Sinhala

Print

Primary tabs

A language of Sri Lanka

ISO 639-3
sin
Alternate Names
Cingalese, Singhala, Singhalese, Sinhalese
Autonym
සිංහල‎ (Siṃhāla)
User Population

17,000,000 in Sri Lanka, all users. L1 users: 15,000,000 in Sri Lanka (2019). L2 users: 2,000,000 (1997). Total users in all countries: 17,504,670 (as L1: 15,504,670; as L2: 2,000,000).

Location

Widespread.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1987, Constitution (amended), Article 18).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Southern, Sinhalese-Maldivian
Dialects

Sabaragamu Sinhala, Up-country Sinhala, Southern Sinhala, Uva Province Sinhala. Great differences exist between literary and colloquial language. Rodiya dialect is spoken by low caste Rodiya people.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; noun head final; gender (masculine/feminine/neuter); indefinite article suffix; case-marking (5 cases); tense and aspect; causatives; 23 consonants and 13 vowels; non-tonal; distinctive diglossia.

Language Development

Fully developed. Bible: 1823–1982.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Sinhala
Writing

Braille script [Brai]. Sinhala script [Sinh], primary usage.

Other Comments

Buddhist.

Also spoken in:

Expand All
Collapse All