Culture & the Arts
സംസ്കാരവും കലകളും
Talking about creative work is one of the most natural places to reach for the true French passive with par — Malayalam too has a formal passive built with the agentive suffix -ആൽ for naming who made a particular work.
Grammar Comparison
വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം
Naming the creator: the passive with par
Ce tableau a été peint par un artiste inconnu. (This painting was painted by an unknown artist)
ഈ ചിത്രം അജ്ഞാതനായ ഒരു കലാകാരനാൽ വരയ്ക്കപ്പെട്ടതാണ്.
Describing art, film, and literature is one of the most natural places to use the passive with par + agent (as in par un artiste inconnu, 'by an unknown artist') — unlike political register, which prefers on to keep the actor vague, art criticism regularly names the creator explicitly. Malayalam has a comparable formal passive built with the agentive suffix -ആൽ, as in കലാകാരനാൽ വരയ്ക്കപ്പെട്ടു ('painted by the artist'), though everyday Malayalam usually prefers the plain active കലാകാരൻ വരച്ചു ('the artist painted') and reserves the -ആൽ passive for formal or written registers — exactly where French art criticism reaches for par.
Vocabulary
വാക്കുകൾ
- Malayalam
- ഒരു കൃതിoru kruthi
- English
- a work (of art)
- Malayalam
- ഒരു ചിത്രംoru chithram
- English
- a painting
- Malayalam
- ഒരു നോവൽoru novel
- English
- a novel
- Malayalam
- സംവിധായകൻsamvidhaayakan
- English
- a (film) director
- Malayalam
- ഒരു അവതരണംoru avatharanam
- English
- a show / performance
- Malayalam
- ഒരു പ്രദർശനംoru pradarshanam
- English
- an exhibition
- Malayalam
- ചിത്രകലchithrakala
- English
- painting (the art form)
- Malayalam
- ശിൽപകലshilpakala
- English
- sculpture
- Malayalam
- ഒരു അതുല്യ കൃതിoru athulya kruthi
- English
- a masterpiece
- Malayalam
- പൈതൃകംpaithrukam
- English
- heritage
- Malayalam
- ഒരു ഉത്സവംoru ulsavam
- English
- a festival
- Malayalam
- നിരൂപണംniroopanam
- English
- the review / critique