{"id":98553,"date":"2020-02-02T13:43:56","date_gmt":"2020-02-02T20:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98553"},"modified":"2020-02-02T13:43:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-02T20:43:56","slug":"sinhala-language-the-defining-element-of-the-national-culture-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/02\/sinhala-language-the-defining-element-of-the-national-culture-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"SINHALA LANGUAGE: THE DEFINING ELEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CULTURE OF SRI LANKA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Language\nis the defining element of any advanced culture and it gives the strongest form\nof identity to a community and a nation. The large majority\nof people of Sri Lanka are distinguished by their language, which is Sinhala. From\nabout the 6th century BCE or more than 2500 years ago, until about the 16th<\/sup>\ncentury or about 2000 years ago, Sri Lanka was inhabited almost exclusively by\nthe Sinhala people. At present, they account for about 70% of the island\u2019s\ntotal population and the large majority of them are Buddhists. Buddhism was\nintroduced to the island in the 3rd<\/sup> century BCE. What gives identity\nto this land is its rich and exclusive Sinhala Buddhist national culture. All salient aspects of the national culture\u2013tangible and\nintangible, either grew or evolved within the borders of our country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their\ncollective identity as a distinct nation and community was established by the\nunique language that developed within the island. From historic times, the\nprimary distinguishing characteristic of the people of Sri Lanka  has been the Sinhala language. Sinhala language and literature evolved and developed within\nthis island. All other languages used in the country today, originated in other\ncountries and therefore belong to or associated with other nations and cultures.\nSinhala language has not only been  a means of communication for our people but\nalso a strong unifying influence providing solidarity and strength to the\nSinhala community as a unique cultural entity in the worldSinhale\u201d the\nlegitimate historical name of the country is a Sinhala word, which means the\nland of the Sinhala people. Heladiva\u201d (island of the Sinhala people),\nHelabima\u201d (land of the Sinhala people) were the other names by which this\nisland was known in the past, and these are Sinhala works. The name Sri Lanka\nwas imposed on the island a few decades ago, and is not the legitimate\nhistorical name of the country and fails to \nreflect the exclusive and long-standing Sinhala national culture of this\nisland. From historic times virtually all place names\nof the country have been in the Sinhala language \u2013 in the North, South, East,\nWest and Central regions.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinhala\nis one of the world\u2019s oldest living languages and as a vibrant language Sinhala\nhas a celebrated history of over 2300 years. The\nSinhala language grew out of Indo-Aryan dialects and exists only in Sri Lanka\nand has its own distinguished literary tradition. The script used in writing Sinhala<\/a> evolved from the ancient Brahmi script<\/a> used in most Aryan languages, which was introduced to the island in the\n3rd century BC<\/a>E. In 1999, the Sinhala script\nwon international recognition from a group of reputed international scholars as\none of the world\u2019s most creative alphabets. It has been named as\none of the world\u2019s 16 most creative alphabets among today\u2019s functioning\nlanguages, and some of them among the oldest known to mankind. The Sinhala language is a poetical language. It lends itself easily to\nmetre and rhyme due to its grammatical flexibility and rich vocabulary comprising\nof a large number of synonyms. Sinhala is a mellifluous language with a smooth\nsweet flow, with high vowel content and is comparable to French and Urdu,\nwidely regarded to be the two most romantic languages in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nunifying effect brought about by the common language Sinhala, prevailed in the\ncountry from historic times, but was threatened to some degree with the arrival\nand impact of European colonial powers. The wide-ranging socio-economic changes\nto which the country was subject especially during the British period of\noccupation from about late 18th<\/sup> century, and particularly  since the early 19th<\/sup> century, had\nthe effect of  undermining the Sinhala\nlanguage.                                                                     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SINHALA LANGUAGE\nAND BUDDHISM                                                                          \n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nlarge majority of Sinhala people are Buddhists and the language of Buddhism in\nSri Lanka is Sinhala. Buddhist culture and\nthe Sinhala language are integral and inseparable components of our nation\u2019s\ncultural heritage. The preservation and promotion of the Sinhala language is\ndirectly affected by the preservation and promotion of Sinhala Buddhist\nculture. Sinhala language in both its oral and written,\ninformal and formal forms developed as the language of Buddhism in our country.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From historic\ntimes, Sri Lanka\u2019s  Buddhist bhikkhus and\nroyalty were responsible for the development, preservation and promotion of the\nSinhala language. The patronage received from Sinhala royalty played a dominant\nrole in the propagation and preservation of Sinhala language. There were kings\nwho were outstanding Sinhala scholars compiling Sinhala literary works of high\nquality, both in prose and verse. Bhikkhus were in the forefront in the\npropagation of education in general, both religious and secular. The\nMahavihara, Abayagiriya and Jetavanarama Buddhist fraternities and associated\nmonasteries were outstanding places of learning. Having international students,\nthey were equivalent to universities and had affiliations with reputed\ninternational educational institutions. It is noteworthy that the medium of\ninstruction and all scholarly activities in these institutions were conducted\nin the Sinhala language. Large libraries were a part and parcel of these\ninstitutions. Scholar Bhikkus were involved in translation into Sinhala of Pali\nand Sanskrit literary works on Buddhism.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bhihhkus therefore, have been in the\nforefront in protecting and propagating the Sinhala language. All names and\ntitles of our Bhikkus from ancient times have been exclusively Sinhala. All\nBuddhist functions and activities in Buddhist temples are conducted in the\nSinhala language. The primary activity of Buddhist vihares, then and\nnow, has been \u2018dharma-desanaa\u2019 or \u2018bana\u2019 (religious sermons) which were\ninvariably conducted in Sinhala. All Buddhist temples and establishments have Sinhala names.\nBuddhist spiritual and cultural\nactivities, ceremonies and festivals have been conducted in the Sinhala\nlanguage from time immemorial. Sinhala terminology characterizes all tangible\nitems and aspects associated of Sinhala culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EARLIEST SINHALA LITERARY WORKS  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Prof. Senarat Paranavithana the\nearliest specimens of Sinhala metrical compositions may be dated to the first\ncentury BCE. Four of the early Brahmi inscriptions of Sri Lanka have been\nidentified as poetical compositions. The\nMahavamsa composed in Pali in the 5th century CE was based on ancient Sinhala\nCommentaries known as Sihala-Atthakatha-Mahawamsa. The\nSigiri graffiti scribbled on the mirror wall are dated to 7th-8th centuries,\nconsists of Sinhala verses of an amorous or romantic nature. The Dhampiya-Atuva-Getapadaya is the oldest Sinhala prose\nwork which dates back to the 9th century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinhala literary work\nflourished during the Polonnaruwa and Dambadeniya periods from 10th<\/sup>\nto 13th<\/sup> century CE which is considered as the golden age of Sinhala\nliterature. \u2018Amawatura\u2019 and \u2018Dharmapradipikava\u2019 by the famed Gurulugomi, are among\nprominent Sinhala prose written in the 13th<\/sup> century. Gurulugomi\u2019s\nworks are characterized by the use of pure Sinhala (Elu) words and limiting\nSanskrit and Pali loan words to the minimum. Other literary works of this\nperiod include the \u2018Buthsarana\u2019 by Vidyachakravarti, the \u2018Pujavaliya\u2019 and \u2018Saddharma-Ratnavaliya\u2019.\nThe latter is renowned for the beauty of its style and the simplicity of its\nlanguage. Other notable Sinhala prose work is the \u2018Saddharmalankaraya\u2019 by\nJayabahu Dharmakirti composed in the 14th century, \u2018Thupavansaya\u2019, \u2018Elu-Attanagalu\nVansaya\u2019 and the \u2018Dambadeni Aasna\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SINHALA POETRY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Pujavaliya\u2019 of the 13trh century refers\nto twelve famous Sinhala poets who flourished during the reign of king\nAggabodhi-I (568-601 CE). “Kavsilumina” a \u2018Maha-Kavya\u201d, composed in\nthe 13th century by King Parakrama Bahu-II (1234-1269) is considered as one of\ngreatest literary monuments of the nation\u2019s medieval period.  The oldest Sandesha poem of which we have any\nevidence is The “Mayura Sandeshaya”  (Peacock\u2019s message) dating back to the 13th\ncentury is considered as the oldest composition of  \u2018Sandesha poems in the country. This work no\nlonger exists, although examples from it are cited in the classical Sinhala\ngrammar composition “Sidath-Sangarawa” of the 13th century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Kotte\nperiod of 15th-<\/sup>16th<\/sup> centuries, Sinhala poetry received greater\nattention marked b y the development of Hatan Kavi\u201d or war poems and\nSandeshas\u201d or message poems. This period marks\nthe efflorescence of Sinhala poetry with secular “Sandesha” poems\ngaining much popularity. Among the popular Sandesha poems of this period are\n“Thisara Sandeshaya” (Swan\u2019s message, dated 14th century), “Gira\nSandeshaya” (Parrot\u2019s message), “Hansa Sandeshaya” (Goose\u2019s\nmessage), “Parevi Sandeshaya” (Dove\u2019s message), “Kokila\nSandeshaya” (Cuckoo\u2019s message) and “Selalihini Sandeshaya”\n(Starling\u2019s message) belong to the 15th century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jataka tales formed the thematic content of\nmost Sinhala poetry of the medieval period. “Kavya-Sekharaya” written\nin mid 15th<\/sup> century by Sri Rahula Mahathera narrates the\n“Sattubhasta Jataka” and Guttilaya of Vetteve Thera (15th century) is\nbased on the “Guttila Jataka”. Other\nSandesha poems include the “Sevul Sandeshaya” (Cocks message),\n“Hema Kurulu Sandeshaya” (Oriole\u2019s message) “Ketakirili\nSandeshaya” (Hornbill\u2019s message), “Nilakobo Sandeshaya” (Blue\ndove\u2019s message) and “Diyasevul Sandeshaya” (Black swan\u2019s message). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THREATS TO SINHALA LANGUAGE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is recorded that many\nSinhala literary works of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period which extends\nto about 1500 years (until about the 13th<\/sup> century CE), were lost by\nthe South Indian Tamil-speaking Dravidian invaders during their several\ninvasions during this period. They were instrumental in the destruction of royal\npalaces, Buddhist temples, monasteries, libraries and places of learning located\nin the ancient royal capitals. Vast\nlibraries with thousands of \u2018ola\u2019 palm-leaf manuscripts were set on fire and\ndestroyed. Similar destruction occurred again, with the arrival of the\nPortuguese in the  early 16th<\/sup>\ncentury.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Portuguese\nperiod (1505-1658) constitutes a long and poignant chronicle of oppression and\ninjustice meted out to Sinhala Buddhists. These Catholic Portuguese were the first colonial power to pave in this country the way\nto almost continuous religious tensions \u2013 the repercussions of which is felt to\nthis day in Sri Lanka. The Portuguese period was a reign of terror with\nwidespread killings and destruction and the undermining of Buddhist culture and\nliterary activities. Among those killed were  Buddhist scholars including Bhikkhus. All\nBuddhist temples and places of learning in the maritime areas under Portuguese\ncontrol were completely demolished. Monasteries were razed and their\npriceless treasure looted and huge libraries were set on fire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1588,\nthe renowned Buddhist educational institutions such as the Wijayaba Pirivena at Totagamuwa and Padmawathi Pirivena of Keragala  (which had carried on the traditions of ancient\nTaxila and Nalanda universities) were destroyed and their incumbents killed. The\nfamous Weedagama Privena in Raigam Korala and\nSunethradevi Pirivena of Pepiliyana Kotte were burnt down. The valuable books\nof the temple were destroyed. The great Poet monk Weedagama Maithree Thero who\nwrote Lowedasangarawa and Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula were living in that temple at\nthe time of its demolition by the Portuguese. The Dutch, who ousted the Portuguese in\n1640, occupied the places under Portuguese control. They continued similar\ntrade activities and started converting people to their form of Protestant\nChristianity. They too were instrumental in undermining Buddhism, and destroyed\nmany Buddhist temples, monasteries and the royal palace at Hanguranketa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BRITISH PLUNDER AND CRUELTY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British replaced the Dutch as the\ncolonial power, and captured the entire country in 1815. The British  were responsible for the most catastrophic and\nshattering damage to the Sinhala Buddhist cultural heritage including the\nSinhala  language. They not only\nintroduced their language as the medium of communication in all affairs of\ngovernance and economic activities, but took direct measures to undermine the\nSinhala language and culture. English was forced upon our people as the\nlanguage of administration, the language in which justice was meted out, the\nlanguage in which government records were kept. The Sinhala language and\nordinary Sinhala people, suffered immensely during the British period of\noccupation.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nTemperance movementENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WESTERN\nCULTURAL NORMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the British colonial era from 1796\nto 1948, and a good part of the post-independence period, the promotion of the\nEnglish language and Western cultural norms was the order of the day as far as the\npolitical establishment of the country was concerned. The urban English\neducation system had much to do with this undesirable development. School\neducational services were basically the monopoly of the Catholic and Christian\nmissions and English was the medium of instruction. European cultural norms\nwere promoted in these schools. The rural masses and bhikkhus studied Sinhala\nand other oriental languages whereas in the urban areas English was the medium\nof instruction and communication. Higher learning at this time was basically\nbifurcated between rural and urban where English education was confined to\nurban communities<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities for advancement were\nlimited to those with an English education. They  were better paid and enjoyed greater benefits\nfrom government. At this time, the\ninfluence and authority of the village temple was reduced to a level of\nparasite owing to willful neglect and undermining of these traditional\ninstitutions. The study of history was dropped from school curriculum thereby\npreventing children from being exposed to their history and cultural heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of being undermined and\ndiscriminated against, it is simply a miracle that Sinhala language was able to\nsurvive this tragic situation for over four and a half centuries. What could be\ncited as primary reasons for this is  the\ninherent strength of the Sinhala language, and also the dedication of the\nSinhala scholars of that time, especially the Buddhist scholar Bhikkhus such as\nthe Velivitiye Saranankara Mahathera, Hikkaduve Sri Sumangala Mahathera (the\nfounder of the Vidyodaya Pirivena), Waskaduwe Sri Subhuti Mahathera, Kahave Sri\nRatanasara Mahathera, Baddegama Sri Piyaratana Mahathera, Velivitiye Sri Sorata\nMahathera and Panangala Sri Piyaratana Mahathera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To serve their self-interests the\nBritish practiced the “divide and rule” policy by setting one\ncommunity against the other. It is a well known fact that the British gave\nspecial privileges to the Tamil minority and those of the Christian faith. They\nwere provided with better opportunities for education, employment and other\ngovernment services. They soon became privileged communities. In terms of the\ndensity of schools per unit area, the Jaffna district had the highest density.\nIn 1870 there were only two Buddhist schools left in the country – in Panadura\nand Dodanduwa, with an attendance of 246 children as against 805 Christian\nSchools with an attendance of 78,086 children. As far as the Sinhala community\nis concerned, for generations in the past, their traditional places of learning\nwere the Buddhist temples where Buddhist monks were teachers of both religious\nand secular subjects. These centers and Buddhist monks were not accorded the\nsame privileges\/support accorded to Christian missionary schools and teachers. The\nsocial status and recognition at this time were based on one\u2019s exposure to\nwestern culture and especially one\u2019s ability to communicate effectively in the\nEnglish language and familiarity with and often the observance of western\ncultural norms. Opportunities for advancement in fields such as education and\nprofessions were almost exclusively the monopoly of people with such exposure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RISE OF A NEW COSMOPILITAN URBAN\nELITE     <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the special privileges and\nopportunities for advancement provided to the English educated westernized locals,\nthey soon evolved to be a community or class of their own. The undue privileges\nthey enjoyed were not available to the large majority of those  without the knowledge of English and western exposure.\nIt was a new elite that developed on the basis of its knowledge of the English\nlanguage and was associated with the Greater Colombo region. A wider more\ncosmopolitan outlook differentiated this urban elite from the more \u2018old\nfashioned\u2019 predominantly Buddhist, Sinhala speaking rural folk. What developed\nhere was a form of sub-culture which was referred to by some Sinhalayas as\nThuppahi culture\u201d which accorded a highly step-motherly treatment to Sinhala\nlanguage and culture. This had a strong negative impact of undermining and\ndecimating the commonly spoken indigenous language of the nation to an inferior\nposition. The step-motherly treatment of the Sinhala language by the  government and the urban elite running affairs\nof the economy, business and private sector activities, and the Catholic and\nChristian missionary education establishment, continued even after the country\nattained political independence in 1948. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

POST INDEPENDENCE DILEMMA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the British left Sri Lanka in 1948,\nthey made sure that power remained in the hands of the English educated and\nEnglish speaking few, who were toeing their line. To make matters worse, power\n-political, administrative, and economic was inherited by those belonging to\nthe westernized Colombo sub-culture dominated by Christians. Most of the\nqualified professionals at the decision-making levels in the public and private\nsectors and also in big businesses subscribed to this sub-culture. Their\nattitudes and actions either directly or indirectly had the effect of denigrating\nto an inferior state, the Sinhala language, the Sinhala cultural norms and the\nsimple Buddhist way of life.  Most of the\nprominent people involved in administrative and professional fields at this\ntime were products of a non-national education system provided by  the Christian Missionary establishment who\nwere not conversant with the history and the culture of their country. Some\nwere token Buddhists who could not relate to or  belong to the local culture. Among them were those\nwho returned from education in Britain, influenced\nby leftist ideals and were known as leftists\u201d or Marxists\u201d\nof the time.\nThese “intellectuals” were also inheritors of the Colombo urban sub\nculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unfortunate that Sri Lanka,\nespecially at this time did not have leaders of the caliber of the Mahatma\nGandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru,  Ambekar and other nationally-minded leaders of\nIndia who were true representatives of Indian culture and dedicated to its\npromotion. Also, they were supported by a strong bureaucracy that was equally\nIndian and outlook, in spite of their western education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHANGES STARTNG IN MID 20TH<\/sup>\nCENTURY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the middle of the 20th century, Mr.\nW. W. Kannangara and a few others led a movement which made Sinhala the medium\nof instruction for all Sinhala children up to Grade V in all government\nschools. Subsequently, Sinhala and Tamil became the languages of government and\nhigher education. In the 20th century, there were many Sinhala patriots who\nhelped to enrich and save our language and culture. The late fifties and\nsixties in particular was a period when we saw the emergence of outstanding\npersonalities and cultural pursuits. Among them, W. F. Gunewardena Martin\nWickramasinghe, Senarath Paranawithana, Munidasa Kumaratungha, L.H. Mettananda,\nG. Malalasekera, Ediriweera Sarathchandra, Mahagama Sekera, Madawala S.\nRatnayake, Gunadasa Amarasekera, K. Jayatilaka, Amaradeva, Premasiri Khemadasa,\nChitrasena and Vajira, Solias Mendis, Lester James Pieris and a few others\nincluding their students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their literary works appealed to the hearts of a generation that was\njust beginning to shed the last vestiges of European socio-cultural domination\nin the island. The\nbasis of their work which made them prominent was Sinhala language, Sinhala\nculture and Sinhala Buddhist values. Among outstanding Buddhist monks who\nassumed global status at the time were Venerables-Walpola Rahula, Ananda\nMaithriye, Narada, Piyadassi, and Madihe Pangnaseeha. One of the essential text\nbooks used in courses on Buddhism in most universities in the western world has\nbeen “What the Buddha Taught” by Venerable Walpola Rahula written\ninitially in Sinhala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these developments after the mid\n20th century, Sinhala language started to revive and books on diverse subjects\nwere written by those competent in the language. New forms of poetry and drama\nwere introduced and Sinhala songs and movies became popular forms of\nentertainment. Among positive trends during this period was the  official recognized of Sinhala as the\nnational language, the establishment of a Cultural Affairs Ministry, the\nelevation of two Pirivena\u2019s to University status, the take-over of Missionary\nschools by the government. It was the Sinhala Buddhist leadership, including\nleading Buddhist monks who were in the forefront in the initiative to take-over\nschools and making higher education accessible to all irrespective of religious\naffiliation. It is an accepted fact that this enabled rural youth to come to\nthe forefront. Many were able to secure university education and excel in their\nprofessional fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This period of healthy growth which\nbegan in 1956, was short lived and with the passage of about two decades, there\nemerged distinct signs of a downward trend in the importance accorded to the\nSinhala language and national culture in general. During the last few decades,\nit was the Sinhala Buddhist community who underwent traumatic experiences and\nall fatalities, owing to the efforts of the local Marxists to counterbalance\nthe imbalance created by the outer-oriented Colombo clan. The situation in the country was\nworsened by the youth uprising in the south and the north and the widespread\nviolence and bloodshed. Leadership at all levels – political, professional and\nsecular – deteriorated during the past few decades. This was also a time which\nsaw extreme divisiveness, animosity and criminal activity among people\nsupporting opposing political parties. This was a time when bribery and\ncorruption was institutionalized, and crime and underworld activities became\nrampant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ATITUDINAL\nCHANGES WITH ENGLISH COMMUNICATION <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During\nthe past six decades, the language of government in our motherland has been\nEnglish for all purposes, and not Sinhala or Tamil. Knowledge of English has\nbeen a big advantage and sometimes an essential requirement for better\nemployment in both the public and private sectors. It was difficult to get\nahead in society without a knowledge of English. In most urban settings in the\ncountry, teaching children to communicate in English has become quite\nfashionable even today. The western oriented education systems, media,\ntelevision, tourist industry, foreign employment \u2013 all contribute to this\npeculiar change of attitude among our people in recent years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmost striking influence of all these developments and trends was the strong\nouter orientation of people, especially the youth. The heightened importance\naccorded to spoken English at the expense of Sinhala was clearly evident during\nthis time, so much so, those who spoke English were considered by many as the\nmore educated ones that should be emulated. Also, there is the tendency among some\npeople to give undue importance to those who could speak the English\nlanguage.  They are considered to be smarter,\nrefined and better calibre as opposed to those who could not speak English. It\nis common observation and experience generally in the urban settings that\npeople who communicate in English draw more attention and respect and find it\neasy to get things done as compared to those communicating in Sinhala.  Such disregard and disrespect for the Sinhala\nlanguage has the tendency to push other aspects of Sinhala culture to the\nbackground. Owing to the lack of a strong exposure to their own cultural\nvalues, learning English has made these misinformed and misguided people to move\nfurther away from their culture and values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not the language per se but its\ncultural dimension that has become a serious problem in our country. There is a\ntendency among some of the English educated folk, to observe western mannerisms\nand attitudes and consider themselves to be more refined, more cultured and a\nstep above the others. Often in superficial ways, they tend to observe peculiar\nmannerisms and deportment that are different to or contrary to our long\nestablished cultural norms. This unwarranted and ridiculous attitudinal changes\nthat learning English or being able to speak the language has brought about not\nonly tends to alienate this group of individuals but also has led to divisiveness\namong our youth. This trend has made some of our youth to shy away from their\nown language and culture. Speaking English or mixing English with Sinhala, or\nadding English words while speaking in Sinhala became the fashionable and\naccepted practices. This we commonly observe in some television programs to the\ndismay of many.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no question that there are many\npositive aspects and much to be learnt from other cultures. However,\nunfortunately it is those superficial, worthless and undesirable aspects of\nother cultures that have been of appeal to some people. Often the immature,\nna\u00efve, careless and slapdash individuals get trapped in these western\nsuperficialities. The youth of this period – 1980’s and 1990’s grew up at a\ntime when there were extreme forms of political unrest and violence in the\nsouth and north. There was polarization of ethnic communities. The economic and\nsocial trends and developments at this time such as globalization without a\nhuman face, introduction of television characterized by highly commercialized\nand often crude programs, expansion of tourism industry without restrictions,\nand increase in overseas employment encouraged outer oriented attitudes and\nlifestyles of most youth and the disintegration of many families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no dispute that on many counts,\nknowing English is highly advantageous, especially for our youth. A working\nknowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields,\noccupations and professions such as medicine and computing. It is very\nhelpful in learning and improving many useful skills. It is a global language and\nover a billion people speak English to at least a basic level. Besides,\nit is one of six official languages of the United Nations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most youth of last two decades were not\nconversant with the history of their country. They do not know that our country\nis the oldest continually Buddhist country in the world. They do not know that\nhistory and culture of our people have been shaped and mounded by Buddhism\nsince its introduction to the island over 2200 years ago. Being unaware of the\nrichness of their cultural heritage, most youth have become indifferent to\ntheir culture. Our youth did not have proper role models to follow and genuine\nyouth leaders to guide them. It is the greatest tragedy that befell our nation,\nbecause youth are our greatest resource and they determine the future of our\ncountry and its cultural heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is definitely no case for not\nlearning English. But what is necessary to emphasize is that the Sinhala\nlanguage needs equal emphasis as English. Undue emphasis on learning English\nwill have the effect of undermining the Sinhala language faster. Equal\nimportance should be accorded to the learning and use of Sinhala language.  Otherwise it will be a cultural genocide much\nlike the effects of the propagation of western culture and evangelism in our\ncountry, in the name of globalization. The learning of Sinhala literature,\nSinhala culture and history by our children is fundamental to bringing about an\nattitudinal change in our younger generation. This will make them develop a sense\nof pride in their outstanding cultural heritage. They will begin to be\nappreciative of the wholesome values of their glorious culture. And, this will\nhelp them to develop a lifestyle and livelihood that is beneficial to them and\nthe society in general. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the encouraging developments in\nthe country during the last decade was the  introduction of the teaching of the History of\nSri Lanka in schools which was stopped by previous government in the late\n1970s. It was made a compulsory subject for children from Grade I, right up to\n\u2018GCE O\u2019 levels. Also evident during this time was an increased interest in\ndevelopment and promotion of Sinhala performing arts, especially traditional\ndances. The teaching and study of Sinhala Aesthetic studies became popular in\nthe school curriculum. Sinhala music and songs received a boost owing to the\ninfluence of  television, radio and the\nincreased production of CD\u2019s, DVD\u2019s and associated electronic devices. The\ncultural pollution promoted by some of so called Super Star\u201d programmes and\ntele natya\u201d were subject to criticism during this time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this time, an extreme degree of\npopularity was attained by some Sinhala television programmes focused on\ndiscussions by reputed Sinhala professionals on important national issues and\nBuddhist issues. These had a definite positive impact on reinforcing our\ntraditional cultural norms including the effective use of the Sinhala\nlanguage.  Another blessing in disguise\nduring the last stages of military action against LTTE Tamil terrorists was the\npopularly watched on-site Sinhala television programmes highlighting the untold\nsacrifices and heroic deeds of our Sinhala youth in the war front. People were\nmade to realize that these gallant Sinhala youth were engaged in activities that\nwere focused on protecting not only our land and people but also, most\nimportantly, the glorious national culture that forms the foundation of this\ngreat nation of ours. Among Sinhala songs during this period that attained an\nexceedingly high degree of popularity were those on our gallant military\npersonnel : api venuven api\u201d\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSinhala community of Sri Lanka is being exposed to and subject to excessive\ninfluences of other cultures, both Western and Eastern, largely brought about\nby the globalization process, increased interactions with other cultures owing\nto foreign employment and travel for diverse purposes including education,\nbusiness and recreation. The internet, foreign media and publications, tourism\nand the increased importance given and attention paid to the use of the English\nlanguage are other means by which people are being subject to undue influences\nof other cultures. However, in spite of the varied cultural influences there\nappears to be no signs that the Sinhala culture or its integral component the\nSinhala language, are in the process of decline and deterioration. No patriotic\nSri Lankan will allow the defining element of their glorious cultural heritage\nto be sacrificed for the sake of \u2018modernization\u201d, westernization\u2019 and\nglobalization\u201d.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane    <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane\u00a0\u00a0 Language is the defining element of any advanced culture and it gives the strongest form of identity to a community and a nation. The large majority of people of Sri Lanka are distinguished by their language, which is Sinhala. From about the 6th century BCE or more than 2500 years ago, until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-daya-hewapathirane"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}