Understanding the Sinhalese Language & Providing Professional Sinhalese Interpreters and Translators
Global Interpreting understands the importance of working in the Sinhalese language. For over 10 years, Global Interpreting has worked with the Sinhalese language as well as hundreds of other from around the word. We are a one stop full language service provider. Offering Over the Phone, Video Remote, Face to Face, Transcription, Document and Website Translation in 150 languages including American Sign Language (ASL) nation and worldwide.
Sinhala, sometimes referred by alternative spelling Singhalese), also known as Helabasa. Sinhala is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, numbering about 15 million. Sinhala is also spoken by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totaling about 3 million. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Sinhala is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, along with Tamil. Sinhala has its own writing system (see Sinhala alphabet) which is a member of the Brahmic family of scripts, and a descendant of the ancient Indian Brahmi script.
The oldest Sinhala inscriptions found are from the 6th century BCE, on pottery; the oldest existing literary works date from the 9th century CE.
Sinhala, sometimes referred by alternative spelling Singhalese), also known as Helabasa. Sinhala is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, numbering about 15 million. Sinhala is also spoken by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totaling about 3 million. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Sinhala is one of the official and national languages of Sri Lanka, along with Tamil. Sinhala has its own writing system (see Sinhala alphabet) which is a member of the Brahmic family of scripts, and a descendant of the ancient Indian Brahmi script.
The oldest Sinhala inscriptions found are from the 6th century BCE, on pottery; the oldest existing literary works date from the 9th century CE.
History
It is believed that about the 5th century BCE, settlers from North-Eastern India reached the island of Sri Lanka. This group of settlers is referred to as prince Vijaya and his entourage in the chronicle Mahavamsa. These new settlers merged with the native Hela tribes known as Yakka, Naga who spoke Elu language, and a new nation called Sinhala came to exist. In the following centuries, there was substantial immigration from Eastern India-Bengal (Kalinga, Magadha) which led to an admixture of features of Eastern Prakrits.
Sinhalese spoken in the Southern province of Sri Lanka (Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts) uses several words that are not found elsewhere in the country; this is also the case for the Central part, north-central region and south eastern part (uva & surrounding area). For native speakers all dialects are mutually intelligible, and they might not even realize that the differences are significant.
Sinhalese spoken in the Southern province of Sri Lanka (Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts) uses several words that are not found elsewhere in the country; this is also the case for the Central part, north-central region and south eastern part (uva & surrounding area). For native speakers all dialects are mutually intelligible, and they might not even realize that the differences are significant.
Who are You Going to Trust with Vital Sinhalese Language Needs?
The Sinhalese language is an important language worldwide. It is vital to understand the general nature and specific idiosyncrasies of Sinhalese . For over 10 years Global Interpreting has provided outstanding Sinhalese translators, over the phone, face to face and conference interpreters nation and worldwide.