International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka (ICLSL)
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Item A Study on the Awareness of Sri Lankan English among Undergraduates.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Karunanayake, S.Michael Meyler (2007) defines Sri Lankan English as “the language spoken and understood by those Sri Lankans who speak English as their first language, and/or who are bilingual in English and Sinhala or Tamil”. Although there are many studies conducted on various topics related to Sri Lankan English (SLE), a study on the awareness of SLE among the undergraduates is an area seldom examined by researchers. Hence, this research is designed with the purpose of studying the awareness of SLE among the undergraduates. Therefore, a structured approach was used where the objective, design, sample and the questions were predetermined. The community selected for the study was the undergraduates of the faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, those who use English as their second language. The sample was drawn using simple random sampling so that each person had the chance of getting selected. A questionnaire was used as the main tool of primary data collection, which was a combination of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The data collected were presented using pie charts and bar charts. Percentage calculations were used to discuss the findings. When examining the overall responses of the questionnaire, it was apparent that majority (84%) of the undergraduates use the lexicon of SLE. However, when asked what variety of English they speak, almost all the participants responded that it‟s British English. They were unable to identify a variety between British and American English. Hence, this research has specifically identified that there is lack of awareness of Sri Lankan English as a variety different from British and American English. The statistical analysis proves that colloquialisms have emerged in SLE and that there is a direct impact of the use of direct translations from Sinhala on the lexicon of Sri Lankan English.Item Can Redda be worn by men? A review of A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Hettiarachchi, H.V.A.Sri Lankan English (SLE) is regarded as a newly Institutionalized variety of English, with its unique, phonological, morphological, 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 Michael Meyler‟s A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English (2007) is one of the most elaborate codification attempts of SLE where the lexical items in the dictionary are perceived as the standard usages of SLE, since codification is misconstrued as an attempt in legitimizing a language variety as the standard. However given the codifiers position as an “outsider” (Meyler 2007, p. x), where it could be assumed that 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. Therefore, utilizing theoretical methodologies of reflexivity and positionality, this study attempts at offering the perspective of an insider, who is familiar with the socio-cultural, political and linguistic facets of the Sri Lankan community, on the codified vocabulary of SLE in A Dictionary of SLE. The study provides a subjective insider perspective on, the accuracy of the meaning and recorded usages, possible alterations to the meaning and alternative usages, and the insider‟s ability to provide a more nuanced understanding of the lexical entries as a socially, politically, economically and linguistically situated researcher. The study establishes the ability of the insider to comprehend and critically reflect on the socio-cultural, political and linguistic undertones of the SLE lexical items through the analysis of words including, baila, devil dance, betel tray, pandan, redda and pirith, where it was identified that the codifier has been privy only to the denotative meaning of the lexical items. The study ultimately attempts at contributing to the discourse on Sri Lankan English which highlight the need for“active broadening of the standard to include the greatest variety possible” (Parakrama, 1995).Item Dialectal Variations of Sri Lankan English due to Mother Tongue Influence of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Pathirana, R.V.A.R.K.Dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by minimal lexical, grammatical, phonological or vocabulary, specially a way of speaking differences from the standard variety of the language. Sri Lankan English is the language spoken and understood by the Sri Lankans who speak English as their first language, and/or who are bilingual in English and Sinhala or Tamil. Sri Lanka being a multi-national society, Sri Lankan English consists of a variety of dialects and the way the Sri Lankans speak English as a second language is absolutely different from the original speakers of English. The objectives of the present research are investigation whether Sri Lankan English has provincial dialects and the specific phonological features around provincial dialects. For methodology all the data were collected from the tertiary level students at Advanced Technological Institute - Dehiwala and from the lecturers who speak English as their second language, by conducting face to face interviews, listening to the conversations taking place at the staffroom, meetings, lecture halls and cafeterias. The sample groups were selected considering the province in which they live in. Finally, all the data recorded were separately analysed phonologically to examine the colloquial features and pronunciation variety among the speakers. According to the findings, it was clear that mother tongue influences the pronunciation of any language especially English than the provincial differences. The association of the society may slightly influence the speaking variety of a language.Item Lexical Features and Variations of Sri Lankan English in Sri Lankan Internet Memes(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Nilesm, J.S.The emergence and validation of New Englishes is often assessed within the framework of the „Dynamic Model of the Evolution of New Englishes‟ developed by Edgar Schneider (2003; 2007) in which New Englishes are formed by undergoing a fundamental uniform process of several stages. However, while scholars continue to grapple with concerns regarding recognition and acceptance of Sri Lankan English (SLE) as a variety, it is interesting to examine the possible expansion of SLE into the virtual arena. The study of the spread of SLE into the online forum is of paramount significance within a World Englishes paradigm given the current context of globalisation which provides ample opportunity for the enrichment of varieties through language contact. Therefore this research examines the extension of lexical features and variations of SLE into the online forum through a study of Sri Lankan internet memes. This study also explores the level of acceptance and attitudes of users of SLE towards the use of SLE in Sri Lankan internet memes. The research employs both a qualitative and quantitative approach as is evident in the two phases in which the study is carried out. The first step of the research is to identify and categorise a sample of 100 Sri Lankan internet memes on Facebook (a popular online social networking site) according to the most frequently used lexical features and variations of SLE. Thereafter, in the second phase a questionnaire is distributed among 30 undergraduates who own Facebook profiles and study English as a subject at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Colombo and the University of Kelaniya. The study then examines the limitations of Schneider‟s model (2003; 2007) based on the possibility that SLE may have circumvented stages of the model in developing into a variety which not only extends to the online platform but is also gradually gaining acceptance within the virtual sphere.Item Diversity in the Varieties of Global English Used in the Current Ethnic Setting of Sri Lanka, from an Ecological Perspective(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Abeysena, H.This paper explores the unique nature of super diversity in the varieties of English spoken in the current ethnic setting of Sri Lanka. Since, historically Sri Lanka has been colonized thrice respectively by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, the impact bestowed by the British colonization from 1796 until the fall of the Kandyan kingdom in 1815 is noteworthy. With a lot of socio economic and socio political and linguistic changes occurred in the course of time for many centuries, paving the way for English to merge with several local languages such as Sinhala and Tamil along with productively being used by diverse ethnicities as in Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers, standard and sub standard varieties of English have been emerged. Thus, the researcher has analyzed disciplinary aspects that she has encountered in this study such as Sri Lankan English in the public domain, Sri Lankan English in English Language Teaching and Sri Lankan English literature at a local exposure with the sample of about 60 undergraduates in a national university in the country for a period of about six months. With such a historical background of English which has been existing in the country for more than 21 years maintaining a peculiar position as a lingua franca, according to Prof. Manique Gunesekara (2010), ‘In Sri Lanka today, most people are quite happy to speak English, and are not interested in which variety they speak. This attitude is spurred by the immense power of English in today’s postcolonial Sri Lanka. “The importance of advocating a standard for the language” in terms of Sri Lankan English has been reiterated by many academics especially in a challenging ELT class room setting in a context, where “many Englishes” idea have been accommodated (Wasala,2010) Sri Lankan English and Standard Sri Lankan English also shown further sub standards of the language such as Malay English, Sinhala English and Tamil English and also the type varied in terms of the user’s home town with their own distinguished characteristics as morphology and syntax with their unique practices. However, this variation does not block a local’s understanding of the communication taking place. According to 45 students of the total, while the controversy has been prevailing for decades now whether to believe in such an existence of sub varieties and accommodating them or not in their day to day academic and professional work, the researcher found out that it is proven to be a very creative and productive process throughout, but the need for validation is a compulsion of the day, since the student population has faced a considerable difficulty in following the ‘best practice’.