ICH 2017

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Application of Digital Tools in Cultural Héritage Valorisation : The Example of Sigiriya.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Delalande, C.
The evolution of digital technologies has paved way to the valorization of cultural heritage in a whole new approach. Cultural sites in ruin are thus being virtually reconstructed to restore their former grandeur. Hence, with the development of visitor guiding mobile applications, the visits to cultural landscapes and museums have become more meaningful. This paper studies how the dynamics of digital tools can be applied to develop cultural heritage valorization projects, within the respective socio-cultural contexts. One of the main problems identified in cultural landscapes is the visitors’ lack of cultural and historical knowledge of the site. One has therefore limited access to the historical and cultural content of the site, which weakens its cultural communication. Thus, the main objective of digital tools in cultural mediation projects is to make cultural heritage understandable and approachable to a diversified public. Attractive visual media content gives the desire to come and explore the site. New technologies such as Three Dimensional, Virtual and Augmented Reality create real-life models of monuments, not only to educate the visitors on the cultural and historical content of heritage sites, but also to provide them a remarkable experience. However, new technology is not a miracle solution to valorize the cultural heritage. One should be careful not to fall in to traps of high-tech gadgets while using these tools. Besides, content creation complies with specific rules and requires an expertise in cultural mediation and technological knowledge. The study analyses the overall question of applying digital technologies in cultural heritage valorization, through the example of Sigiriya, a prominent historical site in Sri Lanka.
Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to Understand Adaptation of e- learning in Alternative Higher Education Sector in Sir Lanka, Case Study: The Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE).
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Jayathilake, M.V.M.; Jayawardhana, R.K.S.
The advancement of the Internet has led to remarkable changes in several aspects of our lives in this century. The field of education is one of them. It has made a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered education. That offers unique advantages to both educators and students. Students have increasing opportunities to access and interact both with materials and classmates. Along with this paradigm shift, understanding of students’ e-learning behavioral intention is urgently needed for creating effective learner-centered education. Further higher educational institutions have made substantial investments in the adoption of e-learning to enhance their learning and teaching activities. However, these systems are not used by the students with their fullest capabilities. Therefore, understanding the critical factors behind the adoption and acceptance of technology is a prime concern in developing countries like Sri Lanka. The purpose of the study is to identify the determinants of students’ acceptance of online learning and to investigate how these determinants can shape students’ intention to use Learning Management Systems. A conceptual framework based on the TAM. Primary data collection is done by using a questionnaire. The sample is selected from the students in SLIATE according to Krejcie & Morgan table. The sample size was 254. The results reveal the relationship of alternative higher education students’ behavioral intention to use the LMS with attitude, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, self-efficacy, subjective norm and system accessibility. Among those factors attitude, self-efficacy, and subjective norms were identified to be significant. The findings of this study help to provide insights into the best ways to promote e-learning acceptance among students, which provides practical implications for policy makers, practitioners, and developers in successful e-learning systems implementation.
An Assessment of Urban Sprawl in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Jayathilaka, K.M.D.A.S.
Rapid urbanization is a common trend in developing countries with the movement of people from sparsely populated areas to densely populated areas in search of a better standard of living. As a result, the increase of the population in central business district and its suburbs leading to urban sprawl has now become a challenging matter to most cities in the world. Geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques are frequently used to analyze urban sprawl. The signs of urban sprawl appear in Colombo district, Sri Lanka with the population growth and better transport network. The problem of the research is the increasing growth of sprawl based on the fact that many lands being converted in to buildings at an alarming rate. The objective of this research is to examine how the application of GIS technology and remote sensing can be used to determine the spatial extent of urban sprawl in Colombo district between 1997 - 2016. To achieve this objective, three satellite images in the years of 1997, 2007 and 2016 were classified using unsupervised classification to determine the extent of four land use categories named water, built up areas, forest and others in the Colombo district. The pattern of urban sprawl was identified using built up area maps, built up area change calculation maps and using population density maps of 2001 and 2012. There is a significant difference at about 239 km2 (50 %) of built up areas in Colombo district over a period of nineteen years. Urban sprawl patterns of clustered and leapfrog sprawl patterns were also identified. The land has been converted in to build up areas in an increasing rate with future urban growth to the east where land is available for development.
Censoring literary works and new media (with a special focus on the Catholic religious censorship in Sri Lanka).
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Kariyawasam, M.M.
This research study is based on two Sri Lankan creations which challenged the holiness and divine motherhood of the controversial figure of Mother Mary in theology which were initially censored by the Catholic Church but which later came into public knowledge through new media. The objective of the study is to examine whether censorship of literature represents common religious aims and to investigate whether the works censored by print media are actually censored. The conclusions were developed after studying the instances of censorship involving the works, “Mary and Human Liberation” by Rev. Thissa Balasooriya and “Maria called Mary” by Manjula Wediwardana. The sample was selected from missions in Sri Lanka that had a 100% Christian population. The public viewpoints were analyzed through a questionnaire as well as a series of interviews. The finding of the study was that the creations that had initially been censored by the Catholic Church in general or by Sri Lankan Catholic Church and later published through new media created more popular interest. Expert discussions pointed out that while such censorship was positive on certain occasions, it might be negative on other instances. When examining the public opinion, it became clear that general Catholic community was not aware of religious censorship and the majority was of the opinion that rather than censoring works, it was better to make them available for public. Therefore, the conclusion of the study is that the censorship of works focusing on the subject of Mother Mary does not represent the aims and viewpoints of the general Catholic population and the works which are censored in print media which later become available for public through new media have a stronger impact on the public. The main recommendation of the study is that in relation to religious censorship, rather than taking a rigid and an extremist stance, the Catholic Church should adopt a more democratic and flexible approach.
A Comparative Study between English Version of Facebook and its Sinhalese Translated Version: Suggestions for Improvement.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Keerthiwansha, N. W. B. S.
Facebook has become one of the most prominent social media applications in the world. At present, it has opened up the translation application to every user in order to translate Facebook into every major language on earth and the users can contribute to the translation of their particular native language. This is an attempt to be more user-friendly by offering Facebook in the users respective native languages. Consequently, Facebook has been translated into Sinhalese, which is helpful to the users who are not competent in English.Thus, this study intends to compare the English version of Facebook with the Sinhalese translation to measure the quality of translation and to suggest further improvements. The first forty common phrases appear in Facebook were chosen and compared with their Sinhalese translation with specific focus on word-for-word translations and transliteration. Later they were categorized under unidiomatic translations and meaningful translations. In addition, 40 users were chosen from University of Kelaniya to record their language preference when using Facebook. The analysis indicated that 95% of Facebook terms are word-for-word translations, for instance “home” is translated as ksjyk which is the direct equivalent for ‘Home’ in Sinhalese. 5% are transliterations, for instance “Cookies” is translated into Sinhalese as l=lSia. Among the selected samples, 50% are unidiomatic translations, for example “pages feed” has been translated as msgqfmdaIlh and 50% are meaningful translations, for instance “details about you” has been translated into Sinhalese as Tn .ekúia;r. In addition, it was identified that gender difference is not shown in the Sinhalese translated sentences. Meanwhile, user preferences indicated that 77% does not require Sinhalese translated version, 18% had attempted to use it but stopped because the Sinhalese version was unfamiliar, and only 5% are using the Sinhalese translated version. In conclusion, having Facebook in Sinhalese is an opportunity to establish Sri Lankan identity in social media; however, it is vital to increase the usage of the Sinhalese version. Thus, it is essential to revise the Sinhalese version of Facebook to develop a more natural and familiar translated version that will automatically increase the number of users having Facebook in Sinhalese.
A Computerized System to Identify Sanskrit Verbs.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Indrajothi, B.
In the present study, the scope of the research pervades primarily to ten gaṇas and lakāras of Sanskrit language. The structure of the verbs of the Sanskrit language is utterly complicated, which seems incomprehensible even for a student of advanced Sanskrit studies to identify the gaṇa of verbs; whether the given verb is parasmaipada, ātmanepada or ubayapada, whether the given verb is set, wet, or anit, and what the lakāra, puruṣaandpada are and so on. Sometimes, though someone has studied all the grammatical rules he/she might be unable to identify them due to reduplication rules and euphonic combinations. The research problem of this study is to find out a systematic way of identifying Sanskrit verbs and introducing a user-friendly computerized system for finding Sanskrit verbs. The proposed system will be a guideline to use Sanskrit verbs correctly. More than 200 students were tested on the issue and none of the students were capable of identifying Sanskrit gaṇas, and lakāra correctly. And it was seen that they did not have a proper understanding about gaṇas, and lakāra of Sanskrit verbs. The hypothesis of this research is "A computerized data base could be utilized in identifying gaṇas, and lakāra of Sanskrit". As the methodology in gathering data for the research, a class room test was held. The gathered data was subjected to content analysis using qualitative methodology. Further subject experts were consulted and literary and computer studies were done. Thus it was found that a Microsoft Access data base including all criteria of identifying gaṇas, and lakāras of Sanskrit could be used in solving the aforesaid difficulties.
Cultural and Social Value of Sri Lankan Music Videos on You Tube.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Jayalath, P.M.; Kumara, U.E.S.; Samarakoon, S.M.R.K.
In recent years, You Tube has become a very popular social media for sharing videos on various aspects. The production of music videos and releasing them in to the You Tube is becoming a fashion among artists. The audience of the music videos on the You Tube tends to comment upon them, and perhaps, such views are shared with each other in conversations or social media such as Facebook. These comments may reflect the cultural and social value of the videos. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the audience’s engagement with Sri Lankan music videos on You Tube in order to evaluate their cultural and social values. The results of such an evaluation may lead key people in the music video industry to different thoughts, and provide insights to the national level policy makers. The number of views for each video was taken in to consideration when selecting a sample of videos, and accordingly, top ten videos produced in Sri Lanka were the study’s focus. Qualitative Media Analysis (QMA) technique was used in analyzing the users’ comments in different languages. It was observed that the majority of videos had been criticized by the audience and sometimes it had become a means of sarcasm. Further there were some arguments in terms of adverse impact such videos have towards Sri Lankan culture, and social impairment.
Difficulties in indicating equivalent digital materials for German literature in the German language classroom.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Nanayakkara, K.A.D.N.S.A.
Language and literature are strongly connected to each other. Learning a language without literature takes the learner away from appreciating great literary works in the target language. The aim of foreign language teaching is the orientation towards action (Handlungsorientierung). The learners should be able to speak and be competent in the new language in authentic situations. A foreign language should enrich the communicative aspects of their language combined with literature. It is important to use digital as well as printed materials in teaching literature. This paper attempts to reflect on the difficulties in indicating equivalent digital materials to achieve the goals of teaching German literature in the German language classroom. The main objective of this research is to indicate equivalent digital materials for German literature. Data for the study were collected through classroom observations, interviews with students and German language teachers and own experiences in teaching literature. Secondary data were collected through printed and electronic sources. The results of the study reflect that through digital materials including videos, films, songs, animated pictures and paintings, comics and by listening to authentic texts on the internet from the recommended sites can be used as digital materials for effective teaching of German language to enhance the oral and listening competencies of the students in the literature classroom. Through films and short video clips, it is easy to emphasize the important aspects of the literary texts. As recommendations, it is suggested that the German language literature teachers should refer to the digital materials which are available online, before recommending them to the students. Moreover, there should be an equivalent bond between those digital materials and the printed materials to achieve the learning outcomes of the lessons.
Digital Classics and the future of Humanities.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Boange, H.
Digital classics is the digitization of classical studies to enhance the learning process of the discipline through the implementation of technology. This area is an important focus because internationally the digitization of classical studies is seen as an efficient medium to preserve and enhance the subject matter for appeal and accuracy. As the trend is fast evolving it is necessary to be aware of the possibilities that digitization may bring, to assess viable implementation in the local academic circle. Studying and researching the technological models and enhancements offered in the digital platform is vital in digitizing learning resources and in the implementation of interactive dissemination of knowledge. Classics departments can come together to create a local digital consortium emulating the international model. With the incorporation of international affiliations to help link the small but thriving local classical community with the latest digital innovations in the field. These sites can be hosted by respective departments for Classics or IT and this partnership gives academics and students a platform to conduct research, catalogue digital projects, provide online tools for researchers, list events, bibliographies, databases of publications online and offline. This is a new concept and given the relatively small number of people in the field such an interactive model seems challenging, but it is a concept worthwhile exploring. Digitization is a new territory for many disciplines but in light of the digital age Classics and the Humanities will eventually evolve in this direction.
Effectiveness of using ICT in Gemidiriya: A study based on Hathellegoda GS division in Rathnapura District.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Karunadasa, L.
The Gamidiriya programme is one of the major community development programmes in Sri Lanka, implemented under the Ministry of Economic Development to improve the living conditions of the rural communities in Uva and Southern provinces. In this project, ICT has been introduced as a main communication strategy to strengthen the community operations and ICT is the emerging development communication method to support development operations to increase awareness among villagers by providing information related to social and economic programs such as markets, employment opportunities. But the best practice of ICT is a problem in rural areas not only because of issues with connectivity but also because of the lack of capacity to use the new tools and relevant content provided for the rural people. The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of ICT in community operations. Other objectives were to scrutinize the nature and extent in use of ICT and to examine the impact of ICT on community operations. This study was conducted in Hattellegoda Gemidiriya village organization. To carry out the study qualitative and quantitative methods were used, namely, case studies, in-depth interviews and perusal of Gemidiriya website. At the introductory stage of the project, mostly training workshops had been organized to train villagers to use ICT. Establishing an ICT center, giving individual access and hands on experience, uploading information on Gemidiriya web, teleconferencing with other Gemidiriya organizations and Gemidiriya directors via skype were significant at project implementation period. When the project came to the end, more male villagers were confident to use ICT than female villagers. But a very few have accessed ICT individually and they have rarely used it for market opportunities and self employments. ICT has been used mostly for deferent administrative functions and it was helpful to maintain project transparency. This study concludes that ICT as a main communication strategy has not made a major impact at an individual level but it had a significant impact on the organizational level.
Feminist Implications of the Instagram Content of Rupi Kaur.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Mallawaarachchi, I.A.
Rupi Kaur is a Canada-based activist, poet and a prose writer with an Indian origin whose main platform of expression is Instagram. Kaur’s artistic expressions include poetry which are often coupled with complementary illustrations, prose pieces and photographs all of which are published online. Often critiqued as a feminist poet, her pieces are concerned with the struggles and various experiences that are faced by the women of color living in the West. Moreover, her photographs speak of a female experience that ought to be taken into account. My main focus in this study is to decipher the feminist implications of the written and illustrational pieces of Kaur. In this endeavor, a textual analysis is conducted considering the content posted on Rupi Kaur’s Instagram account during a time span of twelve months as the primary source. The study employs Alice Walker’s theory on Womanism and Michel Foucault’s views on docile bodies as a theoretical foundation on which the research is based. Additionally, I also incorporate postcolonial viewpoints on exile and diasporic identity. In this study, the researcher observes the way Kaur discusses and celebrates a female experience vis-à-vis femininity, which goes beyond the stereotypical representation of femininity as an equivalent to fragility. Thus, while acknowledging the specific cultural and historical causes that resulted womanism, the study argues that her work is feminist, furthering the argument to trace womanist implications in her work. Secondarily, the study also observes Kaur’s work in relation to the content created by the other web-based activists.
Impact of Digital Musical components on usage of Folk Music in Applied Musical Creations in Sri Lanka.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Bulathsinhala, H.
Folk culture in any community plays a major role in portraying the authentic and indigenous cultural elements, and many communities incorporate such elements to engrave their cultural identity in their creative work for that folk music is not an exception. Yet, in current Sri Lankan music compositions, it can be noted that, the Folk Music has been disregarded and as a result, the modern pieces of music appear more westernized than what it needs to be. Among the various factors, the use of digital devices in compositions has become more vigilant, due to the fact that many of the musical equipment and sound systems are embedded in one device and can be operated through computerized mechanism, thus by making it one person’s skill and the marvels of technological devices. The conflict behind such compositions is the use of western musical equipment rather than utilizing authentic Sri Lankan music patterns and sound that creates a recession in the usage of authentic elements. Therefore, the primary objective of the present study is to conduct an extensive study whether the use of digital music has become a reason to reduction in usage of folk music in applied music field. Music work of ten selected musicians were studied to examine their use of digital and folk music in their creative work. Data was gathered by interviews with the selected musicians, and listening to their creations. It could be highlighted that digital music has a considerable influence in reducing the use of folk music in their compositions, and many musicians have used digital music according to their potential. Further, it revealed that many musicians have created compositions which were influenced by western music and other music styles, while staying away from native music. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of digital music itself among the many factors that have affected the use and application of folk and native music in their productions. This situation needs extensive studies and discussions on further development of software like “Reason” which has used native percussion instruments and give more knowledge on the production and use of software that are based on native musical instruments in terms of bringing folk music towards their compositions.
Impact of Digital Technology in the Graphic Design Process in Sri Lankan Context.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Amarakoon, A.
The transition from analog to digital technology has affected both the design process and the working environment of graphic design industry. While the digital technology enhances the production process, it also has a negative impact in the elementary stages of design process such as ideation and conceptualization. This has created a conflict between the realization of the design concept and the enhancement of the production on demand in the modern society. Thus, the present study aims to identify the factors that affect the design process of commercial graphic designers in Sri Lanka, and to determine the impact of digital technology in the ideation and conceptualization. The study is mainly based on a literature survey on the history of design and the impact of digital technology on design process, and a field survey based on a questionnaire with the aim of obtaining data about the implementation of digital tools in the design process of commercial graphic designers. Approximately about sixty commercial graphic designers working in small-scale design or advertising companies in Sri Lanka were participated in the data collection. The results suggest that most of the designers neglect the initial ideation and conceptualization process due to two factors: negligence or lack of awareness of the holistic idea of the design and its process, and over reliance in digital tools and techniques. Moreover, lack of proper training and understanding about the design process is evident in the extremely limited time spent on the creative process.
The Impact of Using Digital Multimedia in Creating an Effective Image of the Target Culture and the History in Foreign Language Learning.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Udayamali, S. A. T. S.
With the rapid growth of science and technology, the use of multimedia technology has evolved into an effective tool in language teaching. The rapidly growing popularity of learning foreign languages including German, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean in Sri Lanka has paved the way for new teaching methods being developed to teach the target language. The aim of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of using multimedia in teaching culture and the history of the target country, namely German for Sri Lankan learners. The research question is to examine how the digital multimedia technology can enhance learner motivation and their performance. Data were collected from 30 undergraduates of German as a Foreign Language in the second year at the University of Kelaniya. The sample was divided into two groups. The same lesson was presented to the two groups with and without multimedia technology. The results of the study show that there is lack of motivation resulting in underperformance of students when teaching German culture and the history in the traditional teaching method. Multimedia technology with audio, visual and animation effects motivate the students to learn a language more effectively.
Impacts of the use of space in the art of Digital Advertisement.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Rathnasiri, R.
The present study aims to identify and examine the impact of compositional elements and the techniques of contemporary Sri Lankan digital advertisement on marketing purposes. It is apparent that the advertisements and the art of advertising play a major role in attracting its customers/clients. The task of the artist is to utilize the space in terms of attaining the expectations of his client as well as the audience as well. The space is twofold: inner space and the outer space. The artist has to pay his attention to both these spaces. Whereas the inner space is reserved to implement and portray the thematic and conceptual elements of the product, the outer space is the catching point of the audience. The significant task of the artist is not to violate the natural compositional elements in the environment, the audience and the objective of the client and the product itself. The concern of the artist is, therefore, multifunctional: the awareness of colours, shapes, forms, as well as the space, and the environment is included in it. However, what is lacking in today’s trend of the advertisement is the unawareness of such concepts and elements. The present day artists are less aware of the background and the lighting aspects of the artwork, integrating natural shapes and forms often in the artwork. Further, the constructional errors: oversized hoardings, inconsistency of organizing information, inappropriate use of typography causes miscommunication of the message to the audience. Thus, the particular situation provides a background to examine to re-generate and re-cultivate a culture that beautifies and enhances the society and encompasses the message of the art work as well. Twenty digital advertisements that have been posted along the highway stretch of the Kaduwela-Kollpity were examined as the specimens of the particular study. The study proved that the disintegration of the thematic and conceptual elements and the constructional flaws have made a significant impact on present day Sri Lankan digital advertisements and the art of digital advertising.
The Importance of using Digital Technology in Archiving Temple Murals in Sri Lanka: Case study based on the Southern Coastal Region (Galle District).
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Peduruhewa, C.D.
A large number of temple murals belong to Kandyan era in Sri Lanka are being in an endangered stage due to negligence, vandalism, and natural causes such as water seepage, sunlight, insects, bats, soot etc., Many of these temple murals are at a poor level of conservation despite they are in the list of ‘Protected Monuments’ or recognized as National Heritage in Sri Lanka. Moreover, many of the murals located in these temples are not archived in a proper way. The particular situation emerges a rationale to addresses some ways and means of restoring the temple murals that have a historic and artistic significance of Sri Lankan traditional painting with regard to its form, style and techniques applied. Thus, the aim of this paper is to emphasize the significance of using digital technology for the purpose of archiving and preserving the heritage of temple murals. The study is mainly based on fifteen (15) selected temples of the Southern Coastal Region (Galle District) in terms of restoring and archiving them for future purposes. Field visits, museum visits, and literature survey were conducted to identify and obtain the background knowledge on both traditional painting of the particular period and the specific aspects of digital tools and techniques. The results suggest that many of the temple murals that are not properly conserved physically can be archived using available digital technology and can be utilized as informative sources of Sri Lankan temple paintings during the particular period.
Improvisation of Sri Lankan temple music through digital media: (a study based on the evidence of musical elements of Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara).
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Kumara, J. C. R.
The focus of this project is to identify the various aspects and factors of Sri Lankan music that can be found out in Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara. Many researchers have generally examined the artistic elements of Buddhist temples mainly focusing on Paintings, Sculptures and Architectural elements other than many of other significant aspects of Sri Lankan culture that is evident in them. One such is the evidence of the use of musical instruments and their application on par with the contemporary Sri Lankan culture which have been portrayed through Painting and Sculpture and the daily customs bestowed on it. For example, Buddhist musical ensemble (hevisi), Processions (perahera), chanting (Pirith) have necessarily been accompanied by music. To date, these customs are performed at the temple and the Sculpture and Paintings of the temple provide ample evidence of its existence during the particular period. A detailed examination of the evidence of Kelaniya temple also provides some independent characteristics that resemble the ideological underlining to the indigenous music of Sri Lanka. The expected study will use the digital tuner system and audio records to identify the musical notes of the contemporary music styles. A field survey and a survey of literature will also involve in the methodology.
An insider perspective on Michael Meyler’s codification of Sri Lankan English Vocabulary: Towards a broadening of the standard.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Hettiarachchi, H. V. A.
Defined as “the language used by Sri Lankans who choose to use English for whatever purpose in Sri Lanka” (Gunesekera. 2005, P.11), Sri Lankan English is regarded as a newly institutionalized variety of English, with its distinctive phonological, morphological, and syntactic features capable of representing the unique socio-cultural and linguistic circumstances of the Sri Lankan speech community. Language codification is regarded as one of the most significant aspects in the institutionalization process of world Englishes, and mirisgala.net; the digitized, extended and an updated, up-to-date version of Michael Meyler’s A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English (2007), is considered one of the “very first steps” (Mendis, 2007) towards an elaborate codification attempt of Sri Lankan English. Though Meyler himself has highlighted that his dictionary is not intended as a prescriptive work but a descriptive one where his intention was to describe the way in which the English language is used in Sri Lanka, without attempting to make any judgment on whether it is ‘correct’” (Meyler, 2007), given that codification attempts are traditionally regarded as an attempt in legitimizing a language variety as the standard, there is the danger that meaning, spelling, and usage of codified lexical items in mirisgala.net to be perceived as standard and acceptable usages of Sri Lankan English. This situation is further intensified given the digital nature of the mirisgala.net dictionary with increased and flexible knowledge sharing, while allowing the lexicographer to update and upgrade the printed version anytime, “leaving the text malleable” (Earhart, 2012). However, given the codifier’s position as an “outsider” (Meyler 2007, p. x), where he essentially lacks comprehensive knowledge on the socio-cultural, political and linguistic facets of the Sri Lankan speech community, the credibility of the codification process is challenged and the inadequacy of insider’s perspective on codified Sri Lankan English vocabulary is underscored. Further, given that Meyler’s “outsider status” significantly hinders him from acquiring in-depth insights into the English language usage of the “majority “non-elite” average Sri Lankan English speakers”, whose English language usage is noticeably influenced by their L1 native language varieties, Meyler’s codification attempts display a propensity towards the codification of the language used by the “anglicized Colombo English speaking elite minority” where a noticeable lack of representation of the non-elite variety of the language is observed.Therefore, the research will attempt to identify how the outsider status of the lexicographer has affected the codification process, the existence or non-existence of a binary as “outsider” and “insider”, the specific aspects of the vocabulary in the dictionary which are limited by the outsider’s perspective and the effect of the digitized version in the codification process. Accordingly, this research study will utilize theoretical methodologies of reflexivity and positionality to offer a subjective perspective of an insider, who is linguistically, politically and culturally positioned within the Sri Lankan Sinhala Buddhist community, on the codified vocabulary of Sri Lankan English on mirisgala.net, in an attempt to contribute to the discourse on the need to broaden the standard of Sri Lankan English.
Investigation of Digital Media trends in Commercial Advertising related to Marketing Communication: A special analysis of Unilever Sri Lanka & Ceylon Biscuits Limited.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Madhusanka, N. M. A.N.
When considering advertising as a concept, it has been changed over time with different social requirements. In the past, voices and sounds were used for effective communication, but later newspapers, radio, television and other electronic medias were introduced. It proves the above points when analyzing how 30 seconds television advertisements and the cost efficiency have been challenged by digitalization. Marketers and advertisers should trust on the power of digitalization before guiding companies and organizations towards it. Digital media can make a greater impact on the society when compared to traditional media. This research focuses on the digital media trends seen in advertising in advertising marketing. The main objective of this investigation is to analyze new marketing trends which are currently being used by Unilever Sri Lanka and Ceylon Biscuits Limited related to the concept of digitalization. Two advertisements have been taken randomly from each company for investigation. For this, the researcher selected Unilever’s Sunlight “Nill Manel Saban Kate” and “Laoji-Api Hamoma Lengathukam Handunana Minissu”, and the “Munchee Super Cream Cracker Super Hero” and “Lanka Soy I Cook” ad, from Ceylon Biscuits Limited. Content analysis and interviewing methods were used as methodology. Two marketing managers were interviewed from those respective companies. After an experimental investigation, it has been clearly identified that the marketers and advertisers have tried to understand the reality of the society by thinking beyond the tradition. A new range of technological devices have been introduced to local customers related to the concept of e-commerce while increasing smart mobile usage. Traditional concepts have been used extensively in advertising. There are digital signboards along the highways. In the concept of digitalization, usage of internet promotions, videos in internet and new technological developments have made a greater impact on advertising. It is a good suggestion that a higher promotion can be gained by further usage of digital media trends. Accordingly, further marketing advertising can be used as a suggestion to use these advertisements with more media, such as Facebook, YouTube, and the new media.
Mastering Cognitive Computing as a tool for Information Design in E-marketing Strategies.
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Abeysinghe, A.
The emergence of the paradigm of Internet marketing (E-marketing) has created new avenues in marketing strategies required for the Internet age. While traditional marketing strategies are replaced by Internet based strategies, a parallel transition in information design and representation has been a cornerstone in E-business ventures. Ephemeral buyer perception towards the current volatile market creates an urgency to identify what cognitive skills are required by marketers to successfully design marketing strategies and how information should be represented. Cognitive computing using artificial intelligence is a prospective solution where customer behavior could be observed and suitable strategies towards promoting content could be designed. This research paper thus focuses on how cognitive computing could be applied in an E-marketing context to design and represent information. The research uses an online survey as the source of gathering public opinion about existing E-marketing techniques. Then, the research identifies weaknesses in current E-marketing standards with respect to social media marketing and search engine marketing (SEM) techniques. Information gathered from survey results and recommended approaches to overcome aforementioned weaknesses are then processed using learning algorithms to choose appropriate information design concepts for the chosen target market based on user age, internet literacy and purpose of using E-marketing resources. The research further explores the magnitude to which cognitive computing is currently used in websites and mobile apps associated with E-marketing and provides recommendations on how the gap between existing standards and user perception could be abated to successfully apply the prospects of information design towards E-marketing.