THE SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD ENGLISH IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

The concept of Standard English and its relationship to non-standard varieties is a complex and debatable topic in Sociolinguistics. The research objective is to identify the differences between Standard Sri- Lankan English and Non-Standard Sri Lankan English and find their relationship to the sociolinguistic aspects. There are three research questions: (1) How can Standard Sri Lankan English be defined? (2) What are the differences between Standard Sri Lankan English and Non-standard Sri Lankan English? and (3) Do these differences between Standard Sri Lankan English and Non-Standard Sri Lankan English matter in society? The desk research approach was applied to the book ‘The Postcolonial Identity of Sri Lankan English’ written by Professor Manique Gunesekera in 2005. It provides comprehensive knowledge to the reader on Standard Sri Lankan English and Non-standard Sri Lankan English. Analyzing this book and finding answers to the research questions were done. The results showed that Standard Sri Lankan English has not been documented yet but, has gradually arrived at a standard. Furthermore, the results showed phonological, syntactic and morphological differences between Standard Sri Lankan English and Non-Standard Sri Lankan English. In addition, this research shows that these differences matter in certain situations, but they do not matter in some other situations. The research also showed that Non-Standard Sri Lankan English speakers suffer from sociolinguistic issues. The conclusion shows the features of Standard Sri Lankan English by explaining the features of Non-standard Sri Lankan English. Therefore, it is clear that Standard Sri Lankan English cannot have the features of Non –Standard Sri Lankan English. According to the findings of this research, the differences between Standard Sri Lankan English and Non-Standard Sri Lankan English matter in the job market and communication with Standard Sri Lankan English speakers and the whole society.