Elizabeth Keyton, at the beginning from Georgia, USA, married Arjun, a Malayali. She sought after to be told his mom tongue to support their circle of relatives bond. Within the procedure, she created an Instagram web page known as ‘eli.kutty’ wherein she now teaches Malayalam to 1000’s of folks.
Elizabeth grew up in Georgia, USA, the place each English and Serbian have been spoken at her house as a result of her stepmother got here from former Yugoslavia. Strangely, Elizabeth’s father confirmed no real interest in studying his spouse’s language, resulting in her more youthful brother now not studying his mom tongue.
In order she grew older, she determined that if her long term spouse spoke a special language, she would take the time to be told it.
“I at all times cherished listening to folks discuss other languages. But if my stepfamily spoke Serbian at house, as an alternative of studying it, my dad would go away the room. That’s after I determined that if I met any individual from a special tradition, I might take a look at to be told their language, which might be just right for us and our circle of relatives too,” says Elizabeth Marie Keyton to The Higher India.
The linguaphile began her occupation as an English trainer in South Korea when she used to be 21. She travelled to nations like UAE and Vietnam instructing English as a 2d language (ESL). It used to be within the UAE that she had her first brush with Malayalam, due to the huge choice of Malayalis there.
Someday in 2017, she met her now husband Arjun, a Malayali, in Dubai. This sooner or later birthed her project ‘Elikutty’ — a Malayalam instructing platform.
“When our courting began taking a look severe, I determined to be told Malayalam. Alternatively, I discovered that there weren’t sufficient assets to be told the language. Maximum books to be had have been old-fashioned or made for kids. No matter subject matter used to be to be had used to be too tough for informal language rookies like me,” says the 35-year-old.
She discovered an internet tutor from Kozhikode thru a platform known as Italki and began taking courses from him as soon as every week. As success would have it, the UAE banned Skype in 2017, which put an finish to her categories and taken Elizabeth again to sq. one.
“Bearing in mind the choice of Malayalis within the UAE, I struggled to discover a tutor fitted to my wishes. Thru on-line analysis, I discovered some grammar assets through Dr Ravi Sankar Nair and a textbook through Dr Moag,” provides the polyglot.
Finding out the language thru doodles
As an English trainer, Elizabeth used her instructing talents to be told Malayalam. She wrote notes and made doodles to be told the alphabet. “For me, one of the simplest ways to be told is through explaining it to any individual else. So I made an Instagram web page in 2018 to percentage my notes and small drawings,” she says.
Referred to as ‘eli.kutty’, the bio at the web page reads ‘Let’s be informed Malayalam in combination’.
The title used to be conceived as a shaggy dog story as a result of ‘eli’, brief for Elizabeth, way rat in Malayalam and ‘kutty’ is a time period of endearment used for kids and adults. Throughout the Instagram web page, Elizabeth now stocks guidelines, assets and movies to assist folks be informed the language.
She additionally launched into a three-week solo travel throughout Kerala to familiarise herself with Malayalam.
“Learning the language and talking it are two various things. Kerala has such a lot of dialects and other accents. I went around the state and spoke to folks to grasp the language and folks higher. I additionally enrolled in a category all through the lockdown to practise conversing within the language two times every week. This helped me expand vocabulary, fluency and self belief,” she provides.
Beginning out with 1,000 fans in 2018, her Instagram web page has over 70,000 fans lately. She additionally has a YouTube channel and Discord server to show the language. Her function is to make studying Malayalam amusing, available and simple whilst catering to the numerous Malayalis who’re dwelling out of the country.
“There are numerous Malayalis who are living out of the country and many of the more youthful era don’t know the language smartly. There’s a pleasure that folks go together with talking English, which sadly leads to the mum tongue getting sidelined. My web page is a protected house for folks to invite questions,” she provides.
‘Don’t let Malayalam die’
English medium training is gaining popularity in India, inflicting a decline in wisdom of local languages. In step with the Nationwide College of Training, Making plans and Management, the choice of youngsters learning in English medium colleges in India higher through 273% between 2003 and 2011.
“This results in numerous youngsters who prefer to talk English at house, relatively than their mom tongue, Malayalam,” says Deepa Manoharan, a Malayalam trainer who runs Muthassi — an internet college for the language along with her sister Darshana.
“Our scholars are most commonly folks staying outdoor Kerala. They all learn about English and don’t even discuss Malayalam at house. This is occurring even inside Kerala now and carries a hidden threat of the language being misplaced. It’s nice that folks like Elizabeth are serving to kids be informed the language,” says Deepa.
In reality, the Nationwide Training Coverage (NEP) 2020 additionally bats for instructing within the mom tongue. The NEP reads, “Anyplace imaginable, the medium of instruction till no less than Grade 5, however ideally until Grade 8 and past, is to be the house language/mom tongue/native language/regional language.”
Muthassi is likely one of the colleges that Elizabeth promotes as a useful resource for studying Malayalam. “The arduous reality is that there aren’t just right assets to be had to be told Malayalam. Eliza has carried out a commendable task studying the language being an American trainer herself,” remarks Deepa.
Elizabeth is quickly popping out with a youngsters’s ebook known as ‘Davina Unearths Her Vowels’, geared toward diaspora Malayalis.
“I’ve noticed what occurs when languages are neglected in my very own space. My brother doesn’t know Serbian, this means that his circle of relatives received’t. It’s essential to understand English as this can be a world language and is helping when you pass out of the country. However the similar appreciate will have to be given to local languages. They’re the real method to an individual’s middle,” says Elizabeth.
She says that studying the language helped her attach along with her husband and in-laws. “Arjun and his oldsters discuss fluent English. But, I used to be in a position to attach on a deeper stage with them as a result of I realized their mom tongue. It truly makes a distinction,” she provides.
Elizabeth gave start to a child boy Arivazhakan in June 2023. And similar to she envisioned, she says she appears ahead to giving her son the information of each his guardian’s cultures.
If you want to be informed Malayalam, you’ll be able to observe Elizabeth on Instagram or YouTube.
Edited through Pranita Bhat