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Malayalam

College of Liberal Arts

Learn Malayalam at UT Austin

Malayalam is one of the four major Dravidian languages of South India. It is spoken in Kerala and Lakshadweep and has approximately 36 million speakers worldwide. Malayalam is historically connected to both Tamil and Sanskrit, incorporating grammar and vocabulary from the two languages. UT-Austin has one of the few regular programs in Malayalam anywhere outside of Kerala.

Since 2023, the program is partially supported by the Rodney F. Moag Malayalam Studies Excellence Fund.

For more information and resources about Malayalam@UT, please see the main MALAYALAM PROGRAM WEBSITE

Download audio files corresponding to Rodney F. Moag's textbook, Malayalam: A University Course and Reference Grammar (1985).

Learn More About Lower and Upper Division Malayalam Courses Below

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Lower-Division Courses 

MAL 506 First-Year Malayalam I

Standard Malayalam of Kerala. Five class hours a week for one semester.

MAL 507 First-Year Malayalam II

Five class hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Malayalam 506 with a grade of at least C.

MAL 312K Second-Year Malayalam I

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Malayalam 507 with a grade of at least C.

MAL 312L Second-Year Malayalam II

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Malayalam 312K with a grade of at least C.

Upper-Division Courses

MAL 330 Topics in Malayalam Language and Literature

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Malayalam 312L with a grade of at least C.

  • Topic 1. Contemporary Malayalam Short Stories
  • Topic 2. Malayalam Screenplays & Cinema
  • Topic 3. Modern Malayalam Drama
  • Topic 4. Short Novels by Basheer
  • Topic 5. Reform Movements in Kerala
  • Topic 6. Stories from Aithihyamaala

MAL 360 Conference Course in Malayalam Language and Literature

Supervised individual study of selected problems in Malayalam language or literature. Conference course. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Malayalam 312L and written consent of instructor on form obtained from the undergraduate adviser.