Simple Tamil launched

Manjari PEIRIS

The aim of developing the text, Simple Tamil was for two reasons, to support poor children in the North and the East by making them acquainted with knowledge all three languages and to establish harmony between the Sinhalese and Tamil community, said Professor J B Dissanayake, Sri Lanka Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, addressing the gathering at the launching ceremony of his book titled, Simple Tamil, held this week in Colombo.

Professor Dissanayake, who has served as a University teacher for 45 years, was instrumental in establishing the first Department of Linguistics in the Sri Lanka University system. He was a member of the Advisory Board of The Practical Trilingual Dictionary published by the Department of Official Languages and a member of the Official Language Commission. Prof Dissanayake strongly believes that learning Tamil language is the best way to build bridges of understanding among the three ethnic communities who have been living in Sri Lanka for generations. Professor Dissanayake has written many books on language, modern linguistics and culture in Sinhala and English. The first book that he wrote in all three languages was 'Sinhala Tamil English Trilingual Writing'. It is a book that helps Sri Lankans to read and write their own names easily and quickly.

He has also published many books for children to popularize Sri Lankan folk tales not only among the Sinhalese, but also among those who read in Tamil and English.

"Simple Tamil has been compiled in a very methodical manner while creating a lot of interest in the reader. He has prepared this book to help Tamil speaking children to learn the alphabet so that they could read and write Tamil properly. He has introduced all the letters used by contemporary writers. The method employed to introduce the letters from the easy to the difficult and from the known to unknown, helps children to learn the language speedily and with ease," said Professor S Thillainathan, of the University of Peradeniya.