The Linguistic Study of the Contemporary Context of Vedda Language with Special Reference to Dambana, Sri Lanka

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VIII, August 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

The Linguistic Study of the Contemporary Context of Vedda Language with Special Reference to Dambana, Sri Lanka

Dr. R.A.D. Priyanka Weerasekara

Department of Languages, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya, Sri Lanka

Abstract: The intent of this research is to examine the contemporary context of Vedda Language from the linguistic point of view, based on their overall socio-cultural background. The most popularly accepted theory on Vedda Language is a regional dialect of the Sinhala Language or a Creole and that there is no separate Vedda Language. Due to inadequate data of the original Vedda Language, it is difficult to identify the proper linguistic context of the early stage of Vedda Language. However the existing linguistic features of Vedda prove that the original Vedda Language is a simple hunting language. The findings of the research show the present day Vedda has borrowed not only lexical stocks but also sounds, grammar, and meaning from dominant languages, significantly from colloquial Sinhalese. These linguistic results of language contact induce it has become an extreme language mixture and the current situation of Vedda language is severely endangered. This research is based on Qualitative Empirical Research Methodology and the Participant Observation Method based on Case Study has been used for data elicitation.

Keywords: Vedda Language, Colloquial Sinhalese, Linguistics Assimilation, Language Contact Phenomenon, Endangered Language.

I. INTRODUCTION

The aboriginal inhabitants, the Veddas in Sri Lanka are rich in many cultural values. In Pali ‘Viyaadha’ means; ‘hunter with bow and arrow’ and it is considered to be the word from which the Sinhala term Vedda is derived (Sorata,1956). The people refer to themselves as Vanniyaletto which means; ‘Forest or Nature Dwellers’. According to archaeological evidences, the Veddas in Sri Lanka have been regarded as the indigenous inhabitants of Sri Lanka who preserved a direct line of descent from the island’s original Neolithic Community, ‘The Balangoda Man’ dating from at least 16,000 BC, probably far earlier. These evidences prove that the Veddas were living in most parts of the island before arrival of the Aryans (Deraniyagala, 1992). According to the present day Veddas of Sri Lanka, cultural aspect and their distribution can be divided into three major groups. The one group is scattered over a fairly large region in the South-east of the island, interior from the coast, including portions of Monaragala, Badulla, Amparai, and Batticoloa districts. These Veddas are best known in ethnographic literature, chiefly through the work of the Seligmanns (1911). The other group of Veddas can be found in Anuradhapura district

Read More