Vallinam

Vallinam refers to the aspirated (or "hard") consonants in the Tamil language. These consonants are part of a broader classification of Tamil consonants that also includes Mellinam (unaspirated or "soft" consonants) and Idaiyinam (intermediate consonants).

Specifically, the Vallinam consonants are:

• க (ka) - pronounced like 'ka' in 'kite'
• ச (ca) - pronounced like 'cha' in 'chair'
• ட (ṭa) - a retroflex 'ta' sound
• த (ta) - pronounced like 'tha' in 'thin'
• ப (pa) - pronounced like 'pa' in 'paper'
• ற (ṟa) - an alveolar trill, a sound not commonly found in English

The presence of Vallinam sounds significantly influences Tamil phonology, morphology, and sandhi (euphonic combination of words). In certain contexts, Vallinam consonants can become voiced or unaspirated depending on the preceding sound or word. Understanding the Vallinam and their phonetic properties is essential for proper pronunciation and comprehension of spoken and written Tamil.