From: arun@sun14.vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (Arun Achyuthan)
Subject: malayALam aksharamAla revisited
Organization: University of Waterloo
Distribution: alt
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 16:00:34 GMT

Hi,

   Here is a modified version of malayALam aksharamAla. I have included
suggestions from Narayanan and Mathai (mostly regarding "ca" vs "cha"
and "ta vs tha", with the result going in favour of the latter ones).
Also, no single consonent uses more than two Latin alphabets, and they
look more the way it is commonly written in other Indian languages
(with exceptions, which you will see). The "ta, RRa" confusion
on the letter in the malayaLam word for wind is also resolved (hopefully)
in the proposed scheme. I have put unambiguity and familiarity as the main
driving forces behind the proposed scheme.

The proposed scheme is open to suggestions and criticisms, so
do let them come. Remember, the most important thing is to have
a "consensus", not strssing too much on "aesthetics", so that
we can all read without ambiguity things written in malayaLam
using the Latin script.

Arun
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vowels                         |      Double consonants (of same family)
------                         |      ----------------------------------
                               |
a   A   i   ee   u   oo   r~   |
                               |
e   E    ai  o    O   au   a:  |
                               |
(the very very rarely used     |
 vowels are omitted)           |
                               |
consonants                     |
----------                     |
                               |
ka   kha    ga   gha    NGa    | ka + ka = kka, ka + kha (rare) = kkha,
                               | ga + ga = gga, ga + gha (rare) = ggha
                               | NGa + NGa = NNGa, NGNGa (which is better?)
                               | (other combinations never or seldom used)
cha  Cha    ja   jha    NJa    | cha + cha = ccha, chcha (which is better?)
                               | cha + Cha = cCha, chCha (which is better?)
                               | ja + ja   = jja, ja + NJa = jNJa, NJa+ja = NJja
                               | NJa + NJa = NNJa, NJNJa (which is better?)
                               | (other combinations never or seldom used)
ta   Ta     Da   Dha    Na     | ta + ta = tta, Da + Da = DDa, Da + Dha = DDha
                               | Na + Ta = NTa, Na + Da = NDa, Na + Na = NNa
                               | (other combinations never or seldom used)
tha  Tha    da   dha    na     | tha + tha = ttha, ththa (which is better?)
                               | tha + Tha = tTha, thTha (which is better?)
                               | da + da = dda, da + dha = ddha, na + tha = ntha
                               | na + Tha = nTha, na + da = nda, na + dha = ndha                               | na + na = nna
                               | (other combinations never or seldom used)
pa   pha    ba   bha    ma     | pa + pa = ppa, pa + pha (rare) = ppha,
                               | ba + ba = bba, ba + bha (rare) = bbha,
                               | ma + pa = mpa, ma + pha = mpha, ma + ba = mba,
                               | ma + bha = mbha, ma + ma = mma
                               | (other combinations never or seldom used)
                               |
ya  ra  la  va  Sa  sha  sa  ha| ya + ya = yya, la + la = lla, Sa + Sa = SSa,
Ra  zha La  TTa                | sa + sa = ssa, La + La = LLa, ra + ya = rya,
                               | la + ya = lya, va + ya = vya, and so on with
                               | other dual combinations

"chillakshraNGaL"
-----------------

l L n N (m)

"chandrakkala"
-------------

~
"koottaksharaNGaL"
------------------

ka + ta = kta, ka + tha = ktha, etc.
Na + Ma = NMa, ba + da = bda, etc

Half-consonants
---------------

Comments
--------

1. Since upper case letters are also used, we cannot begin a sentance with
   an uppercase letter, as is the convention in English, unless the letter
   happens to be formed with an uppercase letter. The same goes with proper
   names.

2. r~ is as in r~shi  (Sage).

3. E is as in kEraLam (our state)

4. O is as in kOpam (rage)

5. ra is as in ravi (a name, meaning sun)

6. Ra is harder form of 'ra', as in thaRa (floor; also first word in Ist 
   standard Malayalam text book)

7. la is as in kala (art)

8. La is the harder form of 'la' as in thavaLa (frog). So the name our
   language will be written as malayALam.

9. Sa is as in dOSa (the south indian 'pancake')

10. sha is as in visham (poison)

11. zha is as in mazha (rain)

12. TTa is as in kaaTT~ (wind)


Arun

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