‘A New Brand of Sinhala: Singirisi’

Professor J B Disanayaka

Sri Lankan English and Sinenglish are products of the universal linguistic phenomenon described by linguists as ‘languages in contact’. English, when it came into context with the two national languages of the island, Sinhala and Tamil, was influenced by the latter, ultimately producing these new brands of English, unique to this island.

The ‘languages in contact’ situation in Sri Lanka had another kind of impact. English was the source of a new brand of Sinhala, which I have termed ‘Singirisi’. Whereas ‘Sinenglish’ is a brand of English, ‘Singirisi’ is a brand of Sinhala with its own patterns of usage. This is the brand of Sinhala used by bilingual in Sri Lanka.

In my book ‘Understanding the Sinhalese’ I have made an attempt to describe some of the patterns of usage of Singirisi in the chapter entitled ‘Singirisi, the Speech of the bilingual”. These bilingual include professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, University teachers and, others like businessmen and housewives.

Let me reproduce the passage that I have quoted in my book as a typical example of Singirisi: (Sinhala words are in italics)

“Campus eke strike eka hinda vacation eka extend karamu kiyala vice chancellor science faculty eke professor kenek ekka kivalu.

Namut samahara tutors-la kivva lectures cancel karala practicals vitarak karamu kiyala. Dean kenek kivva freshers-lata rag karana seniors-la suspend karana tek exam eka postpone karamu kiyala. Lectures cut karana undergrads-la kohomat fail venava” (p. 134)

At the beginning, Singirisi was used only in informal personal communication and it was avoided in formal speech and writing, except in some newspaper columns. Today, however, I have observed that advertisers are using this brand in advertisements exhibited in public.

This has certainly aroused the concern not only of purists but also of others who have a love for their language. For language is one of the most important symbols of ethnic identity and the Sinhalese would love to keep their language, Sinhala, “unpolluted” by alien sources.