Sri Lankan English

Sri Lankan English
Sri Lankan English
Native to	Sri Lanka
Region	South Asia
Language family	Germanic West Germanic Ingvaeonic Anglo-Frisian Anglic English Asian English South Asian English Sri Lankan English; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Early forms	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Germanic Proto-English Old English Middle English Early Modern English Modern English ; ; ; ; ; ;
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
IETF	en-LK

Sri Lankan English (SLE) is the English language as it is used in Sri Lanka, a term dating from 1972.^[1] Sri Lankan English is principally categorised as the Standard Variety and the Nonstandard Variety, which is called as "Not Pot English". The classification of SLE as a separate dialect of English is controversial.^[2]^[3] English in Sri Lanka is spoken by approximately 23.8% of the population (2012 est.), and widely used for official and commercial purposes.^[4] Sri Lankan English being the native language of approximately 5,400 people thus challenges Braj Kachru's placement of it in the Outer Circle.^[5]^{[better source needed]} Furthermore, it is taught as a compulsory second language in local schools from grade one to thirteen, and Sri Lankans pay special attention to learning English both as children and adults. Even today, Sri Lankans say that someone who had access and exposure to English in their childhood were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

The British colonial presence in South Asia led to the introduction of English to Sri Lanka. Since 1681, some words have been borrowed from Sinhala and Tamil by English.^[6] In 1948, Ceylon gained independence from the United Kingdom, and English was no longer the only official language. In subsequent years, inequality in access to education and national conflict have confounded the development and the use of SLE, particularly in Sri Lankan literature.^[7]^[8] SLE varies from British or American English in elements such as colloquialisms, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, and emphasis of syllables. SLE generally favours British spellings ("colour", "programme", "analyse," and "centre") over American spellings ("color", "program", "analyze," and "center"). SLE also favours the British "Q Before P" rule (i.e., ".) over the reverse (i.e., .").

^ Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 30. DOI: 10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam
^ Kirkpatrick A. and Sussex R. (ed.) "English as an International Language in Asia: Implications for Language Education: Implications for Language Education." Springer 2012 vol 1(12.1) p195. ISBN 978-94-007-4578-0. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
^ Ruiz-Garido M. F. et al "English for Professional and Academic Purposes." Utrecht studies in language and communication, ISSN 0927-7706 Vol 22. Rodopi 2010 p21. ISBN 978-90-420-2955-2. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
^ "Sri Lanka – language". Retrieved 20 June 2014.
^ "kachru's three circles of english pdf". Pdfprof.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^ Boyle R. "Knox's words." Visidunu Publications 2004 p389. ISBN 978-955-9170-67-9.
^ Jayasurya M. "Terror and Reconciliation: Sri Lankan Anglophone Literature, 1983–2009." Lexington Books 2012 p21. ISBN 978-0-7391-6579-9. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.
^ Lim L. et al (ed.) "The Politics of English: South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific." Studies in world booty language problems. John Benjamins Publishing 2013 vol 4 p74. ISBN 978-90-272-7213-3. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.

[1] Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 30. DOI: 10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam

[2] Kirkpatrick A. and Sussex R. (ed.) "English as an International Language in Asia: Implications for Language Education: Implications for Language Education." Springer 2012 vol 1(12.1) p195. ISBN 978-94-007-4578-0. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.

[3] Ruiz-Garido M. F. et al "English for Professional and Academic Purposes." Utrecht studies in language and communication, ISSN 0927-7706 Vol 22. Rodopi 2010 p21. ISBN 978-90-420-2955-2. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.

[4] "Sri Lanka – language". Retrieved 20 June 2014.

[5] "kachru's three circles of english pdf". Pdfprof.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.

[6] Boyle R. "Knox's words." Visidunu Publications 2004 p389. ISBN 978-955-9170-67-9.

[7] Jayasurya M. "Terror and Reconciliation: Sri Lankan Anglophone Literature, 1983–2009." Lexington Books 2012 p21. ISBN 978-0-7391-6579-9. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.

[8] Lim L. et al (ed.) "The Politics of English: South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific." Studies in world booty language problems. John Benjamins Publishing 2013 vol 4 p74. ISBN 978-90-272-7213-3. Accessed at Google Books 30 January 2014.

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