Singhalese Language Facts By Translation India

Sinhala (also spelled Sinhalese or Cingalese, also called Singhalese) is an Indo-Aryan language. It is the

official language of .

Sinhala has been strongly influenced by Pali, the language of the Sri Lankan Buddhists, and to a lesser extent, by Sanskrit. The Sinhala vocabulary contains several loanwords from the Dravidian languages, especially Tamil.

The earliest inscriptions in Sinhalese, written on rock in Brāhmī characters, date from about 200 BC By about 1250 the literary language had attained a form from which it has varied little since, although the modern spoken language differs considerably from it.

Sinhala dialects are spoken in the Lakshadweep and Maldives islands

Meeting and Greeting

• Typical greetings depend on the ethnic group people belong to but as a foreigner you will not be expected to be aware of such differences.

• When addressing people you should always use the appropriate title followed by the surname. Always wait for the other party to move to a first name basis.

Our professional linguists include native Sinhala speakers who are experienced in the nuances of the language and the requirements of effective Singhalese translation and interpreting.

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