Sri Lankan English
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Sri Lankan English (SLE) is the
The British colonial presence in South Asia led to the introduction of English to Sri Lanka. Since 1681, some words have been borrowed from Sinhala and Tamil by English.[6] In 1948, Ceylon gained independence from the United Kingdom, and English was no longer the only official language. In subsequent years, inequality in access to education and national conflict have confounded the development and the use of SLE, particularly in Sri Lankan literature.[7][8] SLE varies from British or American English in elements such as colloquialisms, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation and emphasis of syllables. SLE generally favours British spellings ("colour", "programme", "analyse," and "centre") over American spellings ("color", "program", "analyze," and "center"). SLE also favours the British "Q Before P" rule (i.e., ".) over the reverse (i.e., .")
Sri Lankan words in English
Sri Lankan words that were borrowed by the English and are used in the language are recorded in A Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies. Such words often relate to
Attitudes
Having taken root in
That period was followed by the 1970s revival of an open-market economy, the increased exposure to foreign media and the internet, a rising expatriate community and the growth of English-medium "international schools" The
Just like the other languages spoken in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan English has also come to have its own classifications of both regional and class dialects. According to one study, it was found that colloquial features and pronunciations that distinguish Sri Lankan English from the standard form is highly influenced by the country's mother tongue. One such example is its notably-large number of Sinhalese
Moreover, it is hard to point out an exact number of Sri Lankan English speakers. A relatively-small portion of
Additionally, just like any other language, SLE is constantly evolving with the new generation. That is particularly noticeable when one compares the English used by older generations who spoke a more "colonial" English that was highly influenced by the British during and after independence. Despite such changes, the question of what constitutes a standard form of Sri Lankan English remains unanswered. Within certain social circles, the term "Sri Lankan English" is closely referred to a form of "broken" English, which is not spoken fluently. However, others disagree with that notion and acknowledges that SLE is a valid form.[11]
In spite of its wide usage, many English-speakers do not acknowledge the existence of the Sri Lankan variety of English. In terms of class distinctions, the so-called
Colloquialisms
Colloquialisms have emerged in SLE. Some involve vocabulary. Others involve grammar (such as tense and plurals), syntax and intonation.
Vocabulary
SLE word or phrase | English equivalent | Notes |
---|---|---|
bugger | person | Used in informal speech, but not always in the usual pejorative sense of the word: sometimes similar to "guy" in American English. |
parallelly | in parallel | |
Shape! | It's alright! | Used to say someone is okay with something, mainly around urban areas |
pass out | graduate | |
confinement | pregnancy | Not just the last trimester. |
lady's fingers | okra | Not Lady finger bananas .
|
shorteats | snacks | Sometimes shortened to sorties. This is usually due to mispronunciation. |
hotel | restaurant | This is mostly due to marketing[citation needed] |
cover | wrapper | Something that envelops something like a bag |
pattice or pattis | a vegetable patty cake |
|
stay | reside | Not, "Where are you lodging for the time being?" This usage also occurs in Scotland and in the United States. |
batchmate | classmate | Meaning a student contemporary. |
cousin-brother | a first male cousin | |
cousin-sister | a first female cousin | |
petrol shed | gas station (US) filling station (UK) service station (Aus) |
|
ragging | hazing (US) fagging (UK) |
|
in vain | unnecessarily | or "a shame" |
keep | put place |
"Keep it on the table" means "put it on the table" |
too much | naughty, pushy, forward, etc. | Expressing excess. |
fully worth | good value | |
get down from the [bus] | alight | |
get [them] down | invite [them] over | |
played [me] out | deceived [me] | |
ask from | ask | Meaning "ask something of someone". |
put | make | For example, "put a complaint" means "make a complaint". |
current | electricity power |
|
today morning | this morning | |
yesterday night | last night | |
teledrama | TV series |
Grammar
Words and tags may be added, subtracted, overused, or changed in order and tense in SLE.
SLE phrase | Mechanism | Notes and examples |
---|---|---|
"Don't worry about small small things." | Doubling adjectives for emphasis | Meaning, "Don't worry about very unimportant things" |
"Different different worries." | Doubling adjectives to imply number/ duplication | "Many different worries". |
"He went to different different places" | Doubling adjectives for emphasis | Meaning, "He went to many different places". |
"Let's go to city" and "Let's go to town". | Omission of definite article | Meaning, "Let's go to the city". |
"You can serve". | Omission of reflexive pronoun | Meaning, "You can serve yourself". |
"Pick me" or "drop me". | Omission of adverb | Meaning, "Pick me up" or "drop me off". |
"Go to home" | Addition of directional preposition | Meaning, "Go home" |
"The driver is new. He is driving fast also". | Use of "also" instead of "and" or "both" | Meaning, "The driver is new, and he drives fast". |
"Why they are here?" | Changed word order in questions | Meaning, "Why are they here?" |
"If you came here yesterday, you could meet her". | Changed use of tense | For example, "If you had come here yesterday, you could have met her". |
"only" | Changed word order | "Yesterday only they came" meaning "It was only yesterday that they came". |
"isn't it?" and "no?" | Tag added to a question | For example, "He's here, no?" |
"uncle", "aunty" | Added suffix | A form of address to show respect to an older person. |
"even" | Added at end of sentence | For example, "He didn't call even" meaning "He didn't even call" and not "He even didn't call" or "Even he didn't call". |
Pronunciation
Speakers of Sri Lankan English have varying ability to produce certain sounds. Again, the sound of /ɑː/ in "father" and /ʌ/ in "luck" are absent in Sinhala; so, Sri Lankans may have difficulty pronouncing them in SLE. However, these sounds were adapted to Sinhalese alphabet, (e.g., ෆ, fa), thus many Sri Lankans experience no trouble in proper pronunciation of these sounds.
Syncope occurs, as it does in many other languages. For example, "exercise" and "conversation" may be pronounced "excise" and "conversion".
Additionally, some differences in pronunciation may relate to
Those unfamiliar with English may add an involuntary /i-/ prior to words like "skill" and "smell". However, this is not standard in SLE.
Example | RP | GA
|
Sri Lankan English |
---|---|---|---|
"e" in "net" | [e ~ ɛ] | [ɛ] | [e] |
"i" in "lid" | [ɪ] | [ɪ] | [i] |
"oo" in "book" | [ʊ] | [ʊ] | [u] |
"oo" in "boot" | [uː ~ ʉː] | [uː] | |
"o" in "ok" | [əʊ ~ əʉ] | [oʊ] | [oː] |
Example | English | American | Sri Lankan English | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
"t" in "cat" | /t/ | /t/ | /ʈ/ | |
"d" in "lad" | /d/ | /d/ | /ɖ/ | |
"p" in "pull" | /pʰʊl/ | /pʰʊl/ | /pʊl/ | the same applies to "t" and "k" at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable. |
"th" in "this" | /ð/ | /ð/ | /d̪/ | |
"th" in "thin" | /θ/ | /θ/ | /t̪/ | |
"sh" in "ship" | /ʃ/ | /ʃ/ | /ɕ-/ | |
"ch" in "chin" | /tʃ/ | /tʃ/ | /ɕ-/ | |
"s" in "vision" | /ʒ/ | /ʒ/ | /ɕ-/ | /ʒ/ is uncommon in Sinhala. |
"z" in "zip" | /z/ | /z/ | /s/ | /z/ is uncommon in Sinhala. |
"w" and "v" | /w/, /v/ | /w/, /v/ | /ʋ/ |
Other features
Some
In SLE, the first syllable may be emphasised rather than the usual second or third. Examples include "address", "cassette", "dessert", "museum", "hotel" and "gazette". One may also see differences in the allocation of primary and secondary syllable stresses. However, in SLE, usual British English pronunciations are favored over American English pronunciations.
Example | English | American | Sri Lankan English | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
"a" in "villa" | /ˈvɪlə/ | /ˈvɪlə/ | /ˈʋila(ː)/ | |
"w" in "welcome" | /ˈwɛlkəm/ | /ˈwɛlkəm/ | /ˈʋelkam/ | |
"wholesome" | /ˈhəʊlsəm/ | /ˈhoʊlsəm/ | /ˈhoːlsam/ | |
"polite" | /pəˈlaɪt/ | /pəˈlaɪt/ | /poˈlaɪʈ/ | |
"promote" | /prəˈməʊt/ | /prəˈmoʊt/ | /proˈmoːʈ/ | |
"today" | /təˈdeɪ/ | /təˈdeɪ/ | /ʈuˈɖeː/ | |
"together" | /təˈgɛðə(r)/ | /təˈgɛðər/ | /ʈuˈged̪ə(r)/ | |
"commentary" | /ˈkɒməntri/ | /ˈkɑːmənˌteri/ | /ˈkɒmenʈri/ | |
"compensate" | /ˈkɒmpənˌseɪt/ | /ˈkɑːmpənˌseɪt/ | /ˈkɒmpenˌseːʈ/ | |
"pencil" | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | /ˈpensil/ | |
"council " | /ˈkaʊnsəl/ | /ˈkaʊnsəl/ | /ˈkaʊnsil/ | |
"quarter" | /ˈkwɔːtə(r)/ | /ˈkwɔrtər/ | /ˈkʋaːʈə(r)/ | |
"s" in "cabs" | /kæbz/ | /kæbz/ | /kæbs/ | the "s" of at the end of plurals is pronounced with an "s" sound rather than the usual "z" sound. Other examples are, "rings", "clothes", "mangoes", "discos". The same applies to "is", "nose" and "houses". |
"es" in "masses" | /ˈmæsɪz/ | /ˈmæsɪz/ | – | Where a plural ends in "es", "/-ɪz/" tends to be used. Other examples include, "wishes" and "judges". |
"ed" in "knocked" | /nɒkt/ | /nɑːkt/ | /nɒkɖ/ | Similar change is heard with "passed", "finished", "wanted" and "landed". |
"ed" in "landed" | /ˈlændɪd/ | /ˈlændɪd/ | /lænɖəɖ/ | the same may apply after "t", "s", "g" and "n". |
"et" in "pocket" | /ˈpɒkɪt/ | /ˈpɑːkɪt/ | /ˈpɒkəʈ/ | Other examples where "et" is unstressed and pronounced in this way include, "market" and "biscuit". |
"th" in "healthy" | /ˈhɛlθi/ | /ˈhɛlθi/ | /ˈhelði/ | Also, "wealthy". |
"r" in "care" | /kɛə(r)/ | /kɛr/ | /kea(r)/ | Also, "air", "fare", "pear" and so on. |
"w" in "power" | /ˈpaʊə(r)/ | /ˈpaʊər/ | /ˈpaʋə(r)/ | Also, "tower" and "flower" |
"w" in "twist" | /twɪst/ | /twɪst/ | /ʈʋisʈ/ | Applies also to "quick". |
"a" in "damage" | /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ | /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ | /ˈɖæmeːdʒ/ | Other examples include "marriage", "manager", "village" and "college". |
"a" in "delicate" | /ˈdɛlɪkɪt/ | /ˈdɛlɪkɪt/ | /ˈɖelikeːʈ/ | Other examples include "accurate", "examine", "example" and "enamel". |
"i" in "video" | /ˈvɪdiˌəʊ/ | /ˈvɪdiˌoʊ/ | /ˈʋiːɖiˌoː/ | Other examples include "competition" and "electrician". |
"of" | /əv/ | /əv/ | /ɒf/ | |
"vehicle" | /ˈviːɪkəl/ | /ˈviːɪkəl/ | /ˈʋehikəl/ | |
"husband" | /ˈhʌzbənd/ | /ˈhʌzbənd/ | /ˈhasbənɖ/ | |
"tuition" | /tjuˈɪʃən/ | /tuˈɪʃən/ | /ˈʈjuːɕən/ | |
"poem" | /ˈpəʊɪm/ | /ˈpoʊəm/ | /ˈpojəm/ | and, "poet" |
Major Publications
- The Postcolonial Identity of Sri Lankan English by Manique Gunesekera[13]
- A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English by Michael Meyler[14]
See also
- Regional accents of English speakers
References
- ^ Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 30. DOI: 10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam
- ISBN 978-94-007-4578-0. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
- ISBN 978-90-420-2955-2. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Sri Lanka – language". Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ "kachru's three circles of english pdf". Pdfprof.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ISBN 978-955-9170-67-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7391-6579-9. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
- ^ Lim L. et al (ed.) "The Politics of English: South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific." Studies in world booty language problems. John Benjamins Publishing 2013 vol 4 p74.
ISBN 978-90-272-7213-3. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Anaconda" Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2008. Accessed 3 July 2008.
- ^ Fernando, Siromi (2011–2012). "Sri Lankan English (SLE) Vocabulary: A New Vocabulary in a New Variety of English" (PDF). OUSL Digital Archive. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d Meyler, Michael. 2009. "Sri Lankan English." 540–541.
- ^ a b Pathirana, Renuka. 2016. "Dialectal Variations of Sri Lankan English due to Mother Tongue Influence of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim."
- ^ Gunasekera, M. (2005). The Postcolonial Identity of Sri Lankan English. Colombo: Katha Publishers.
- ^ Meyler, M., & Fernando, D. (2007). A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English. Colombo: Michael Meyler.
External links
- Hussein P. Dictionary of Sri Lankan English. Self-published and sold at Mirisgala website. Accessed 30 January 2014.
- A brief history of Sri Lankan English Newsletter article at (archived) Oxford English Dictionary website.
- An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies Project Gutenberg.
- A review of Knox's Words Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka. 15 August 2004.
- Knox's Words. Ondaatje website.
- Our British heritage Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka. 3 February 2002.
- Sri Lankan English (SLE) Vocabulary: A New Vocabulary in a New Variety of English. Article in a journal on OUSL website.