Sinhalese language

Sinhalese language
also spelled  Singhalese  or  Cingalese , also called  Sinhala 

      Indo-Aryan language, one of the two official languages of Sri Lanka. It was taken there by colonists from northern India about the 5th century BC. Because of its isolation from the other Indo-Aryan tongues of mainland India, Sinhalese developed along independent lines. It was influenced by Pāli, the sacred language of the Sri Lankan Buddhists, and to a lesser degree by Sanskrit. It has borrowed a considerable number of words from the Dravidian languages, mostly from Tamil, which is also spoken in Sri Lanka.

      The earliest inscriptions in Sinhalese, written on rock in Brāhmī characters, date from about 200 BC. By about 1250 the literary language had attained a form from which it has varied little since, although the modern spoken language differs considerably from it. Much literature was produced, nearly all of Buddhist inspiration, from 1000 on; modern secular literature began in the 20th century. Modern Sinhalese has its own syllabic script. Dialects of Sinhalese are spoken in the Lakshadweep and Maldive islands.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Sinhalese language — Infobox Language name=Sinhala nativename=සිංහල IAST|siṁhala region=Sri Lanka speakers=19 million familycolor=Indo European fam2=Indo Iranian fam3=Indo Aryan fam4=Insular Indo Aryan script=Sinhala abugida (developed from the Brahmi) nation=Sri… …   Wikipedia

  • Sinhalese — [sin΄hə lēz′, sin΄əlēz′; sin΄həlēz′, sin΄əlēs′] adj. [< Sans Siṅhala, Sri Lanka + ESE] of Sri Lanka or its principal people, language, or culture n. 1. pl. Sinhalese a member of the principal people of Sri Lanka 2. the Indo Aryan language of… …   English World dictionary

  • Sinhalese — (also Singhalese, Sinhala) ► NOUN (pl. same) 1) a member of an Indian people now forming the majority of the population of Sri Lanka. 2) an Indic language spoken by this people. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to the Sinhalese. ORIGIN from Sanskrit, Sri… …   English terms dictionary

  • Sinhalese — pertaining to Sri Lanka, 1797, from Skt. Sinhala Sri Lanka, Ceylon, from simhala , lit. of lions, from simhah lion. As the name of a language spoken there, it is attested from 1801 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Sinhalese people — Infobox Ethnic group group=Sinhala poptime=c. 15.0 million regions = flagcountry|Sri Lankanbsp|6 14,100,000 [ [http://www.statistics.gov.lk/census2001/database/csv table2.asp www.statistics.gov.lk] ] Other significant population centers: region1 …   Wikipedia

  • Dhivehi language — language name=Dhivehi nativename=ދިވެހި region=Maldives; Lakshadweep (India) speakers=300,000+ familycolor=Indo European fam2=Indo Iranian fam3=Indo Aryan fam4=Insular Indo Aryan nation=Maldives agency=http://www.qaumiyyath.gov.mv/ |National… …   Wikipedia

  • Sinhalese — /sin heuh leez , lees /, adj., n., pl. Sinhalese for 2. adj. 1. of or pertaining to Sri Lanka, its native people, or their language. n. 2. a member of the Sinhalese people. 3. an Indic language that is the language of the majority of the… …   Universalium

  • Sinhalese — /sɪnhəˈliz/ (say sinhuh leez) noun 1. (plural Sinhalese) a member of the northern Indian people who migrated to Sri Lanka around 500 BC and now make up the majority of its population. 2. the Sinhalese people collectively. 3. Also, Sinhala. the… …  

  • Sinhalese — I UK [ˌsɪnhəˈliːz] / US [ˌsɪnhəˈlɪz] noun Word forms Sinhalese : singular Sinhalese plural Sinhalese 1) [countable] a person who is a member of the main group of people who live in Sri Lanka 2) [uncountable] the official language of Sri Lanka II… …   English dictionary

  • Sinhalese — 1. adjective Of or pertaining to the majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka, their Indo Aryan language, or their culture. 2. noun a) A Sinhalese person: a member of the majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka. b) The Indo Aryan language of the Sinhalese… …   Wiktionary

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