Junior Research Symposia
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Item The significance of the English language errors made by tourist guides in Sri Lanka(Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayavindi, A.M.S.; Jayasinghe, D.N.P.; Dissanayake, D.M.R.N.; Shavoni, D.P.N.; Jayathilaka, G.R.A.P.; Fernando, W.D.M.In Sri Lanka, this has become the subject of extensive research as tourism in Sri Lanka is one of the largest foreign exchange earners. Within the industry the role of a tour guide is indispensable in value with regard to the nation. Thus proficiency in foreign languages is of utmost importance for tour guides and the English language has been identified as the most commonly used language by the majority of tourist visiting Sri Lanka. It has been observed that there are certain limitations in the use of the English language by the local tourist guide. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify such limitations in the English language used among tour guides; a profession challenging the sustainability of an important industry for the economy of the country. Data for the research was gathered through interviews with English speaking tour guides and were analyzed with attention mainly focused on phonological, grammatical, and vocabulary errors. It was found that language is an integral skill for tour guides. Foreign tourists tend to ignore errors in language as long as they can comprehend the content.Item Awareness and the Attitudes towards Sri Lankan English among Undergraduates(English Language Teaching Unit, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ariyasinghe, D.This study examines dialects 1-3 based on the pronunciation of the back vowels in the typology of Sri Lankan English (SLE) by Siromi Fernando (2006) across the selected phonemes /ei/, /z/, /θ/, /ʒ/ and /oʊ/. The methodology included online questionnaires/interviews and voice recordings of 50 undergraduates, mean age 22 years, from diverse disciplines in universities and institutes in Sri Lanka and abroad. 05 of the participants were case studies. The findings identified that a fairly large undergraduate population declare that the variety of English they speak is either Standard British English or American English thus belonging to dialect 3. But analysis of the podcasts evidenced that in the selected pronunciation areas examined SLE characteristics are indicated. In the usage of identified morphological processes too they retained SLE characteristics. Analyzing the Likert scale measurements for awareness and the attitude towards the variety it was clearly visible that both of the aforementioned factors distinctly differ according to the discipline the undergraduates follow at the universities. The attitude towards speaking SLE in undergraduates especially from Sciences, unless they are exposed to the background of Social Sciences or Humanities, was negative. Their belief of the inadequacy of SLE for communication with native speakers was the cause for their negativity. Further there was a lack of awareness in this population that SLE is a standard variety of English. On the contrary, the students who are from Social Sciences or Humanities backgrounds were aware and were proud to use Standard Sri Lankan English. Conclusively it can be stated that dialect 3 is becoming more powerful and influential among the Sri Lankan undergraduate populations. Moreover, it can be recommended to introduce SLE as a standard variety in undergraduate English programs, especially for the undergraduates are from Science backgrounds, in order to increase their confidence.Item Attitudes towards Sri Lankan English lexis and grammar(Department of English, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, N.In Sri Lanka, English has long been a language of authority granting access to the higher classes of society. However deviating from the “British” standards and speaking Sri Lankan English is not always regarded in a positive light. The research was conducted to explore the acceptance, the notions on grammatical accuracy and lexical validity of Sri Lankan English among undergraduates and graduates of the University of Kelaniya. The findings are compared with responses from the older users of English. It is seen that both the younger generation and the older generation hold a more permissible attitude towards the use of English, which can be attributed to the increased acceptance and the popularity of Sri Lankan English. However there is less willingness to bend certain hard core rules, especially grammar rules and rules governing the pronunciation of words.Item The Kaduwa of today: Sri Lankan English – its acceptance and attitudes towards variation(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, M.C.N.In Sri Lanka, English has long been a language of authority granting access to the higher classes of society. Hence it is referred to by the colloquial appellation kaduwa, meaning ‘the sword’. However the English that is spoken in Sri Lanka today is not the same as the English that was introduced by the British colonizers since the year 1796. At present, there is an observable tendency to deviate from the “British” standards of speaking English and to use a variety of English which is identified as ‘Sri Lankan English’. Nevertheless, this tendency is not always regarded in a positive light. The research was conducted to explore the acceptance, the attitudes towards grammatical accuracy and lexicography of Sri Lankan English among undergraduates and graduates of the University of Kelaniya. The study was conducted as a quantitative analysis of the data gathered through a questionnaire survey including 50 participants. The findings were compared with responses from the older users of English. Hence it reveals the levels of acceptance of Sri Lankan English among the youth and the older generation. The study shows a number of language traits that are regarded as acceptable and unacceptable by Sri Lankan English speakers belonging to two different generations. The results reveal that both the younger generation and the older generation hold a more permissible attitude towards the use of English. Although the older users of the language might not necessarily use words that belong to the language of the youth, they are aware of their meanings. This can be attributed to the increased acceptance and the popularity of Sri Lankan English. Nevertheless, it is seen that interlocutors welcome additions to the spoken language but not necessarily to the written language. They display less willingness to bend certain rigid rules, especially grammar rules and rules governing the pronunciation of words.