Language Research

During the colonial period, English was the dominant language of administration, politics, education, business, etc. Both Sinhalese (spoken by over 80% of the population) and Tamil (understood by perhaps 20% of the population), the two indigenous languages of Sri Lanka, were relegated to a second place status. With the end of colonialism the question arose about the national language of the country.

The first attempt to address this question was in the Official Language Act of 1956 together with the complementary, Reasonable Use of Tamil Act. The first made Sinhala the “official language” (called the “Sinhala Only Act”). The second defined the status of Tamil and guaranteed its use as a language of education, in the courts, Parliament, and as a medium for being employed, as well as all economic and cultural purposes. These Acts have been widely misrepresented as involving unfair treatment of the Tamil language. The Tamils demanded “Parity of Status” between Sinhala and Tamil.

According to ACSLU (Australian Center for Sri Lankan Unity), the fact that Sinhala is the only language in the country is not exceptional at all. Generally, the language of the majority of the population is the official language in any given country. The charge of discrimination with respect to minority languages lies not in the absence of a “parity of status” in all regards, but in the denial of reasonable language rights for the minorities concerned. This is exactly what the Reasonable Use of Tamil legislation in Sri Lanka was designed to achieve.

In the 1971 Constitution, Tamil was declared a national language. Sri Lanka is the only sovereign state to have conceded to Tamil the status of a national language. English was also declared a national language to assuage other minorities.