Sri Lankan English - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sri Lankan English is the English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

as spoken in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

.

The earliest English speakers in present-day Sri Lanka date back to the days of the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

, the era of Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

dominance, and the British colonial presence in South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

.

An SLE consultant for the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...

and author of the book Knox's Words notes that British readers first encountered loan words from Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) in a book published in 1681

1681 in literature

The year 1681 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Birth of Abigail Williams, much later a central character in Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible.-New books:*Robert Knox - An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon...

entitled An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies. Words from that book became used internationally: the best known is Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

but others include Anaconda

Anaconda

An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...

, betel leaf, bo

Sacred Fig

The Sacred Fig, Ficus religiosa, or Bo-Tree , Peepal is a species of banyan fig native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina...

tree, pooja

Puja (Buddhism)

In Buddhism, puja are expressions of "honour, worship and devotional attention." Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting...

, rattan

Rattan

Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...

, rillow, Vedda

Wanniyala-Aetto

Veddas or Veddahs , are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. They amongst other self identified native communities such as Coast Veddas and Anuradhapura Veddas are accorded indigenous status...

, and wanderoo

Gray langur

Gray langurs or Hanuman langurs, the most widespread langurs of South Asia, are a group of Old World monkeys constituting the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus. All taxa have traditionally been placed in the single species Semnopithecus entellus...

.

SLE became more indigenous in the mid-19th century. In addition to the usual terms for flora and fauna, new idiom

Idiom

Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...

s, referred to as Lankanisms, emerged.

Some years after independence in 1948, English ceased being the only official language of Sri Lanka, but it remained in use across the island's ethnic groups. It evolved to incorporate more Sinhalese vocabulary

Vocabulary

A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...

and grammatical

Grammar

In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...

conventions such as the use of "no?" as a tag question

Tag question

A question tag or tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment . For example, in the sentence "You're John, aren't you?", the statement "You're John" is turned into a question by the tag...

at the end of a sentence.

In spite of English's long history in Sri Lanka, 21st century Sri Lankan academicians debate about the legitimacy of SLE as a separate dialect.

A significant difference between British English and Sri Lankan English usage is its use of particular tenses. Many educated Sri Lankans would use past perfect tense to talk about things that happened at a fixed time in the recent past instead of past simple. Many Sri Lankans still use words such as frock (dress) and the question form 'to whom' which are not familiar to modern British English speakers. Another example of typical Sri Lankan English is posing questions by changing the intonation, e.g. "you are hungry?"

There are certain nouns added to English by Sri Lankans and therefore a native English speaker coming to Sri Lanka for the first time would not know what Shorteats (snacks) and string hoppers (a typical Sri Lankan food) mean. If you read a daily newspaper, you may find a number of typical Sri Lankan usages, which may not be accepted in standard British English: such as 'lots of equipments', 'information system', 'education minister'

Some of the usages mentioned are common in Indian English

Indian English

Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...

as well

Words and patterns

Tag questions: The use of "isn't it?" and "no?" as general question tags, as in You're going, isn't it? instead of You're going, aren't you?, and He's here, no? (In spoken Sinhala 'ne?' (meaning isn't it?), is used in a similar way)

Overuse of the words 'Generally', 'Actually', 'Obviously', 'Basically' in the beginning of a sentence. e.g. "Actually I am not feeling well." (used mostly by urban people and Yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...

s). This trend is common with Indian English
Indian English
Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...

as well.

Use of "Can you drop me?" and "We will drop her first" instead of "Can you drop me off?" and "We will drop her off first". (used mostly by urban people and Yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...

s)

Omission of the definite article: e.g. "Let's go to city" instead of "Let's go to the city", also "in hospital" (in the hospital), "to hospital" (to the hospital). (In the case of "in hospital" and "to hospital", however, these forms are used in British English too when talking about a sick person, as against someone who goes there to visit a sick person.)

Usage of 'Parallelly' as opposed to 'In Parallel'.

"How are you keeping?" instead of "How are you doing?" or "How are you?".

Overuse of 'also' in places where a general English speaker would not insert an 'also'. e.g. "The driver is new. He is driving fast also". Note that this is somewhat analogous to the overuse/misuse of 'only' in Indian English
Indian English
Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...

. An Indian speaker would say "The driver is new. He is driving fast only". This is due to the fact that their native languages has similar idiomatic usage of the general meaning of 'also' and 'only'. Using "also" several times when several people are involved in the same action is common too. e.g. "Papa also going, Mama also going." instead of "Both Papa and Mama are going."

"send it across" instead of "send it over", as in "send the bill across to me" instead of "send the bill over to me". (used mostly by urban people and Yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...

s)

"back" replacing "ago" when talking about elapsed time, as in "I met him five years back" rather than "I met him five years ago." (Though this too is not uncommon in British English

"pass out" is meant to graduate, as in "I passed out of the university in 1995."

"confinement" means "pregnancy". (mostly found in formal official use, and it is not that common as of recently; "confinement" is occasionally found in British legal usage, principally when referring to the final trimester of pregnancy)

Use of "current went" and "current came" for "The power went out" and "The power came back"

"Lady's Fingers" means Okra
Okra
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...

. "Brinjal" means Aubergine(UK) or Eggplant(US). "Dhal" means Lentils.

'Shorteats' for snacks (in small Sri Lankan restaurants Shorteats sometimes morphed in to 'Sorties')

'String Hoppers' (a typical Sri Lankan/South Indian food that looks somewhat like a pancake)

"Hotel" could mean Restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

As in "I ate in a roadside hotel".

"Lodge" refers to a place where you stay in temporary basis (in rooms).

"Specs" means spectacles (as in colloquial UK English).

'Cover' to mean any envelope or a bag. For example, "Put the documents in a cover and post it", and "Put the gift in a cover".

'Today morning' (afternoon, evening, etc.) instead of 'this morning.' ("I met with him today morning."). Similarly, 'yesterday night' instead of 'last night'.

'Pattice'or 'Pattis' is used for a singular vegetable/Corn patty or plural Corn patties.

The word "stay" used for "live" or reside at": "Where do you stay?" meaning not "Where are you temporarily lodging" but "Where is your residence?" (though this is normal in Standard Scottish English)

'Saloon' instead of Salon, as in "I will visit the hair saloon."

'Crail' instead of 'Curl' (This term is being dropped from use. A fluent SLE speaker would treat 'Crail' as a wrong term, rather than SLE word.)

Intensifying adjectives by doubling them. This is a common feature of most Indian languages. For example: "We went to different-different places in the city in search of a good hotel", "Don't worry about small-small things" to mean very insignificant issues. This usage is common in Indian English
Indian English
Indian English is an umbrella term used to describe dialects of the English language spoken primarily in the Republic of India.As a result of British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947 English is an official language of India and is widely used in both spoken and literary contexts...

as well.

Word order following who, what, where, when, why, or how. In standard British English and in American English , the following are correct: "Where are you going?" "Tell me where you are going"

In Indian/Sri Lankan English, however, a speaker will tend to choose one or the other word order pattern and apply it universally, thus: "Where are you going?" and "Tell me where are you going." combination, OR "Where you are going?" and "Tell me where you are going." combination

'Batchmate' or 'batch-mate' to mean college buddy.

Chatni or Chutney (borrowed from Indian English)

Cousin-brother (male first cousin) & cousin-sister (female first cousin);

'Dickie' for trunk
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...

(US)/car boot(UK).

'Funeral house' which is a literal translation of a Sinhala word which refers to the event of the funeral taking place in a regular household (as opposed to a funeral parlour or funeral home
Funeral home
A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the deceased and their families. These services may include aprepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral....

); this term has also been noted in British English, vide OED

'Gone for a six', to mean something got ruined or went out of hand. (almost certainly has origins linked to the game of Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, in which six runs are automatically awarded to the batting side when the batsman hits the ball out of the playing field)

'Lakh' means one hundred thousand(Also in Indian English)

'Mobile' for mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

/cell-phone (This is found in British English too.)

'Pass-out' means graduate from college/University

'Ragging' for fagging
Fagging
Fagging was a traditional educational practice in British boarding private schools and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the most senior boys...

(UK)/hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....

(US).

Forms of address (informal)

Use of the English words 'uncle' and 'aunty' as suffixes when addressing people such as distant relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, even total strangers of an older generation.

Use of 'machan' when speaking between fellow Sri Lankans (mostly among men), equivalent to mate
Mate (colloquialism)
Mate is a colloquialism used to refer to a friend and is commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is or has been used interchangeably with many equivalent terms, such as buddy , pal or bro . It is sometimes abbreviated to M8..-Origin:Mate is a colloquialism...

, original meaning "brother-in-law" in Tamil.

Comparison of some Sri Lankan usage patterns with international usage

Some Sri Lankans closely follow the international - more often British - norms in usage. However, the patterns given below are often found, albeit to varying degrees, among Sri Lankan English speakers.

in vain

My brother has extra tickets. We bought tickets in vain. [Sri Lanka]
My brother has extra tickets. It’s a shame (that) we bought tickets too. (We shouldn’t have bought tickets.) [international]

The manual is in German. In vain. / In vain we bought this gadget. [Sri Lanka]
The manual is in German. What a shame. / It’s a shame (that) we bought this gadget. [international]

for lies

Don’t shout for lies. [Sri Lanka]
Don’t shout in vain. [international]

He said it for lies. [Sri Lanka]
He said it as a joke. [international]

She is crying for lies. [Sri Lanka]
She is pretending to cry. [international]

keep

The verb 'keep' is sometimes used in SLE in the same sense as 'put' or 'place'.

Keep it on the table. [Sri Lanka]
Put it on the table. [international]

Keep it in the cupboard. [Sri Lanka]
Put it in / into the cupboard. [international]

too much

That child is too much. [Sri Lanka]
That child is quite naughty / mischievous. [international]

This salesman is too much. [Sri Lanka]
This salesman is really pushy. [international]

That girl is too much. [Sri Lanka]
That girl is too forward. [international]

small small things

'small small things' [Sri Lanka]
' various small things' / 'many small things' / 'several small things' [international]

'different different problems' [Sri Lanka]
'various problems' / 'many different problem' / 'several different problems' [international]

- In international usage, an adjective is sometimes repeated to have an intensifying effect.

I saw her long, long ago.

get down from the bus

'get down from the bus / train / car...', 'get off the car / van...' [Sri Lanka]
'get off the bus / train / motorcycle...', 'get out of the car / van...' [international]

play out

They played me out. [Sri Lanka]
They cheated me / deceived me / conned me (informal usage) / took me for a ride (informal usage). [international]

ask from him

Ask from him. [Sri Lanka]
Ask him. [international]

I want to ask a question from her. [Sri Lanka]
I want to ask her a question. [international]

The repetition of 'also' when several people do the same thing

Nimal also is there, Mala also is there. [Sri Lanka]
Both Nimal and Mala are there. / Nimal and Mala are both there. [International]

Using 'even' after the word or phrase it refers to

They are open on Sundays even. / On Sundays even, they are open. [Sri Lanka]
They are open even on Sundays.[International]

He didn’t call even. [Sri Lanka]
He didn’t even call. [International]

She didn’t open the letter even. [Sri Lanka]
She didn’t even open the letter. [International]

- In international usage, 'even' is sometimes placed after the term it is associated with when something more precise is added.

Their home was large, even huge / huge even.

Using 'have' to say that something is available

Do you have enough money with you? – Yes, have. [Sri Lanka]
Do you have enough money with you? – Yes, I do. [International]

Have enough petrol? – Yes, have. [Sri Lanka]
Is there enough petrol [BrE] / gasoline [AmE]? – Yes, there is. [International]

Overuse of 'put', i.e. in instances where other words are found in international usage

‘put a wash’ [Sri Lanka]
‘take / have [BrE] a wash' [International]

‘put a walk’ [Sri Lanka]
‘take / have a walk’ [International]

‘put a nap’ [Sri Lanka]
‘take / have a nap [International]

‘put a look’ [Sri Lanka]
‘have / take a look’ [International]

‘put a chat’ [Sri Lanka]
‘have a chat’ [International]

‘put a complaint’ [Sri Lanka]
‘make a complaint’ [International]

‘put a drink’ [Sri Lanka]
‘have a drink’ [International]

Different word order in sentences with 'only'

Yesterday only they came. [Sri Lanka]
They only came yesterday. / They came only yesterday. / It was only yesterday that they came. [International]

Then only they saw the thief. [Sri Lanka]
They only saw the thief then. / They saw the thief only then. / It was only then that they saw the thief. / Only then did they see the thief. [International]

Only in Sri Lanka you find it. [Sri Lanka]
You only find it in Sri Lanka. / You find it only in Sri Lanka. / It is only in Sri Lanka that you find it. / Only in Sri Lanka do you find it. [International]

Only if you go there you will meet her. [Sri Lanka]
You will meet her only if you go there. / Only if you go there will you meet her. [International]

Inverted word order found sometimes in questions

Why they are here? [Sri Lanka]
Why are they here? [International]

Why you wanted to talk to him? [Sri Lanka]
Why did you want to talk to him? [International]

- Or the opposite of it sometimes in reported speech

My wife asked where was the daughter. [Sri Lanka]
My wife asked where the daughter was. [International]

Ask her when will she come. [Sri Lanka]
Ask her when she will come. [International]

Ask her what is her email address. [Sri Lanka ]
Ask her what her email address is. [International]

Wrong use of tenses in the third conditional

If you came here yesterday, you could meet her. [Sri Lanka]
If you had come here yesterday, you could have met her. [International]

The use of the past perfect to convey third-party information

The robbers had come in a van. [Sri Lanka]
The robbers have come in a van, they say. / They say (that) the robbers have come in a van. / It is said that the robbers have come in a van. / The robbers are supposed to have come in a van. [International]
(Or, if suitable,)
It was reported that the robbers had come in a van. [International]

Some differences

Speakers of Sri Lankan English are often incapable of producing certain sounds such as /ou/, /ei/ and use the same sound for both /v/ and /w/ as they do not bite their lower lip for /v/ or round their lips for /w/.

Pronouncing 'Exercise' as 'Excise'

Pronouncing 'Inventory' as 'Inventri' or 'Inventry' by dropping the 'o'. (Also common in British English)

Dropping the 'r' sound and pronouncing 'Carpet' as 'Capat' and 'Market' as 'Makat' (However, not pronouncing the 'r' in these places is standard practice in British English too, though not in American English.)

No difference between 'raw' and 'row' (Similarly, no difference between 'saw' and 'sow' and 'so')

Confusing hard and soft "v" . e.g. "WOID" for "void", "WOMIT" for "vomit" and "Vee" for "We", "Vent" for "Went"

Pronouncing 'Ya' instead of 'Air' such as in 'Airport', thus it becomes 'Yapot' (they don't pronounce the 'r' either)

Metathesis

Inversion of 'il' to sound out 'li' or adding an extra 'i' sound - example: 'flim' or 'filim' instead of 'film' (this is relatively rare, nowadays)

Pronouncing 'psy.chi.at.ric' as 'psy.chac.tric' or inability to properly pronounce it at all.

Pronouncing 'Secretary' as 'Secetry' (se-ket-ri) and 'Secondary' as 'Secondry' (second-ri). (This pronunciation of 'Secondary' is also common in British English)

Detailed description of pronunciation differences

It should be noted that there are Sri Lankans who closely follow the international - more often British - norms in pronunciation. However, the patterns given below are often heard, albeit to varying degrees, among Sri Lankan English speakers.

Vowels

note, boat

Such words are pronounced with a diphthong

Diphthong

A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...

, /nəʊt/, /bəʊt/… in British English, and /noʊt/, /boʊt/… in American English (/ə/ - mid central vowel, /o/ - close-mid back rounded vowel, /ʊ/ - near-close near-back rounded vowel). In Sri Lankan English, they are mostly pronounced with the monophthong

Monophthong

A monophthong is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation....

/oː/ (/o/ -close-mid back rounded vowel) as /noːt/, /boːt/… This form has received general recognition in the country.

However, pronouncing words like hot /hɒt/, office /ˈɒfɪs/… (/ɒ/ - open back rounded vowel

Open back rounded vowel

The open back rounded vowel, or low back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is . The symbol is called turned script a, because it is a rotated version of script a, so-called because it...

) with the /o/ sound, as /hot/, /ofɪs/..., or words like hall /hɔːl/, caught /kɔːt/… (ɔ - open-mid back rounded vowel) with the /oː/ sound, as /‍hoːl/, /koːt/.., has not been accepted that way, though some people pronounce them so. In fact, these pronunciations are ridiculed by those who speak what can be called Standard Sri Lankan English. On the other hand, certain people - especially from rather unban areas – have got these sounds mixed up and pronounce words like local /ˈləʊkəl/ (BrE) - /ˈloʊkəl/ (AmE) with the /ɔː/ sound, as /ˈlɔːkəl/.

take, made

These words, which are also pronounced with a diphthong

Diphthong

as /teɪk/, /meɪd/… in BrE and AmE, are generally pronounced with the monophthong /eː/, as /teːk/, /meːd/… (/e/ - close-mid front unrounded vowel

Close-mid front unrounded vowel

The close-mid front unrounded vowel, or high-mid front unrounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ....

, /ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel)

father, luck

Since the sound of the letter “a” (/ɑː/ - open back unrounded vowel) in “father /ˈ‍fɑːðə(r)/” and that of “u” (/ʌ/ - open-mid back unrounded vowel ) in “luck /lʌk/” are both absent in Sinhala, they are pronounced as /aː/ and /a/ (/a/ - open front unrounded vowel) respectively.

net, letter

The (first) 'e' of these words is pronounced /ɛ/ (open-mid front unrounded vowel) in BrE and AmE, but rather /e/ (close-mid front unrounded vowel

Close-mid front unrounded vowel

) in SLE.

lid, happy

In BrE and AmE, the sound of the letter “i” (/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel) in “lid” may be different from that of “y” (/i/ - close front unrounded vowel

Close front unrounded vowel

The close front unrounded vowel, or high front unrounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ....

) in “happy.” Or else, the latter will also be /ɪ/. But in Sri Lanka both are often pronounced /i/.

book, boot

In BrE and AmE, “book” will be pronounced /bʊk/ (/ʊ/ - near-close near-back vowel) and boot /buːt/ (/u/ - close back rounded vowel

Close back rounded vowel

The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is u....

). But in SL, even the first word tends to have /u/ instead of /ʊ/.

Consonants

cat, lad

The sounds of “t” (/t/ - voiceless alveolar plosive

Voiceless alveolar plosive

The voiceless alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is t...

) and “d” (/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive

Voiced alveolar plosive

The voiced alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiced dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is d.-Features:Features of the voiced...

) in words like cat /kæt/ and lad /læd/ are often replaced by /ʈ/ (voiceless retroflex plosive

Voiceless retroflex plosive

-External links:*...

) and /ɖ/ (voiced retroflex plosive

Voiced retroflex plosive

The voiced retroflex plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is d`. The IPA symbol is a lowercase letter d with a rightward-pointing tail protruding...

) respectively in SLE.

pull, take, kit

When “p”,”t” or “k” occur at the beginning of a word (as in “pull”, “take” and “kit”) or a stressed syllable (as in the second syllable of “potato”), they are aspirated

Aspiration (phonetics)

In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...

in BrE and AmE. This is rare among Sri Lankans.

thin, this

These two sounds of “th” (in /θɪn/ and /ðɪs/) are fricatives (/θ/ - voiceless dental fricative

Voiceless dental fricative

The voiceless dental non-sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is familiar to English speakers as the 'th' in thing. Though rather rare as a phoneme in the world's inventory of languages, it is encountered in some of the most widespread and influential...

, /ð/ - voiced dental fricative

Voiced dental fricative

The voiced dental non-sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound, eth, is . The symbol was taken from the Old English letter eth, which could stand for either a voiced or unvoiced...

) in BrE and AmE, but plosives - /t̪/ (voiceless dental plosive

Voiceless dental plosive

The voiceless dental plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is t_d...

) and /d̪/ (voiced dental plosive

Voiced dental plosive

The voiced dental plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is...

) respectively - in SLE.

ship, chin

The “sh” sound (/ʃ/- voiceless postalveolar fricative

Voiceless postalveolar fricative

The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative or voiceless domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in many spoken languages, including English...

)in “ship /ʃɪp/” and “ch” sound (/tʃ/) in “chin /tʃɪn/” are produced further back in the mouth in SLE than in BrE and AmE. So /ʃ/ becomes /ɕ-/ (voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative) in SLE. Though some people unfamiliar with English even replace /ʃ/ with /s/ (voiceless alveolar fricative

Voiceless alveolar fricative

The voiceless alveolar sibilant is a common consonant sound in spoken languages. It is the sound in English words such as sea and pass, and is represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as . It has a characteristic high-pitched, highly perceptible hissing sound...

), making “ship” sound like “sip,” it is not an acceptad form.

vision, measure

Most Sri Lankans are unfamiliar with the /ʒ/ (voiced postalveolar fricative

Voiced postalveolar fricative

The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or voiced domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Z. An alternative symbol used in some...

) sound in words like “vision /ˈvɪʒən/” and “measure /ˈmɛʒə(r)/”, and therefore replace it with their “sh” sound in “ship.”

sip, zip

As the “z” sound (/z/ - voiced alveolar fricative

Voiced alveolar fricative

The voiced alveolar fricatives are consonantal sounds. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents these sounds depends on whether a sibilant or non-sibilant fricative is being described....

) does not occur in Sinhala, some Sri Lankans tend to pronounce “zip /zɪp/” like “sip /sɪp/” (/s/ - voiceless alveolar fricative

Voiceless alveolar fricative

), or even ship /ʃɪp/ (/ʃ/- voiceless postalveolar fricative

Voiceless postalveolar fricative

The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative or voiceless domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in many spoken languages, including English...

), but those familiar with English generally pronounce it correctly (unlike in the preceding case).

wail, veil

Many Sri Lankans tend to pronounce both “w” (/w/ - voiced labiovelar approximant) and “v” (/v/ - voiced labiodental fricative

Voiced labiodental fricative

The voiced labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is v....

) as /ʋ/ (labiodental approximant

Labiodental approximant

The labiodental approximant is a type of consonantal sound, similar to an English double-u pronounced with the teeth and lips held in the position used to articulate the letter vee, used in some spoken languages...

pin, fin

As the “f” (/f/ - voiceless labiodental fricative

Voiceless labiodental fricative

The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is .-Features:Features of the voiceless labiodental fricative:...

) sound do not occur in Sinhala, some Sri Lankans pronounce it like “p” (/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive

Voiceless bilabial plosive

The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is p...

), but those familiar with English generally do not do so and ridicule that "p" pronunciation too. On the other hand, certain people - especially from rather unban areas - occasionally put the /f/ sound where /p/ should be, e.g. sales rep /-ref/

skill, smell

Some people, generally those unfamiliar with English, tend to have an almost involuntary /i-/ before words that begin with an “s” preceding a consonant. So words like skill /skɪl/, smɛll /smel/… are pronounced /iskil/, /ismel/. This is also ridiculed by those who speak Standard Sri Lankan English.

Other common patterns

SLE sometimes uses longer written forms in speech where shortened forms are used in BrE and AmE.

What’s the matter? [International]
What is the matter? [Sri Lanka]

I’ve already seen that film. [International]
I have already seen that film. [Sri Lanka]

They’ll be here tomorrow. [International]
They will be here tomorrow. [Sri Lanka]

Some syllables elided in BrE and AmE are prononced in SLE.

different
/ˈdɪfrənt / [International]
/ˈɖifərənʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

logically
/ˈlɒdʒɪkli/ [International]
/ˈlɒdʒikəli/ [Sri Lanka]

evening
/ˈiːvnɪŋ/ [International]
/ˈiːʋiniŋ/ [Sri Lanka]

Some unstressed syllables reduced to /ə/ in BrE and AmE are pronounced /a(ː)/ in SLE

camera
/ˈkæmərə/ [International]
/ˈkæməra(ː)/ [Sri Lanka]

villa
/ˈvɪlə/ [International]
/ˈʋila(ː)/ [Sri Lanka]

welcome
/ˈwɛlkəm/ [International]
/ˈʋelkam/ [Sri Lanka

wholesome
/ˈhəʊlsəm/ [BrE], /ˈhoʊlsəm/ [AmE]
/ˈhoːlsam/ [Sri Lanka]

Certain unstressed syllables reduced to /ə/ in BrE and AmE/ are pronounced /o/,/u/, /e/, /i/ etc. in SLE

polite
/pəˈlaɪt/ [International]
/poˈlaɪʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

promote
/prəˈməʊt/[BrE], /prəˈmoʊt/ [AmE]
/proˈmoːʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

today
/təˈdeɪ/ [International]
/ʈuˈɖeː/ [Sri Lanka]

together
/təˈgɛðə(r)/ [International]
/ʈuˈged̪ə(r)/ [Sri Lanka]

commentary
/ˈkɒməntri/ [BrE], /ˈkɒmənˌteri/ [AmE]
/ˈkɒmenʈri/ [Sri Lanka]

compensate
/ˈkɒmpənˌseɪt/ [International]
/ˈkɒmpenˌseːʈ/ [SriLanka]

pencil
/ˈpɛnsəl/ [International]
/ˈpensil/ [Sri Lanka

council
/ˈkaʊnsəl/ [International]
/ˈkaʊnsil/ [Sri Lanka]

In BrE and AmE, the letter 's' at the end of plurals are pronounced /-z/ after voiced sounds like ‘b /b/’, ‘d /d/’, g /g/, ‘m /m/’, n /n/, ‘ng /ŋ/’, r /(r)/, v /v/, w /ʊ/, l /l/, ‘th /ð/’ and vowel sound. But in SLE some pronounce it /s/ in such positions.

Moreover, the 'es' added to form plurals of nouns ending in ‘s /s/’, ‘z /z/’, ‘sh /ʃ/’, ‘ch /tʃ/’, ’j /dʒ/’, though pronounced /-ɪz/ in BrE and AmE, tend to become /-əs/.

(However, the 's' added to words ending in voiced sounds ‘p /p/’, ‘t /t/’, ‘k /k/’, ‘f /f/’, ‘th /θ/’ are pronounced /s/ even in BrE and AmE.)

cabs
/kæbz/ [International]
/kæbs/ [Sri Lanka]

rings
/rɪŋz/ [International]
/riŋs/ [Sri Lanka]

clothes
/kləʊðz/ [BrE], /kloʊðz/ [AmE]
/kloːd̪s/ [Sri Lanka]

mangoes
/ˈmæŋgəʊz/ [BrE], /ˈmæŋgoʊz/[AmE]
/ˈmæŋgoːs/ [Sri Lanka]

discos
/ˈdɪskəʊz/[BrE], /ˈdɪskoʊz/[AmE]
/ˈɖiskoːs/[Sri Lanka]

masses
/ˈmæsɪz/ [International]
/ˈmæsəs/ [Sri Lanka] gaya

wishes
/ˈwɪʃɪz/ [International]
/ˈʋiɕəs/ [Sri Lanka]

judges
/ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/ [International]
/ˈdʒadʒəs/ [Sri Lanka]

The 'ed' added to form the past tense of verbs ending in voiceless sounds like ‘p /p/’, ‘k /k/’, ‘f /f/’, ‘s /s/’, ‘sh /ʃ/’, ‘ch /tʃ/’, ‘th /θ/’, though pronounced /-t/ in BrE and AmE, are pronounced /-ɖ/ by some Sri Lankans.

Furthermore, after ‘t /t/’, ‘d /d/’ (and sometimes ‘s’, ‘g’ ‘n’ etc.), where 'ed' is pronounced /ɪd/ in BrE and AmE, it tends to be pronounced /-əɖ/ in SLE.

knocked
/nɒkt/ [International]
/nɒkɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

passed
/pɑːst/ [BrE], /pæst/ [AmE]
/paːsɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

finished
/fɪnɪʃt/ [International]
/finiɕɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

wanted
/ˈwɒntɪd/ [International]
/ˈʋɒnʈəɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

landed
/ˈlændɪd/ [International]
/lænɖəɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

cussed
/ˈkʌsɪd/ [International]
/ˈkasəɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

Unstressed syllables where 'et' is pronounced /-ɪt/ in BrE and AmE but rather /- əʈ/ in SLE

pocket
/ˈpɒkɪt/ [International]
/ˈpɒkəʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

market
/ˈmɑːkɪt/ [BrE], /ˈmɑrkɪt/ [AmE]
/ˈmaːkəʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

biscuit
/ˈbɪskɪt/ [International]
/ˈbiskəʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

Instances where 'th' is /θ/ in BrE and AmE but /ð/ in SLE

healthy
/ˈhɛlθi/ [International]
/ˈhelði/ [Sri Lanka]
(Similarly 'wealthy')

The pronunciation related to the letter 'r' in words like 'air' and 'care'

care
/kɛə(r)/ [BrE], /kɛr/ [AmE]
/kea(r)/ [Sri Lanka]
(Smilarly 'air', 'fair', 'fare', 'bare', 'bear', 'pear', 'pair'...)

The difference in pronunciation in wrds like ‘power’ and ‘tower’

power
/ˈpaʊə(r)/ [International]
/ˈpaʋə(r)/ [Sri Lanka]
(Similarly 'tower', 'flower'...)

The difference in pronunciation in words like 'quick' and 'twist'

quick
/kwɪk/ [International]
/kʋik/ [Sri Lanka]

twist
/twɪst/ [International]
/ʈʋisʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

Unstressed syllables where 'age' (or 'ege') is pronounced /ɪdʒ/ in BrE and AmE but rather /e(ː)dʒ/ in SLE

damage
/ˈdæmɪdʒ/ [International]
/ˈɖæmeːdʒ/ [Sri Lanka]

marriage
/ˈmærɪdʒ/ [International]
/ˈmæreːdʒ/ [Sri Lanka]

manager
/ˈmænɪdʒə(r)/ [International]
/ˈmæneːdʒə(r) / [Sri Lanka]

village
/ˈvɪdʒɪdʒ/ [International]
/ˈʋiledʒ/ [Sri Lanka

college
/ˈkɒlɪdʒ/ [International]
/ˈkɒledʒ/ [Sri Lanka]

Unstressed syllables where /ɪ/ in BrE and AmE becomes /e(ː)/ in SLE

delicate
/ˈdɛlɪkɪt/ [International]
/ˈɖelikeːʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

intimate (1)
/ˈɪntəmɪt/ [International]
/ˈintimeːʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

accurate
/ˈækjərɪt/ [International]
/ˈækjureːʈ/ [Sri Lanka]

examine
/ɪgˈzæmɪn/ [International]
/egˈzæmin/ [Sri Lanka

example
/ɪgˈzɑːmpəl/ [BrE], /ɪgˈzæmpəl/ [AmE]
/egˈzɑːmpəl/ [Sri Lanka]

enamel
/ɪˈnæməl/ [International]
/eˈnæməl/ [Sri Lanka]

(1) However, when words like 'intimate' are used as verbs, the pronunciation is different (/ˈɪntəˌmeɪt/ ) in BrE and AmE .

Stressed syllables where /ɪ/ in BrE and AmE rather becomes /iː/ in SLE

video
/ˈvɪdiˌəʊ/ [BrE], /ˈvɪdiˌoʊ/, [AmE]
/ˈʋiːɖiˌoː/ [Sri Lanka]

competition
/ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃən/ [International]
/ˌkɒmpeˈʈiːɕən/ [Sri Lanka

electrician
/ɪlɛkˈtrɪʃən/ [International]
/ilekˈʈriːɕən/ [Sri Lanka]

Words like 'is' and 'nose', where the 's' is pronounced /z/ in BrE and AmE, but often /s/ in SLE

is
/ɪz/ [International]
/i(ː)s/ [Sri Lanka]

nose
/nəʊz/ [BrE], /noʊz/ [AmE]
/noːs/ [Sri Lanka]

(Similaraly 'isn’t', 'was', 'wasn’t', 'these', 'those', 'pose', 'propose', 'close' (2), 'use' (2), noise...)

(2) Though the letter 's' in words like 'close', 'use' and 'house' is pronounced /z/ in BrE and AmE when they are used as verbs, it becomes /s/ when they are nouns or adjectives.

Some more words with differing pronunciation

of
/əv/(weak) - /ɒv/(strong) [International]
/ɒf/ [Sri Lanka]

vehicle
/ˈviːɪkəl/, / ˈviːəkəl/ [International]
/ˈʋehikəl/[Sri Lanka]

husband
/ˈhʌzbənd/ [International]
/ˈhasbənɖ/ [Sri Lanka]

tuition
/tjuˈɪʃən/ [BrE], /tuˈɪʃən/ [AmE]
/ˈʈjuːɕən/ [Sri Lanka]

poem
/ˈpəʊɪm/ [BrE], /ˈpoʊəm/ [AmE]
/ˈpojəm/ [Sri Lanka]
(Similarly 'poet' )

houses
/ˈhaʊzɪz/ [International]
/ˈhaʊsəs/ [Sri Lanka]
( Though the letter 's' in the singular ‘house’ is pronounced /s/ in BrE and AmE, it becomes /z/ in the plural.

quarter
/ˈkwɔːtə(r)/[BrE], /ˈkwɔrtər/ [AmE]
/ˈkʋaːʈə(r)/ [Sri Lanka]

Stress patterns

Words stressed on the second syllable in BrE and AmE, but often on the first in SLE

address, cassette, dessert, museum, hotel, gazette, rupee, papaw, maintain, migrate, translate, weekend, ice cream, although, already, hello, unless, unless, mature, analysis, apparel, upstairs, downstairs, Chinese, American, Nigeria, Bulgaria, UK, US, umbrella, interior, vanilla, specific, terrific, participate, participant...

Words with primary stress on the third syllable and secondary stress on the first in BrE and AmE, but vice versa in SLE

Japanese, lemonade, engineer, afternoon, understand, recommend, entertain, represent, disappear, conversation, application, education, information, qualification, university, opportunity, possibility, probability, scientific, Panamanian...

Words with primary stress on the fourth syllable and secondary stress on the second in BrE and AmE, but vice versa in SLE

association, accommodation, communication, pronunciation, examination, imagination, determination, responsibility...

Words with primary stress on the fourth syllable and secondary stress on the first in BrE and AmE, but vice versa in SLE

recommendation, misunderstand...

External links and sources

Dictionary of Sri Lankan English
A brief history of Sri Lankan English from the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...

website
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies, from Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
A review of Knox's Words, from the Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Observer
Another review of Knox's Words, from a fellow author's personal website
Our British heritage, another Sunday Observer article

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.