Browsing by Author "Hettiarachchi, H.V.A."

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Can Redda be worn by men? A review of A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English.
(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Hettiarachchi, H.V.A.
Sri Lankan English (SLE) is regarded as a newly Institutionalized variety of English, with its unique, phonological, morphological, syntactic features capable of representing the unique socio-cultural and linguistic circumstances of the Sri Lankan speech community. Language codification is regarded as one of the most significant aspects in the institutionalization process of world Englishes, and Michael Meyler‟s A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English (2007) is one of the most elaborate codification attempts of SLE where the lexical items in the dictionary are perceived as the standard usages of SLE, since codification is misconstrued as an attempt in legitimizing a language variety as the standard. However given the codifiers position as an “outsider” (Meyler 2007, p. x), where it could be assumed that he essentially lacks comprehensive knowledge on the socio-cultural, political and linguistic facets of the Sri Lankan speech community, the credibility of the codification process is challenged. Therefore, utilizing theoretical methodologies of reflexivity and positionality, this study attempts at offering the perspective of an insider, who is familiar with the socio-cultural, political and linguistic facets of the Sri Lankan community, on the codified vocabulary of SLE in A Dictionary of SLE. The study provides a subjective insider perspective on, the accuracy of the meaning and recorded usages, possible alterations to the meaning and alternative usages, and the insider‟s ability to provide a more nuanced understanding of the lexical entries as a socially, politically, economically and linguistically situated researcher. The study establishes the ability of the insider to comprehend and critically reflect on the socio-cultural, political and linguistic undertones of the SLE lexical items through the analysis of words including, baila, devil dance, betel tray, pandan, redda and pirith, where it was identified that the codifier has been privy only to the denotative meaning of the lexical items. The study ultimately attempts at contributing to the discourse on Sri Lankan English which highlight the need for“active broadening of the standard to include the greatest variety possible” (Parakrama, 1995).
Features of Sri Lankan English or Leaner Errors? An Investigative Study of the Attitudinal Behaviour of English Speakers in Sri Lanka
(19th Conference on Postgraduate Research, International Postgraduate Research Conference 2018, Faculty of Graduate Studies,University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Hettiarachchi, H.V.A.
The significance of the concepts of ‘language standards’ and ‘standard languages’ can be understood through the way in which language ideologies have affected the society’s perception of institutionalized varieties of English in Outer and Expanding Circles, where English used in Outer and Expanding Circles are considered, specially by the speakers of the varieties themselves, to be different and ‘inferior’ to the ‘Standard’ English varieties of the Inner Circle countries. For example, some speakers of non-native English varieties vehemently refuse to believe the existence of unique phonological, morphological and syntactic features of non-native English varieties which are capable of representing distinctive features of a particular linguistic community and stipulate these features to be L2 learner errors. Therefore, a major research area of New Englishes has been to establish a clear distinction between learner errors and unique features of New Englishes for the purpose of language codification and this phenomenon is observed with regard to Sri Lankan English as well. However, given that these features of New Englishes originated as errors due to analogy or overextension of existing patterns during the second/foreign language acquisition period, and have now gained grammatical stability and acceptability through stabilization and conventionalization within the speech community, the significance of the attitudinal behaviour of the society in determining the acceptability of a feature as an error or a unique feature is highlighted. Therefore, this research will attempt to investigate the attitudes of English speakers in Sri Lanka with regard to established features of Sri Lankan English and certain debatable features which are still categorized under leaner error but are now slowly gaining acceptability within the Sri Lankan English speaking community. The research will utilize data acquired through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to investigate the attitudinal behaviour of Sri Lanka speakers regarding unique features of Sri Lankan English to examine the language ideologies that are perpetuating within the Sri Lankan community
Teaching language through literary texts
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Hettiarachchi, H.V.A.
In Sri Lanka, the proficiency in the first language as well as a second language, specifically English language has become a necessity to achieve higher in the current job market. Though a proficiency in a language should be determined by the mastery of both productive and receptive skills, the society tend to evaluate an individual’s language skills mainly through their writing skill. Writing skills involve the accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling and therefore the improvement of the students’ writing skills has become a necessity in catering to the needs of the job market. Questioning the conventional language teaching methods, a class room action research was carried out with the participation of ten university students of lower intermediate level from the Department of Marketing Management of University of Kelaniya to investigate the necessity for the improvement of writing skills using modern approaches to language teaching. The objective of the action research was to assess the effectiveness of adopting the unconventional language-basedapproach rather than the use of conventional content-based-approach in teaching second language (ESL) learners. Unlike the content approach, the language-based-approach incorporates literature and language skills. Thus, the researcher was able to guide students on the specific literature piece based on their proficiency level, lexical and discourse knowledge (Lazar, 1993). The classroom action research was conducted in two circles. Each cycle included four stages, planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The research data were collected by using observation, interview, documents, and photographs and tests.The data were analyzed during and after data collection. The results after the initial data collection showed the need for the improvement of basic grammatical skills such as the use of articles and prepositions and by the evaluation of the data collected at the end of the research, the researcher was able to conclude the effectiveness of the language approach in teaching language to ESL students.