Malayalam: The Language of Diversity

Malayalam is the official language of Kerala and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is one of India's 22 official languages and 14 regional languages, primarily spoken in Southern India. This language is part of the Dravidian language family, which is different from Indo-European languages like Hindi. In the early 21st century, over 35 million people in India spoke Malayalam.

The term "Malayalam" comes from the words "mala," which means "mountain," and "alam," meaning "region," so Malayalam translates to "mountainous region." Malayalam has a vast and diverse literary tradition, with many books and publications released each year. In Kerala alone, there are 170 daily newspapers, 235 weekly papers, and 560 monthly magazines published in Malayalam. The most widely read daily newspaper in India is written in this language. Malayalam is also taught at several universities outside of Kerala, including institutions in the United States and Germany, such as the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Tübingen.

Worldwide, around 38 million people speak Malayalam. According to various reliable sources, the total number of Malayalam speakers in different countries is as follows:

- Australia: 80,000
- Canada: 16,000
- Malaysia: 135,000
- New Zealand: 7,000
- Persian Gulf Regions: 2,000,000
- Singapore: 26,000
- United Kingdom: 60,000
- United States: 650,000

Sources:

1. https://dataxis.com/

2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/language/bulletins/languageenglandandwales/census2021#main-languages-in-england-and-wales

3. https://www.ndtv.com/

4. https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/asianstudies/languages-in-asian-studies/malayalam.html

5. https://gamaatl.org/history/the-malayalee/