A MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PURWA KRIYA IN THE SIGIRIYA GRAFFITI

Abstract

The Sigiriya poems represent a highly valuable component of Sinhala literature. Composed by various visitors to Sigiriya during the 8th to 10th centuries AD, these poems preserve linguistic features characteristic of the medieval period of the Sinhala language. This research aims to examine the structure of Sinhala pūrwa kriyā that occur under infinitive verbs in the Sigiriya poems. The research problem is to analyse the form and structure of these past participles as found in the poems dated to the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries AD. Employing a qualitative research methodology, this study uses Sigiri Graffiti by Senarath Paranavithana as a secondary source to collect data. Additionally, reference materials on the Sinhala language, grammar, and linguistics were consulted as tertiary sources. The data were analysed using the theoretical frameworks of morphological analysis. Significantly, the study provides authentic insights into the use and structure of Sinhala past participles in the Sigiriya poems. The findings reveal that the past tense verb structures from this period exhibit several distinctive features, contributing to a deeper understanding of the historical development of Sinhala grammar.