Language of Kollam

The official and administrative language of Kollam is Malayalam. As an off shoot of Dravidian language, Malayalam is rich and diverse. The word 'Malayalam' has been derived from a combination of two words, 'mala' meaning 'the mountain' and 'alam' meaning 'the land'. It is not only the official language of Kollam but is widely spoken by the majority of the population in Kerala.

History of Malayalam language clearly points out the fact that it bears a strong resemblance with the Tamil language. Certain Malayalam expressions were influenced by Tamil. Several words from Portuguese, English, Arabic, Marathi, Dutch, Sanskrit and Persian words have also been incorporated. Malayalam has 37 consonants and 16 vowels. It also has an independent script.