Some social changes from Portuguese contact

Andrew Scott

Many social changes took place in Sri Lanka due to the contact with the Portuguese who arrived in these shores in about 1505. Particularly in the sphere of language we see that a large number of Portuguese words were borrowed by the Sinhala and Tamil languages. As Fr. Perera the great Sri Lankan historian mentioned: “Practically everything introduced by the Portuguese is still denoted in Sinhalese by a word borrowed from that language (Portuguese).”

At the inception a large number of Portuguese proper names were readily adopted by many people in Sri Lanka. Names such as Dias, Andradi, Abrew, Aponso, Cabraal, Caldera, Costa, Fonseka, Livera, Perera and Pinto have stuck to some Sri Lankan families for several generations and they are preferred names even today.

Most of the words borrowed from the Portuguese have seeped into the native language and are very much in use even now. Some of these common words include pinturaya and janelaya. Some articles of daily use introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese are still designated by Portuguese words. The following are some interesting examples that clearly show the cultural impact of the Portuguese on the Sri Lankan society. In this random list the Sinhala word is followed by the Portuguese word and then by the English word. Viscotu, viscoittu, biscuit; pan, pao, bread; accharu, achar, pickle; vinakiri, vinagre, vinegar; bottam, botao, button; citta, chita, chintz; karabu, cravo, earring; lensu, lenco, handkerchief; renda, renda, lace; kamisa, camisa, shirt; sapattu, sapato, shoes; saya, saia, skirt; pippa, pipa, barrel; botale, botelha, bottle; baldi, balde, bucket; koppa, copo, cup; pigana, pingan, plate; pirisi, pires, saucer; bandesi, bandeja, tray; almari, armario, almirah; banku, banco, bench; lampu, lampada, lamp; lantaruma, lanterna, langern; mesa, mesa, table; pipinna, pepino, cucumber; pera, pera, guava; papol, papaia, papaw; annasi, ananas, pineapple; batala, batatas, sweet potato.

Native languages

From the above list of Portuguese words currently being used in Sri Lanka, we can see how much the Portuguese have influenced the Sri Lankan cultural scene. At that time not only the Portuguese language but the ways and manners and the use of articles introduced to this country by the Portuguese became a status symbol, specially in the elitist society of a bygone era.

In addition to the impact on the native languages the Portuguese, particularly through the medium of Christianity, brought about a significant social change in the manners and customs of the Sri Lankans. For instance, following the example of the Portuguese, the Christian converts took up to meat eating. It is seen that even today meat eating is usually more popular in the predominantly Christian parts of the country.

It is well-known that the caste system came to Sri Lanka with the Aryan immigrants and got rooted here. In ancient Sri Lanka a member of one caste could not adopt the occupation of another and according to the great historian P. E. Peiris (Ceylon and the Portuguese) “Each caste among the soldiery would be grouped separately, and no one of a low caste could take command over a man of a higher caste.”

Caste determined even the kind of dress or amount of clothing one should wear.

Thus the caste system was deeply embedded in the social life of the Sri Lankans at the time the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka. But the Portuguese paid no respect to the caste system and they always encouraged free social intercourse which brought about a very significant social change in this country.

Western medicines

Also with the advent of the Portuguese many changes took place in the traditional attitudes, customs and practices relating to marriage, sex and family life in Sri Lanka.

The Portuguese and their Christian missionaries discouraged polygamy, polyandry, group marriages and cross marriages. The Portuguese and their religion brought about a significant change in the attitude to beliefs and practices connected with supernatural powers.

It was in the Portuguese period that the Sri Lankans first came into contact with Western medicines and the Western way of treating diseases.

However, from the very ancient times the Ayurvedic system of medicine was popularly practised in Sri Lanka from the time of the ancient Sinhala kings.

Though there were organized hospitals and surgeries during the time of the ancient kings of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa when the Portuguese first arrived in Sri Lanka this country did not have hospitals and organized systems of treating patients.

Social graces, such as, the organising of parties and picnics came along with the advent of the Portuguese. At the same time the great vice of consuming alcoholic drinks spread far and wide with the arrival of the Portuguese. The other new things they introduced to Sri Lanka were the Portuguese songs and their ever popular bailas, remnants of which are still extant in a few places in Sri Lanka.