Editing Malayalam script (section)

==Orthography reform==
In 1971, the [[Government of Kerala]] reformed the [[orthography]] of Malayalam by a government order to the education department.<ref name="Ref_1971">{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2008/08039-kerala-order.pdf|title=Malayalam Script—Adoption of New Script for Use—Orders Issued|year=1971|publisher=Government of Kerala|access-date=2009-10-25}}</ref><ref name="Ref_g">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uFQG2DCaIsIC&pg=PR26|title=Malayalam by R. E. Asher, T. C. Kumari|isbn=9780415022422|last1=Asher|first1=R. E.|last2=Kumari|first2=T. C.|year=1997|publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref> The objective was to simplify the script for print and typewriting technology of that time, by reducing the number of glyphs required. In 1967, the government appointed a committee headed by [[Sooranad Kunjan Pillai]], who was the editor of the Malayalam Lexicon project. It reduced number of glyphs required for Malayalam printing from around 1000 to around 250. Above committee's recommendations were further modified by another committee in 1969.

This proposal was later accepted by major newspapers in January 1971. The reformed script came into effect on 15 April 1971 (the [[Kerala New Year]]), by a government order released on 23 March 1971.

=== Recommendations by the committees ===

==== Use non-ligating vowel signs for ''u'', ''ū'', and ''r̥''  ====
In the traditional orthography that had been taught in the primary education system before the reforms, any consonant or consonant ligature followed by the vowel sign ''u'', ''ū'', or ''r̥'' were represented by a cursive consonant-vowel ligature. The glyph of each consonant had its own way of ligating with these vowel signs. This irregularity was simplified in the reformed script.<ref>Manohar, Kavya & Thottingal, Santhosh. (2018). [https://thottingal.in/documents/Malayalam%20Orthographic%20Reforms_%20Impact%20on%20Language%20and%20Popular%20Culture.pdf "Malayalam Orthographic Reforms: Impact on Language and Popular Culture"]. Presented at the ''Graphematik 2018''.</ref> Thus, a vowel sign or consonant sign would always have a disconnected symbol that did not fuse with the base consonant.

Examples:
* ''ku:'' → {{lang|ml|കു}} 
* ''kū:'' → {{lang|ml|കൂ}}
* ''kr̥:'' → {{lang|ml|കൃ}}
* ''nu:'' → {{lang|ml|നു}}
* ''śu:'' → {{lang|ml|ശു}}

==== Split uncommon conjuncts with ''Chandrakkala'' ====
Also, most of traditional consonant-consonant ligatures, especially the less common ones only used to write words of Sanskrit origin, were split into non-ligated forms with explicit ''chandrakkala''. For example:
* {{lang|ml|ഗ്}} ''g'' + {{lang|ml|ദ}} ''da'' = ''gda:'' -> {{lang|ml|ഗ്‌ദ}}
* {{lang|ml|ല്‌}} ''l'' + {{lang|ml|ത}} ''ta'' = ''lta:'' -> {{lang|ml|ല്‌ത}}
* {{lang|ml|ശ്}} ''ś'' + {{lang|ml|ന}} ''na'' = ''śna:'' -> {{lang|ml|ശ്‌ന}}
* {{lang|ml|ശ്}} ''ś'' + {{lang|ml|മ}} ''ma'' = ''śma:'' -> {{lang|ml|ശ്‌മ}}

# The ligature ('''{{lang|ml|ശ്മ}}''') ''śma'' is required as an additional letter. For examples, '''{{lang|ml|ശ്മശാനം}}''', ''śmaśanam'', is the word for [[cemetery]].

==== Use non-ligating sign for conjoining ''ra'' ====
Any consonant or consonant ligature followed by the conjoining ''ra'' is represented by a cursive tail attached to the consonant or the consonant-ligature. In the reformed script, this consonant sign would be disconnected from the base and represented as a left-bracket like symbol placed on the left side of the cluster.
* ''kra:''{{lang|ml| ക‍്ര}} → {{lang|ml|ക‌്ര}}
* ''kru:'' {{lang|ml|ക‍്ര‍ു}} → {{lang|ml|ക‌്ര‌ു}}

=== Current status ===
Today the reformed orthography, is commonly called ''put̪iya lipi'' ({{langx|ml|പുതിയ ലിപി}}) and  traditional system, ''pazhaya lipi'' ({{langx|ml|പഴയ ലിപി}}).<ref name="John">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jaimalayalam.com/lipi.htm|title=The Concept of ലിപി (Lipi)|last=John|first=Vijay|work=Learn Malayalam Online!|access-date=2009-09-08}}</ref> Current print media almost entirely uses reformed orthography. The state run primary education introduces the Malayalam writing to the pupils in reformed script only and the books are printed accordingly. However, the digital media uses both traditional and reformed in almost equal proportions as the fonts for both the orthographies are commonly available.

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