Arabi_Malayalam
Arabi Malayalam
Dialect of Malayalam used by Mappila Muslims
Arabi Malayalam (also called Mappila Malayalam[1][2] and Moplah Malayalam) is the traditional Dravidian language[3] of the Mappila Muslim community. It is spoken by several thousand people, predominantly in the Malabar Coast of Kerala state, southern India. The form can be classified as a regional dialect in northern Kerala, or as a class or occupational dialect of the Mappila community. It can also be called a vernacular in general, or as a provincial patois, with the latter label being increasingly applicable in Colonial times. All the forms of the Malayalam language, including Mappila, are mutually intelligible.[4][5]
The Mappila form shows some lexical admixture from Arabic and Persian.[5][6]
The variety Arabi Malayalam is also used by lower caste non-Muslims in northern Kerala, Muslims in Dakshina Kannada, and different Mappila migrant communities in South East Asia.[7]