The Languages spoken in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s 21 million inhabitants are largely divided into several ethnic groups. The Sinhalese, which is estimated to be at approximately about 15 million, and the Tamils, about close to 2 million in numbers, are the two largest ethnic groups that comprise the population of Sri Lanka. Sheer numbers, overpowering cultures and traditions, gave the Sinhalese and Tamils undue influence in Sri Lankan society, giving rise to the emergence of two official languages. The present forms of both Sinhala and Tamil languages have evolved to include words derived from Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch and British languages – all former settlers.

The Sinhalese language or Sinhala can be categorized to two distinct dialects, the Central/Western dialect and Southern dialect. Sinhalese from the Central and Western parts of Sri Lanka differ from those in the South. As often is the case, Sinhalese natives of different dialects talking to each other would understand each other but a foreigner, who usually learns the Central dialect, won’t be able to comprehend a Southerner. As with any other language, Sinhala has its own script system which is said to be an offshoot of the Indian Brahmi script. The Sri Lankan Tamil dialect has three different branches namely: the Jaffna, Batticaloa and Negombo Tamil dialects. Mainly, the Sri Lankan Tamil dialects differ from each other by phonological changes and varying inflections.

The Moors, the third largest ethnic group which are mainly Muslims, speak Sinhala. They used to have their own language, called the Arwi Language but, at present, can be commonly found in religious texts. English is spoken by 10% of the population. The Burghers speak English on normal occasions but natives, particularly students, can speak English fluently.