Langenesis

Dravidian family

Malayalam

c. 830 CE – today Living

Malayalam (c. 830 CE – today) is a living Dravidian language. Lineage: Proto-Dravidian → Proto-South Dravidian → Old Tamil → Malayalam.

See Malayalam on the interactive map
Speakers
38M (38,000,000)
ISO 639-3
mal
Glottocode
mala1464

Emerged from the west-coast dialects of Middle Tamil; the Vazhappally copper plates (~830 CE) are usually cited as the earliest record. Whether it split from Old/Middle Tamil or from an earlier common stage is debated.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Dravidianc. 4,000 BCE – 2,500 BCE
  2. Proto-South Dravidianc. 1,100 BCE – 300 BCE
  3. Old Tamil300 BCE – 700 CE
  4. Malayalamc. 830 CE – today

Sister languages 1

Also descended from Old Tamil.

Sources