Chapter 10. Sinhala Language and Literature

The language. Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language and, with Tamil, an official language of Sri Lanka. Its script is a Brahmi-derived writing system (an abugida), written left to right. Sinhala shows diglossia: the literary (formal written) form differs from the spoken form [22][23].

Grammar. Study nouns (with animate and inanimate categories and case forms), verbs (tenses and the formal literary verb endings), adjectives, particles, postpositions and sentence structure. Sinhala word order is typically subject–object–verb [22][23].

Writing. Practise correct spelling, sandhi (sound combination) and standard written forms; essays, letters, reports and creative writing.

Historical development. Sinhala developed from Indo-Aryan roots with influence from Pali, Sanskrit and, later, Tamil, Portuguese, Dutch and English. Early inscriptions in Brahmi script date back more than two thousand years [24].

Literary traditions [24]

Early and classical period: chronicles such as the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa (written in Pali), Sinhala prose commentaries and works such as the Amāvatura, the Dhampiya Aṭuvā Gäṭapadaya and the graffiti verses of Sigiriya.

Poetry: the kavya tradition, including Sasadāvata and Kavsilumina, and the sandesha kavya (message poems) of the Kotte period, such as the Mayura Sandesaya and Kokila Sandesaya.

Folk literature and oral tradition: folk songs, tales and ritual poetry.

Modern literature: the novel and short story developed in the 20th century. Martin Wickramasinghe’s Gamperaliya (1944) is a landmark novel; modern poetry, drama and criticism followed. Writers such as Munidasa Kumaratunga influenced language reform and grammar.

Literary appreciation. Analyse theme, character, language, structure, imagery and social background. Write answers with evidence from the text.

Language and identity. Sinhala is a major vehicle of culture, religion and national life, and language policy has been an important subject in modern Sri Lankan politics [6].

Review: Name a well-known modern Sinhala novel and its author. (Answer: for example, Gamperaliya by Martin Wickramasinghe.)