Silent Letters: Challenges and Instructional Strategies for Malayali Learners of English

Silent letters are a significant challenge for Malayali learners of English because of the phonological differences between Malayalam and English. Malayalam spelling has a strong correspondence with pronunciation, but English spelling does not always correspond with pronunciation. Some English letters in writing are not pronounced. This unphonetic nature of English leads Malayali learners to pronounce silent English letters the same way they pronounce Malayalam letters, which affects their speech intelligibility. This article reflects on the challenges Malayali learners encounter with silent letters, analyses the linguistic and educational factors influencing their pronunciation, and proposes teaching strategies to help them recognize and omit them. These strategies enable students to pronounce more effectively and express themselves in English.