOUNTAINS

THE SOUTHERN DIALECT

Thiruvananthapuram (the traditional and current term), or Trivandrum (Anglicised), is the
capital city of Kerala and its southernmost district.

Thiruvananthapuram city and several other places in the district loom large in ancient
tradition and literature. Thiruvananthapuram had in its early past a political and cultural
history that was in some respects independent. It was from here that the British gradually
extended their domain to other parts of Thiruvithamcore (Travancore). Modern history
begins with Marthanda Varma, as the father of modern Travancore. The state of Kerala
came into being on November 1, 1956, with Thiruvananthapuram as its capital.

Malayalam has its origin from the words malai, meaning, “mountain” and alam,
meaning, “land” or “locality”. Hence, “Malayali” is used to denote the people
from the mountains, living beyond the Western Ghats, and “Malayalam” refers to
their language.

A Dravidian tongue, Malayalam is the official language of Kerala. In general, the language
variety spoken in Thiruvananthapuram does not differ much from standard or literary
Malayalam. In particular, in the central, north and east regions of Thiruvananthapuram,
such as Nedumangad, Attingal, Varkala and Kilimanoor, the dialect is quite similar to the
standard form, except for the lengthening of certain sounds.

In the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, such as Neyyattinkara, Parassala,
Kovalam and Kattakada, however, the dialect has noticeable differences compared to
standard Malayalam in its spoken form.

Some specific, unique lexical items of the Thiruvananthapuram dialect are:
oh tanne (is that so?)
appi (a term of address for a child or pet)
vellankal (a specific plural term for water)

Dr S.A. Shanavas is the Head of the Department of Linguistics, University of Kerala.
Shanavas received his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in the field of
computational linguistics. A member or various academic bodies and organisations, he
specialises in langauge technology, translation studies and sociolinguistics.

ANCIENT CITY, TIMELESS GR ACE

By Dr SA Shanavas

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

TUESDAY

Dr Ambedkar Jayanthi

An anniversarial celebration

of the birth of Dr Ambedkar,

an Indian politician, econo-

mist and social reformer,

involving parades, dancing and

competitions for students.

APR

14

FRIDAY

Vijaya Dashami

The goddess Durga’s battle

against Mahishasur, the

king of demons, lasted for

nine days. Her victor y on the

10th day is commemorated

as Vijaya Dashami, a day for

new beginnings and grand

worship celebrations.

OCT

23

FRIDAY

Christmas

The Christian community of

Kerala celebrates the grand

festival with a touch of local

flavour, including colourful

decorations, carolling and

feasts.

DEC

25

FRIDAY

Karkkidaka Vavu

Hindus perform rituals that

signify paying obeisance

to their forefathers. From

the early hours of dawn,

thousands of people gather

at temples and rivers to carr y

out the rituals.

AUG

14

FRIDAY

Onam

One of the biggest festivals

in the city and state, Onam

marks the homecoming of

the legendar y King Mahabali,

with snake boat racing and

traditional dances.

AUG

28

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