How do I turn on phonetic typing for Tamil?

Solution 1:

[ There is an updated answer for Ubuntu 14.04+. ]

Yes. You can type Tamil phonetically in Ubuntu 12.04.

Install the following packages:

sudo apt-get install m17n-db m17n-contrib ibus-m17n

You might have to log out and back in to see the various layouts.

To enable phonetic typing for Tamil, search for Keyboard input methods in the dash and open it.

Go to Input method tab and click on Select an Input method. Scroll down to Tamil and you will have a couple of options to install. Choose Phonetic from the list and install it.

Solution 2:

These are the steps for Ubuntu 14.04:

• Install the ibus-m17n package:

  sudo apt-get install ibus-m17n
  

• Log out and log in again.

• Select the Tamil (phonetic (m17n)) (IBus) option in Text Entry.