Based on years of personal experience in India, Joseph Peet’s grammar of Malayalam was the first attempt by a western scholar to document the language. This Gorgias Historical Grammar edition is the second edition of his text (1860). Set out like a classical grammar of the period, Peet begins with an introduction to the language and the orthography. The parts of speech are each treated, followed by an account of the syntax. The appendices cover a variety of aspects, especially of the spoken language: accent, emphasis, versification, punctuation, figures of speech, and divisions of time. One of the official languages of India, Malayalam is spoken by about 37 million individuals, mostly in the state of Kerala in the southern part of the nation. For the historian interested in the history of the study of Malayalam, this grammar is a special find.

Joseph Peet (1833-1865) was an Anglican missionary for the Church Missionary Society. Educated at Cambridge University, he spent many years in India establishing churches and seven schools. Peet Memorial Training College in Mavelikkara is named after him.