Sinhala Language

The story of Prince Vijaya in Sri Lankan Chronicles has brought diverse aspects of Sri Lanka's history and culture to the foreground. It has also evolved several arguments regarding the socio-cultural and economic divulgences of the two countries where the unique characteristics have sometimes been dissolved or diluted in order to maintain the influence and inspiration of the great tradition of the neighboring soils. However, emerges a background to analyze the existing data and evidence to revitalize the precision of the chronicler information in terms of identifying the socioeconomic and cultural background of the country during the period. A detailed survey typically highlights the nature of performing arts in the island at the time of Vijaya's arrival attenuating the established assumptions that there is an undeniable Indian influence on Sri Lanka's dance tradition. It is a proven fact that there is a transmigration of socioeconomic and cultural elements from one to another society with the migration of civilizations due to climatic, geographic, and socioeconomic reasons, one might not assume that it is an influence from the great tradition or a subculture of it. The same theory can be applied to the history and evolution of performing arts in the island from a broader perspective on par with the existing theories and the evidence. Thus, the present study engaged in a qualitative content analysis of the Vijaya-Kuveni story in Mahawamsa, Wansaththappakasini, Mahawamsa Tikawa, along with the report about the Vijayapura Research Excavation by Shiran Deraniyagala (2004) to establish facts and the basis of the history of performing arts in Sri Lanka to answer the question whether dance and music evolved with the arrival of Prince Vijaya to this island. Empirical evidence revealed from the Chronicle Mahavamsa informs that Princess Kuveni was the daughter of a regional leader of the island, and she was leading one territory in the country. She was spinning under a tree (more precisely using cotton yarn) and was looked after by a female watchdog that was by her side. When Prince Vijaya arrived in the country, there was a hermit who welcomed the prince to the island and informed him that this was a peaceful island where there were no humans: also mentioned that the land was fertile and that the prince could enjoy himself there. A proper examination and analysis of the particular scenario reveals that the economy, politics, culture, and the society of the island were not a sudden establishment, but a prolonged evolution of a standard government with a well-established operational mechanism. The settlement near the riverine basins, traditional clothing industry, agriculture as the main economic gain, the governance of city-states, the village customs, marriage traditions, and the festivities reveal that the island had been endowed with rich socio-cultural and economic systems that enriched the nation by considering its welfare and wellbeing at its best. To substantiate these particular assumptions, the Vijayapura Research Excavation in Anuradhapura by Shiran Deraniyagala reveals the remains of a civilization dating back to around 900-800 BCE. Thus, the present study aims at identifying the so-called Sri Lankan demographic identity allowing the readers to rethink and rewrite the nature of society, culture, and performing arts in the island, by blending the empirical evidence and existing archeological findings.

One of the major figures in the field of Indo-Anglian literature was Rabindranath Tagore. He has written numerous books, essays, short tales, trip diaries, dramas, and musical compositions. The most delicate in their core are Rabindranath Tagore's poems. They have a strong connection to Indian culture. His poetry clearly communicates with God and conveys a deep and strong human need. His poetry is timeless and speaks to the human heart. He has written on a wide range of subjects, but nature is a recurring theme. I'll be talking about several of his poems in this essay where nature plays a significant part. "Baul Songs" is one of his earliest collections of poetry. It is composed in the style of songs. He paints a precise portrait of nature in this poetry. Untraditional and unlettered, the song is a love ballad. Bengali for "the mad" is "baul ". He writes ; "Mornings and evenings in summer and in rains , I am fashioned to music "

Love encompass the beauty, harmony, and enchantment that love brings into our lives. Love has the power to transform ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. It is in the aesthetics of love that we find the ability to appreciate the small gestures, the shared laughter, and the profound intimacy that love bestows upon us. This paper aims to delve into the depths of love's wounds, examining its various dimensions through the lenses of Sigmund Freud,

Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The research problem here is whether folk poetry has been used for the spiritual thinking and mental development of people engaged in agriculture since ancient times. The main objective of this study is to reveal that these poems and songs stimulated the rice farming of the farmers.Research Method: The method used for this purpose is the Ethnographic research method. In those songs, the words used and the rhythm are considered prominent for this. Folk poems and songs related to farming recorded from different places in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015 are used for this research. Findings: One of the major features of Sri Lankan farming was singing folk poems and songs while working in farming aiming to mitigate work stress. Those poems and songs have influenced the physical and mental wellness of the farmers. It is evident that the communication ability and mental freedom that attracts agriculture...

Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The research problem here is whether folk poetry has been used for the spiritual thinking and mental development of people engaged in agriculture since ancient times. The main objective of this study is to reveal that these poems and songs stimulated the rice farming of the farmers.Research Method: The method used for this purpose is the Ethnographic research method. In those songs, the words used and the rhythm are considered prominent for this. Folk poems and songs related to farming recorded from different places in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015 are used for this research. Findings: One of the major features of Sri Lankan farming was singing folk poems and songs while working in farming aiming to mitigate work stress. Those poems and songs have influenced the physical and mental wellness of the farmers. It is evident that the communication ability and mental freedom that attracts agriculture...

The paper examines how English romanticism in general and romantic poets, in particular, had an impact on concepts of romanticism in our part of the world and why it is important to understand their influence. It argues that we must look at interactions between our leading Bengali poets and their English counterparts to determine the imaginative lineage of the Bengali poets. It specifically focuses on the relationship between birds and bards, and romantic poetic imaginings of the avian lot in Rabindranath and Jibanananda in their late-romantic phase.

This article explores the romantic ideas of Tagore from his major works and its impact on individual lives. Though the development of science and technology has benefited us a lot but it has led man astray from nature. Modern world is devoid of peace, harmony and people lead a self-centred existence by conducting nuclear wars unaware of their identity. Moreover, global terrorism and mental stress especially in European nations are common phenomena. This paper discusses on how Tagore draws values from western romantic poets and eastern ideals to develop his concept of romanticism that calls for human solidarity, spiritual unity, individual freedom and urges to offer vent for passion, imagination and perception. Attempt has also been made to elucidate Tagore"s Romanticism by citing his poems, essays, lectures and a collection of other Bengali writing"s that focuses on returning men back to their original residence i.e. nature, evoking the spirit of love among individuals, glorification of beauty ,restoring peace and harmony and recognition of truth that an Universal soul exists in each one of us thereby aiming to create equality among mankind, curb violence and hatred and construct unity amidst diversity by breaking demarcations and thwarting discrimination.

Sri Lankan English literature has evolved considerably since independence, gaining the attention and contribution of many literary critics. Even though Sri Lankan English Literature has been explored in diverse ways, a sustained scholarly discussion on Sri Lankan English love poetry is still to be developed. It is in this context that the researchers examine the common characteristics of Sri Lankan English love poetry. In this regard, selected love poems of four poets, Patrick Fernando, Lakdasa Wikkramasinha, Vihanga Perera and Vivimarie VanderPoorten will be examined as they display a cross chronology. The main objective of this study is to make a comparison of the selected poems in order to identify their common characteristics in terms of the perspective and cultural milieu and diction. Moreover, the study also aims to investigate whether these poems reflect the respective sociocultural background. Previous research on Sri Lankan English literature has attempted to discern the re...

This is a revision of Fairbanks, Gair and De Silva "Colloquial Sinhalese", which was first published in 1968 and reprinted (with minor corrections) in 1981 and 1993. The book has been typeset from scratch based on a scan of the original typewritten publication, and various features have been added, including an index of grammatical topics and a key to exercises. Minor typographical errors have been corrected (but new ones have doubtless been introduced). Additional material includes a comprehensive index of grammatical notes and a key to exercises (for the first 13 lessons).

The original PDF can be found on Library Genesis. This draft covers all 36 lessons using a romanization scheme that has been slightly amended from the original version. The Sinhala script is introduced incrementally from lesson 5 onwards.

This draft has been proofread by a native speaker up to Lesson 12. Updated versions will be made available as the proofreading proceeds. Please read the preface to the 2nd edition for some background to the present work and some caveats regarding the text.

This chapter begins with an introduction to Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan and South Asian language spoken by the Sinhalesethe largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka. The historical overview of ancient Sinhala lexicography provides a summary of oldest Sinhala lexicons (nighaṇṭu), and the impact of Pali and Sanskrit lexicographical compilations on Sinhala. The sixteenth century saw the initial impact of European colonial power on Sri Lanka, and the subsequent periods witnessed the compilation of dictionaries in the European tradition in Sri Lanka. The linguistic endeavors of Dutch and British missionaries led to a variety of lexicographical works in Sinhala. The year 1927 marked the beginning of a governmentsponsored Sinhala dictionary project, which aimed to compile an etymological dictionary of Sinhala under the direction of the German Indologist, Professor Wilhelm Geiger. With the expansion of linguistic activity in Sinhala, and the demand for Sinhala as an official language in the country, there was a need for practical dictionaries in the 1940s to 1960s. During this period, several attempts were made to produce Sinhala-Sinhala and English-Sinhala dictionaries for use in schools and government departments. The government Sinhala dictionary project dragged on for 65 years and was finally completed in 1992. The present

The paper examines how English romanticism in general and romantic poets, in particular, had an impact on concepts of romanticism in our part of the world and why it is important to understand their influence. It argues that we must look at interactions between our leading Bengali poets and their English counterparts to determine the imaginative lineage of the Bengali poets. It specifically focuses on the relationship between birds and bards, and romantic poetic imaginings of the avian lot in Rabindranath and Jibanananda in their late-romantic phase.

In the early twentieth century Bengal, a group of young artists called Kallol poets introduced modernism in Bengali literature through their experimental writings, and called for a revision of the traditional spiritual idealism Tagore and others held so far. This generation of poets truly captures the essence of the time, its general mode of depression though they are in some way associated with Rabindranath either through their appreciation or negation. The poetry of Jibanananda Das along with Kavi Nazrul Islam who belongs to the Kallol era fundamentally departs from the Tagorean ideal of humanism and consolidates literary modernism in Bengal. Das’s poetry is sensuous, surreal filled with violent imagery, creaturely human/non-human relationships and especially death thoughts. It argues that the poet Jibanananda is difficult to detangle from the person Jibanananda as he had to go through poverty, loss, and existential dilemma. The paper, therefore, would attempt to explore the poetic self of Jibanananda inscribed in that modern chaotic time. How his complex, nihilistic poetic expression, the theme of despair, remorse, and death, which are characteristics of the modern poetry merging the personal and political, nature and culture, and worldly and metaphysical would be the main thrust of this paper.

Tagore died aged 80 in 1941, well before independence in 1947 and almost a decade before the birth of the new republic in 1950. But his brief and lovely paean to the idea of India remained as one of his many gifts to the nation-gifts including Asia's first Nobel Prize (for literature, in 1913), the university at Shantiniketan (founded in 1901), a visionary critique of nationalism (1917), and of course a body of poetry, fiction, drama, criticism, music and painting unparalleled in the history of modern India. Nor did Tagore's role as a founder remain restricted to India: in 1971, his song Amar shonar Bangla became the anthem of the new nation of Bangladesh. He must be the only poet in the world to be the author of the anthems of two nations, as Amartya Sen pointed out in an essay a few years ago. In post-Partition South Asia Bengalis-Indian and Bangladeshi alike-take Tagore to be a founding father. Modern Bengali identity is inconceivable without Tagore's songs, poems and his original style of music, Robindra-shongeet (literally, "Rabindranath's music"). What endears "Gurudev" to the Bengali imagination is his lyricism, his sensitivity, his words, images and tunes that fuse together in a distinctive way, with an elusive loveliness that is hard to translate out of Indian languages into English. Even Tagore's own translations of his poetry, though they won him a Nobel Prize, are unable to recreate in English the exact quality that makes him so deeply beloved, a poet whom Bengalis consider to be authentically and perfectly their own. If the Arab singer Umm Khalthoum was "a voice like Egypt", then Tagore truly was "a voice like Bengal". Recent poetic translations by scholars like Ketaki Dyson and William Radice have begun to capture the ineffable beauty of Tagore's language and imagery, to convey something of his myriad moods. Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma's sensibility could hardly be more distant from that of Tagore. Violent, garish, racy and crude, his cinematic oeuvre is a far

This is an interview with Indian English poet Ashwani Kumar who talks about poetry, Indian English and the middle-class aesthetics versus the contemporary Indian English poetry segment. He talks at large about his relationship to poetry, the changes in the realms of Indian English poetry, and the current trends that have marked the poetic geniuses here. English and its original colonial hangover and using English for everyday use-there is also discussion about travelling, how it is related to poetry, and the insurgent desires and dreams that are some of the most major components of every poet's mind and writing spirit. The translational and transnational aspect of writing also finds special reference in the interview.

This article explores the romantic ideas of Tagore from his major works and its impact on individual lives. Though the development of science and technology has benefited us a lot but it has led man astray from nature. Modern world is devoid of peace, harmony and people lead a self-centred existence by conducting nuclear wars unaware of their identity. Moreover, global terrorism and mental stress especially in European nations are common phenomena. This paper discusses on how Tagore draws values from western romantic poets and eastern ideals to develop his concept of romanticism that calls for human solidarity, spiritual unity, individual freedom and urges to offer vent for passion, imagination and perception. Attempt has also been made to elucidate Tagore"s Romanticism by citing his poems, essays, lectures and a collection of other Bengali writing"s that focuses on returning men back to their original residence i.e. nature, evoking the spirit of love among individuals, glorification of beauty ,restoring peace and harmony and recognition of truth that an Universal soul exists in each one of us thereby aiming to create equality among mankind, curb violence and hatred and construct unity amidst diversity by breaking demarcations and thwarting discrimination.

Rabindranath Tagore’s English translations of his  Gitanjali secured him global influence and a Nobel Prize in 1913, but without effective acknowledgement of many of these poems’ prior musical existence, as songs. Subsequent retranslations have done little to correct this, and for historical reasons connected to the epochal transition from Romanticism to modernism around the First World War, translators have also tended to abandon the verse structure of the originals, “level down” the characteristically “high” diction of Tagore’s poetic idiom, and stick to a literal representation of individual images in the text. However, historical practices of translation from the early twentieth century, including those of Tagore himself, were much freer with literal meaning, aiming primarily to communicate a poem’s original emotional “effect” or aesthetic “essence” ( rasa ) – above all when a poem was to be sung in translation.  Drawing on my own translations of Tagore, this paper looks at the ...

Independence, in the history of mankind, has never come alone. It is often preceded by relentless struggles, sacrifices, shattered dreams and, of course, the hope of a bright future in its aftermath. Indian independence from colonial rule in 1947 is no exception, especially with the unforgettable trauma of partition that keeps lurking from the dark recesses of its gory history. It is in the light of this statement that this paper attempts to analyse the post-independent Bengal scenario for the obvious fact that Bengal, along with Punjab, were the worst hit victims of the blow. This paper particularly focuses on one of the poems of Birendra Chattopadhyay who had been a witness to the events. His poem seems special because it is not simply about the dehumanising atrocities and genocide. It also points out the fallacy of one of the most influential philosophers and thinkers of India, Rabindranath Tagore. It is this cross-border communication that allows the poet to bring out the discrepancy between expectation and reality.

This paper presents the process undertaken in setting about the study and resolution of the issues surrounding the localization of Domain Names primarily for Sinhala, the methodology adopted in translating Top Level Domains (TLDs) to Sinhala, and technical issues related to the ...

In an academic environment shaped up by some phenomenal breakthroughs in information technology, the disciplines specialised under humanities and social sciences also tend to keep pace with those in pure and applied sciences in their progress in working out solutions to the problems and challenges that arise in their way in numerous fashions. The facilities that have emerged in high-tech environments today generously support the researchers in the humanities and social sciences in accessing and exploring hidden domains of knowledge and achieving and maintaining quality through the accuracy in the surveys, analyses, comparisons, and arguments they make. Thus, while the environment facilitates research with numerous technical devices such as the World Wide Web (WWW), EMAIL, NEWS, TELNET, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Internet Relay Chat (IRC), it poses a vertical challenge to the researchers regarding the defence of the claims they make. Unlike in the past, today everybody has access to a large number of devices in testing the veracity, accuracy, and completeness of a claim somebody makes, and therefore the researchers in the humanities and social sciences also consider that their findings should be true, accurate and consummate. In a background featured by such a high demand for academic excellence the publication of a journal of this sort invites numerous challenges. However, having left behind an innumerable multitude of obstacles, we are ready to go to the press with a substantial manuscript with 10 research papers.
The present issue of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Journal is meant to address some important concerns in the disciplines that are specialised under nine separate university departments within the faculty as a timely contribution to the ongoing process of producing and disseminating knowledge. The issue is featured by several journal papers that present the outcomes of the meticulous research carried out by a group of academics from the university system of Sri Lanka, specialising in a variety of disciplines.

This article tries to highlight the similarities and differences between Korean language and Sinhala language (one of the national languages of Sri Lanka) and also tries to evaluate the cultural similarities and differences underlying such usage. The paper adopts the framework used by Suh Cheong-soo in the article titled “A Cultural Perspective on the Korean Language”. Through this review we get to identify that some of the sentiments which are included in the Korean “jeong” concept can be found in the Sinhala culture as well. Hence those similar sentiments have given rise to similar language patterns in both Sinhala and Korean. In the same way different cultural sentiments have given rise to vastly different patterns of language usage between the two languages.

The relevance of comparative studies lies in the fact that it gives us the knowledge of cultural expressions prevalent in other languages. The research paper provides a comparative study of the poetry of Kamala Das and Shanta Shelke. Kamala Das (1934Das ( -2009) was a prominent poet in the Indian English Poetry; she belonged to the IWE and one of the important figures of Indian poetry in the modern era. Shanta J Shelke was on the other hand a famous poetess and lyricist in the Marathi poetry known for her simple use of language. The research paper concentrates on the poetry of both the poetesses in the Post-Colonial era. Both of them are known for handling various genres of literature, this paper concentrates only on their poetry, their original genre. In this paper a comparative study of their poetry shall throw light on the use of poetic language, the imagery of nature, the feelings of love and despair, feminism and the feminine sense of looking at the world.

In this paper I would like to analyse the National Anthems of two countries namely India and Mauritius as a form of poetry. National refers to the nation of a specific country, and anthem refers to a patriotic song sang in due respect to the country in question. National Anthems are naturally sung, the lyrics and the music blend together to give a melodious outcome. They are written in the official language of the respective countries.