Blog Archives

The Fascinating Sri Lankan Archipelago Beyond Sinhala, English, Tamil – by Randika Jayakody & Jerome Perera Source: Dæhæna – Radio 4EB Sri Lankan Group – Monthly e-Newsletter – April 2022 A familiar refrain amongst the Sri Lankan diaspora is that the country utilises three languages; Sinhalese, Tamil, and English. This seems reasonable until one understands that the Sri Lankan islands have been central to global trade for millennia and like any such location should be more linguistically diverse. Accordingly, a closer inspection reveals a trove of linguistic diversity for a country so small. The most ancient languages spoken in Sri Lanka are those of the Wanniyala-Aetto. These languages predated recorded time and are not written, but orally transmitted, like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia. Having spent recent years learning this language I can attest to the elegance with which these languages describe natural phenomena. The Sri Lankan ...