London: City of Languages was delighted to host a vibrant Tamil Taster Session, led by Prabhu Rajendran and Mr Gnanamurugan, whose thoughtful and engaging approach captured the spirit of LCoL: connection, curiosity, and celebration.
Over the course of a carefully structured 40 minutes, participants were introduced to the sounds, rhythm, and beauty of Tamil. Clear visuals, gentle scaffolding, and an early invitation to speak helped everyone feel confident. Starting with Vanakkam (Va–nak–kam), learners built up simple greetings and even experimented with expressing likes and dislikes — a first step into real communication.
One of the most memorable moments was seeing the genuine smiles from Tamil speakers in the room as attendees tried out the language. It was a powerful reminder of how language learning builds bridges and strengthens community.
Participants also gained insights into Tamil’s long history — a classical language spoken by around 70 million people worldwide — and explored how its script has evolved from being written on stone, to palm leaves and now to digital forms. A colourful slide on Tamil foods added an extra cultural flavour.
A short review and listening activity rounded off the session, giving everyone the satisfaction of matching firstly phonetically transcribed phrases and then phrases without text support to meaning. Hearing Tamil spoken naturally at the end highlighted its musicality and distinctive intonation.
This session was more than a lesson: it was an invitation from a community proud of its heritage and eager to share it. With strong Tamil communities in East Ham, Wembley, and Harrow, there is much more to explore.
We have more taster sessions for you to explore! From Estonian to Georgian via Maori and Japanese and more… have a look at https://londoncityoflanguages.org.uk/language-tasters-summer-2026/
Nandri!