First Undergraduate Research Symposium (HUG 2015)

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70, 80 දශකවලට සාපේක්‍ෂ ව නූතන නාට්‍ය ජනගත නොවීම සම්බන්ධ ව විමසීමක්
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Godakanda Arachchi, E.K.
The actual use of honorifics in Japanese: focusing on Sri Lankan university students
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Rajapaksha, K.A.
In linguistics, an honorific is a grammatical form that encodes the relative social status of the participants of the conversation. Honorifics involve changing the way one speaks as a result of the relationship between two people and the setting of the conversation. In Japanese language many honorifics can be found as a part of speech which shows the respect, and their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize the social intimacy or similarity in rank. Japanese can be roughly separated into three levels of politeness: casual, polite, and honorific/humble. And the most important factor to remember is that the speaker always considers himself/herself to be at the lowest level. When non-native speakers learn Japanese language, it is impossible to avoid the honorific, because it is a very important way of expressing the politeness to the others in Japan. But, honorifics are one of the difficult parts of Japanese for Japanese learners. Furthermore, the complexity of the honorific system in Japanese constitutes a special difficulty for foreign learners, not only in terms of the range of expressions available, but also with regard to the underlying input features which determine selection and use. The purpose of this research is to find the actual use of honorifics of Sri Lankan university students. Researches have been done on honorific expressions targeting Japanese people in different angles. So far, there has been no research conducted regarding Japanese learners in Sri Lanka. Therefore a survey on honorific expressions was conducted mainly focusing on the university students who are learning Japanese at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. In this research University students were divided into five categories. Those are (1) First year students, (2) Second year students, (3) Third year students, (4) Special Second year students and (5) Students who visited Japan. The major finding was the knowledge of the honorific expressions of the students who visited Japan was comparatively high than the other students. The results of the survey reveal the awareness and actual use of honorific expressions of the students who learn Japanese in the University level.
An analysis of onomatopoeia related to the word “laugh”
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Rathnayake, A.I.
Japanese has a large inventory of sound-symbolic or mimetic words, known in linguistics as idiophones. Sound symbolic words are found in written as well as spoken Japanese. They are popularly known as onomatopoeia. These words are not just imitative of sounds but cover a much wider range of meanings. Many sound-symbolic words in Japanese are for things that don't make any noise originally, most clearly demonstrated by しいんと shiinto, meaning "silently". Various types of laughs can be heard in everyday life; a cheerful laugh, unpleasant laugh, embarrassing laugh etc. Japanese people have a deep interest in what they hear and see. In addition, every single onomatopoeia related to laugh contains special meaning. Japanese language learning students should have a keen interest in how Japanese onomatopoeia related to laugh was made, how the structure of these words were made and how Japanese people apply these word in everyday life. The purpose of this research is to identify the characteristics of phonological and morphological of Japanese Onomatopoeia “laugh”. This paper shows how the Japanese onomatopoeia of laugh only begin with A, KA, HA, and NA sound. For example ahaha “Haha”, kerakera “sound of shrill laughter”, herahera “foolish laugh”, nikoniko “friendly grin”. A, KA, and HA sounds are describing the voice of laugh, for exampleくすくす笑いkusukusu warai, meaning “Giggle” and only NA sound is describing the facial expression of laugh. For exampleにやにや顔 niyaniya gao, meaning “Grinning face”. This research reveals that there are 5 forms of onomatopoeia which represent the Sustainability, Voice pitch, the Gender, the Duration and the Emphasis Of laugh. It’s difficult to understand the description of the Japanese Onomatopoeia dictionaries as there are many indescribable onomatopoeias related to Japanese laugh. Therefore it is not that easy to use these Japanese Onomatopoeias correctly on daily conversation for Japanese-language learners. The findings may be useful for Japanese language learning students who are interested in Japanese Linguistics
Analyzing the metaphorical act of ‘journeying’ in jean arasanayagam’s anthology: searching for an ambalama
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Kariyawasam, D.
The metaphorical act of journeying from one place to another in Jean Arasanayagam’s collection of poetry, Searching for an Ambalama, represents her attempt to realize and accept her multiple identities. This feature of constant mobility denoted by the act of ‘journeying’ gives rise to the feminist thought that identity is a flux and never ending process. Arasanayagam’s issue of identity lies not in the fact that she does not belong to a particular social group, but in the fact that she belongs to several social groups. This aspect becomes evident in her anthology in which she reiterates her attempts to identify with places she visits. Interestingly, Arasanayagam’s concern with multiple identities becomes her unique poetic identity in this particular collection of poetry. Being a Burgher of Dutch origin and later married to a Tamil, Jean Arasanayagam was exposed to a rich cultural heritage through which she enriched her own poetic identity. The paper discusses identity in relation to theories including place-identity theory, and feminist theory developed respectively by environmental and social psychologists and feminist critics. Articles done on Arasanayagam’s poetry, reviews, interviews, comments from her contemporaries, studies done on Sri Lankan English literature, research done on feminist theory and identity theory are used as main secondary sources to conduct the research. This study analyses how Jean Arasanayagam’s ‘journey’ into different ‘places’ functions as a metaphor to indicate the process of identity formation and her realization and acceptance of multiple identities.
Anxiety of authorship in “Johnny panic and the bible of dreams” by Sylvia Plath
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Hettiarachchi, H.A.
This paper analyzes the short story “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams” written by Sylvia Plath using a Feminist approach. The short story is based on a strong element of fantasy, and is also noted for its graphic portrayal of fear and madness. Critics agree on the reading of the text as a semi-autobiographic short story that served a therapeutic purpose for Plath, through which she gave vent to the pent up frustration stemming from the social and domestic pressure that pushed her towards her numerous suicidal attempts. However, this paper intends to extend this reading beyond the element of personal in order to discover the mechanisms of the patriarchal social order and the resultant anxiety of authorship in woman that are reflected upon the “Lake Nightmare”-as Plath calls it. I have adopted the method of feminist literary analysis of the short story, supported by comparisons with the other selected texts by the writer. I opted for this methodology as it allows more space for the observation and the identification of motifs in Plath’s writing and also their relation to the elements of feminist theory. For instance “Johnny Panic” in this short story can be identified as an embodiment of all the tyrannical male figures scattered across her writing – God, Devil, father, husband and many more, all recreating the systemic oppression of woman within the patriarchal social order. The analysis is primarily based on the concept of “Anxiety of authorship” forwarded by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, and also the concept of patriarchal ideology. The paper also explores the related concept of the “Mad Woman” as presented within this fiction. Based on this analysis, I argue that “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams” is a haunting portrayal of the patriarchal social structure and its devastating impact on the less privileged “Other” – understood in this context as the woman.
Beyond an ‘eternal feminine’ identity: a feminist study of “north and south” by Elizabeth Gaskell
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Dharmawimala, T.D.
“North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell is a mid- 19th Century Victorian novel, published only seven years after “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte which has been hailed as a feminist tract since the 20th Century. The novel “North and South” reflects an important turning point concerning identity of the female figure, as there is a divergence from the cultural construction of the ‘Angel in the House’ which encapsulates the ‘Eternal Feminine’ notion of Victorian society, that which has been maintained and encouraged by society for many years. Although the novel has been classified and widely researched as a social novel centered on areas such as cultural geography, class system, social crisis, political economy and transnational politics, limited recognition has been provided from a feminist angle. It has been widely accepted that the protagonist represents a “feminist ideal” due to her entry into the public sphere. Hence, certain critics have opined that the novel foresees modern feminist theory. Moreover, the political agency of the protagonist and appearance in the public sphere has been the central focus of such discussion. However, this research aims to expand the boundaries of this identity limited to her entry into the political sphere, and to explore the multiplicity in identity which eventually results in the formation of a modern feminist. It expands the scope of identity restricted to a mere socially constructed binary opposition in Victorian society. The research methodologies employed are textual analysis and a close examination of characterization in order to understand the instability in identity of the female figure in the novel. I argue that, this revolutionary deviance of the status of women from the traditional “other” to the future “equal” is strategically developed by Gaskell mainly through the flux inidentity and its manipulation in the public sphere by the protagonist.
The Buddhist Jataka story and different western psychological views of mental disorders
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Assaji Thero, Rambadagalle
Buddhist teachings and psychology overlap in theory and practice. Both Buddhism and Western psychology have been given various interpretations and analysis obtained by examining the human mind, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis etc. Hence, taking the human mind into consideration, this research paper proposes to investigate the connection between Buddhist jataka stories and the different Western psychological views of mental disorders. The scientific study of mental disorders is known as psychopathology. When any part of the body moves away from its normal way of working due to any reason it is known as a disorder. These are generally defined by a combination of how a person feels, acts, thinks or perceives things. According to the Roga sutta there are two kinds of illnesses. They are Mental Disorders and Physical Disorders. It is clear that these two factors are interrelated. Buddha emphasized that every being has some sort of disorder. This research mostly focuses on the connection between jathaka stories and different views of mental disorders. Jataka story tellers profoundly discuss the thoughts and actions of the akusala or pathological mind. Astoundingly most of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders) based mental ailments could be identified in the jataka stories. Western psychology has five views of mental disorders, namely a Biological view, a Psychodynamic view, a Learning view, a Humanistic view and a Social cultural view. Thus, these five views also connect with human behaviour, personality and mentality.
Common errors in the use of locative prepositions: grade 4 ESL students
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Aberathna, A.H.M.S.
usage of English prepositions by ESL (English as a Second Language) learners. Prepositions are notoriously difficult for English language learners due to the large number of them in the English language and also due to their polysemous nature. This study intended to discover the extent of errors committed by grade four ESL learners and the acquisition of the selected eleven locative prepositions: near, on, at, under, between, in, around, behind, in, front of, on the right hand side of and on the top of. It also compared the differences in the students’ performance in locative prepositions in three different tasks. This study focused on the grammatical errors on the use of locative prepositions and justified the reasons for such errors. The students were given a worksheet with three types of tasks: 2 gap filling and 1 multiple choice tasks based on locative prepositions in English language to collect quantitative production data in writing. This data was analyzed by using SPSS 2013. A total number of 20 Sinhala speaking ESL students in Grade 4 were involved in the task. This study found that the most accurately acquired preposition was on while the most erroneous preposition was in front of. Moreover the results showed that students tend to make more substitution errors for locative prepositions in gap filling tasks with compared to multiple choice tasks. It also showed that the students get confused in the use of locative prepositions between in and on and also between in front of and behind. This study concludes that the ESL students in Grade 4 have not yet acquired the most of the locative prepositions used in the study successfully, due to the lack of correct exposure and the less experience in the usage of English spatial prepositions. This study suggests that the ESL teachers should make the students get exposed to more locative spatial scenes by illustrating them by using pictures or demonstrating the spatial scenes physically, rather than merely explaining the meaning of the locative prepositions in their first language.
A comparative study of idioms which includes parts of the body in Japanese and Sinhala
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Herath, H.M.P.C.
An idiom or an idiomatic phrase is an expression, word or unity of words that has been widely used since ancient eras. Therefore, it is quite obvious that idioms have been shaped and reinforces by the people of a particular social scenario. Meanwhile it is a kind of metaphor which inherits a hidden or immobilized meaning, conventionally understood by the native speakers. Thus, if these idiomatic phrases are not properly understood in the communicating process, no doubt it will be a root cause to occur wrong and inappropriate responses. For an instance the Japanese expression‘頭に来る’（come in to head）gives the meaning of getting angry, though in sinhala language it means ‘get a good idea’. Therefore it is crystal clear that figurative meaning is more important that its literal meaning in any language. The main objective of the research is to identify the similarities and differences of idioms which consist parts of the body, especially ‘head’ ‘hand’ ‘mouth’ ‘eye’ ‘leg’ and ‘ear’ since Sinhala and Japanese language are abundant with idioms that corresponds with these parts of the body. It is an identified fact that using components like idioms in any languages are significant to preserve the purity of language and essential for effective day today communication. Therefore the findings of this paper will support students who learn Japanese as a foreign language to use and understand idioms in their daily communication and enrich their knowledge about idioms.
A comparative study of nonverbal communication strategies between Japan and Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Edirimannage, I.
Communication is a basic part of all human behaviors. Humans communicate using language. However, it is becoming far more evident now. Human communication is effected through Nonverbal means such as, eye contacts, gestures, postures, looks etc. Nonverbal communication has been defined as communication without words. Nonverbal communication is different from one language to another language, one culture to another culture, from one country to another and one society to another. Nonverbal communication plays a major role in human communication. When considering Nonverbal communication styles of Japan and Sri Lanka, it is also different. Japanese language learners of Sri Lanka encounter the problem of understanding nonverbal communication of Japanese people. Therefore, misunderstandings quotes in both Sri Lankans and Japanese and it leads to make the communication unsuccessful even though the used language (grammar and words) is perfect. For example, eye contact where Japanese people lower their eyes when speaking to a superior as a gesture of respect. But in Sri Lanka if someone lower their eyes when speaking to a superior it means he or she is dishonest or feeling guilty. Also, crossing legs when sitting in Japan means he or she is the superior. But in Sri Lanka it is only a sitting position. Considering such instances, the purpose of this research is to show the effect and differences of the nonverbal communication between Japanese and Sri Lankan. This research will describe the way of touching and spacing affect Japanese and Sri Lankans when using nonverbal communication. Finally, it was expected that the findings of this research will support the development of Japanese language education in Sri Lanka.
A comparative study of positions of collectivism in Japanese and Sri Lankan societies
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Dissanayake, D.M.S.
Collectivism refers to one of the four dimensions of culture; the concept of self which elaborates on individualism and collectivism. The thinking patterns, behavioral patterns and believes of Japanese and Sri Lankans are different. This occurs due to their contradictory cultural practices. Hence, as Japanese learners, it is important to know the positions of collectivism in order to minimize the misunderstanding that may cause due to the ignorance of different cultural dimensions of Japan and Sri Lanka. Triandis, in 1995 stated that researches have been undertaken approaching the value systems and social systems between Japan and Sri Lanka. This includes the cross-cultural and psychological researches in which the main course is value systems. This research is carried out to find the positions and level of collectivism of Japanese and Sri Lankan Sinhala communities. Further, this shows the gap of the collectivism between Japanese and Sinhala communities. And this will show the characteristics of collectivism of each society. The societal- phycology and culture too differ along with the disparity in collectivism. People of Sri Lanka and Japan think differently when they deal with the others of the society. These differences, behaviors, thinking patterns and ideologies affect the intercultural communication to a large extend. So far, there have been no researches conducted regarding the value systems of Sri Lankan collectivism. As Japanese value systems and social systems differ from those of Sri Lanka, position of collectivism also varies apparently. Thus, there is a clear gap between Japan and Sri Lanka. To prove the above hypothesis, a questionnaire is produced to the members of Sri Lankan and Japanese communities. The main objective of this research is to make an impact on the reduction of misunderstanding caused due to the differences between the thinking patterns and behaviors practiced by the two communities. The research also attempts to strengthen the mutual understanding between the two communities by analyzing the data gathered by the questionnaires.
A Comparative Study of Use of Japanese and Sinhala Onomatopoeia
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Dilrukshi, K.D.
Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting. Onomatopoeia is one of the words that represent the sound appearance and state of a thing. A language rich with Onomatopoeia is convenient and also facilitates to understand the transmission of the content to the native speakers. Japanese is a one of the language that rich with Onomatopoeia. It is a difficult area for Japanese learners, as onomatopoeia is used frequently in Japanese conversations. Japanese learners cannot ignore learning and using onomatopoeia. Therefore it is important to make learners aware that this is a vital area to master for a successful communication. It is important for Japanese learners to have a clear understanding about the Japanese Onomatopoeia. The purpose of this research is to investigate (the frequency) the usage of Onomatopoeia and the areas where Japanese people use Onomatopoeia in day to day life. Further it compares the situation of the Sinhala language, where the use of Onomatopoeia is lesser than Japanese. Maeda (2008) verify the need to teach Japanese onomatopoeia to L2 learners. Inose (2007) have identified a method that use to convert Japanese literary Onomatopoeia to Spanish and English. That centering of the Onomatopoeia coming out in Literary works. This paper demonstrates how the meanings Japanese Onomatopoeia used in Sinhala. There are different Onomatopoeia that gives the same meaning and also the different meanings of the same Onomatopoeia. Japanese Onomatopoeia is divided into several types. For a smooth communication in Japanese it is important to understand the onomatopoeia. Depending on the language each phenomenon, the expression method is different. Similarly even in the same sound meaning and the usage may be different.
A comparative study on compound words in Sinhala and Japanese
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Senanayaka, S.P.T.S.
A compound word is a combination of two or more words that function as a single unit of meaning. There are three types of compounds in English language: Those written as single words, with no hyphenation, are called closed compounds--the word "flowerpot," for example. Hyphenated compounds, such as "merry-go-round" and "well-being," are the second type. Those in the third group, called open compounds, are written as separate words, the nouns "school bus" and "decision making," for example. In Japanese language the structure of compound words vary according to the way they are used and there are different patterns of creating compound words. According to Kanazaki (2013) compound verbs are structured by combining a verb and a verb, prefix and a verb, verb and a suffix. Furthermore transitive verbs and intransitive verbs are also important when considering about the formation of compound verbs. According to Noda (2011) when considering the meanings of compound nouns, 7 sentence structures can be acknowledged. This study focus on the formation of compound words in both Sinhala and Japanese languages. The formation of compound words in Sinhala and Japanese languages are different and it is worth to study the way they are formed in each language. The purpose of this study is to identify the basic formation/patterns of compound words of Japanese language and show the uniqueness of each language by comparing the result with Sinhala language and to investigate the similarities and dissimilarities of the structure of compound words of both languages.
A comparative study on Kara and node (particles which describe reason)
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Dissanayaka, H.M.N.S.
Kara & node are used to describe reasons in Japanese language.”kara” and ”node” both particles express reason or cause. While “kara” subjectively presents cause or reason, “node” highlights a cause & effect relationship as a natural course of events. Further “kara” is used for reason or cause of a speaker’s volition opinion ect. “Node” is for existing action or situation. However they are not exactly the same, there are some differences between these two particles. Students who are learning Japanese language are facing complex situation at their first stage of learning. 例：一生懸命練習したから上手になったのです。一生懸命練習したので上手になったのです。 Though there are no grammatical errors, particles should be placed appropriately in the above examples. Speaker’s relationship between the reason and action is very important to select the particle among the “kara” & “node”. The objectives of this paper is to explicit the difference between these two particles. Finally these finding will be supportive to students who are learning Japanese language in foreign countries as they can understand the difference between these particles which always seem equal and they will be able to use these particles correctly.
Consequences of adopting a multiple language policy in a multilingual and multiethnic country: the case of India.
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, A.H.
Language is one of the prominent resources that should be planned for the sociopolitical wellbeing of a multilingual and multiethnic country. This study intends to examine the consequences of adopting multiple language policy in such a country. India is a multilingual and multiethnic country where several hundreds of mutually unintelligible languages and dialects are spoken. Therefore India has been chosen as the sample of this study. Attempts have been made to examine the consequences of multiple official languages policy India, citing official records on the subject as the sources of data. Indian government has declared a number of regional official languages for each of the regional states while adopting Hindi and English as the official languages of the whole country. All judicial, administrative, and educational matters in regional states are carried out in the respective regional languages. Hindi and English function as the languages of the central government and facilitate communication between central government and regional states. This language policy has drawn success in maintaining the sociopolitical wellbeing of the country, but not in securing the future of regional languages. The long lasted predominance of Hindi and English has threatened the status and the future of the regional languages. Therefore one can hardly say that this multiple language policy has done justice to the conservation of those languages. Thus it is clear that multiple language policy cannot be regarded as the best solution to all the language related issues in a multilingual and multiethnic country.
The contribution of Kumaratunga Munidasa as an individual language planner
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Randula, K.K.G.
Language planning refers to deliberate and systematic attempts taken to solve the language problems of a speech community. Usually such measures in standardising a language’s structure and determining its political status are taken by a country’s political authority. Cumaratunga Munidasa (25th July 1887 - 02nd March 1944) was one of the greatest classical Sinhalese scholars of the 20th century, whose service to the Sinhalese language has been subjected to extensive studies in various disciplines. It has been observed that certain acts of Cumaratunga Munidasa reflect the features of a corpus planner, while his impact on promoting the Sinhalese language to the official language status has been of extreme significance. Since Cumaratunga’s contribution has not been substantially evaluated in the perspective of language planning, this study attempts to recognise Cumaratunga as an individual language planner. Data for the study were collected from writings of Cumaratunga ranging from paper articles to voluminous books. The language planning model proposed by E. Haugen (1983) was adapted in the evaluation process. In this study it has been observed that it is proper to recognise Cumaratunga Munidasa’s role in revitalising the Sinhalese language as the contribution of an individual language planner.
Cultural problems in translating L'amant into Sinhalese
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Mihirika, S.K.S.; Jayaweera, D.P.A.; de Silva, M.
Translation is a method of communication which creates a bridge between multiple communities in different countries where various languages are spoken. Literary translation can be defined as an artistic method of translating literary texts such as poems, novels, dramatic texts and short stories into a target language while being faithful to the content of the source text. In the process of translating above mentioned literary texts into a target language, translators mainly encounter problematic situations which arise because of cultural, linguistic differences which collide with the freedom given to the translators. Hence our objective is to analyze those problems and find solutions to face the challenges in literary translation. This research focuses on the cultural problems faced in translating L'Amant into Sinhalese. This discussion includes the practical problems faced by undergraduates during the two years of learning translation methods. The cultural boundaries are the basic issues faced by translators in translating literary texts from source language to target language. This challenge cannot be avoided or neglected in the process of literary translation.
Different clipping words in the Japanese language
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Madushani, W.P.S.
The effect of explicit instruction on the use of indefinite and definite articles by ESL learners
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Kaushakee, L.H.N.
The English article system presents many problems for non-native speakers of English, particularly when they do not have an equivalent structure in their first language. Researchers have employed different approaches to the teaching of articles in order to overcome this problem. This study investigates the effectiveness of using explicit instruction on the use of indefinite and definite articles by Sri Lankan ESL learners. The research questions addressed in the study were “Which of the articles is most difficult to the Sri Lankan ESL students? And the reasons for its difficulty”, “Does explicit instruction help to overcome the overuse and underuse of indefinite and the definite articles by Sri Lankan ESL students?” The study embraced a quantitative methodology and was conducted with a group forty secondary school ESL learners having different proficiency levels. Same cloze type pretest and a posttest were administered to collect data. A control group and an experimental group were assigned based on the marks of the pretest. The experimental group received four interventions, each of which represented a form-function and usage framework. The control group received no intervention. After the intervention, the posttest was administered to every participant during class time under the same conditions. By encouraging the students to address the specific rules of using indefinite and definite articles in English, the researcher was able to improve students’ understanding of this difficult area and guide them to a more accurate usage of the English article system. This study will contribute to the underdeveloped area of research related to pedagogy and its effectiveness in addressing the errors made by ESL learners in the use of articles. In addition, the study would enable academic researchers, language teachers, and linguists to build a further discussion on explicit instruction as an effort to minimize the errors made by ESL students.
Error analysis on use of “Wa” and “Ga” by the Japanese learners in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Athukorala, C.H.
The particles “wa” and “ga” of the Japanese Language are identified as one of the difficult parts of grammar for the non -native learners of Japanese. Though these two particles have different functions, non -native learners find difficulty in identifying the clear difference between these two particles. Sinhala does not have the particles “wa” and “ga” or particles that are similar to “wa” and “ga” of Japanese. Though the particles “wa” and “ga” are mistaken, big issue is not occurred as the meaning of what the speaker wants to say is conveyed. But when writing something, if the two particles are used incorrectly the meaning of the writing is not conveyed properly. Hence, this paper aimed to identify how “wa” and “ga” are mistaken by Sri Lankan learners. Further it focuses on finding reasons why these two particles are not used correctly. According to the results of the questionnaire, following instances were identified as the places where there are many errors and difficult to understand when using “wa” and “ga” by the Japanese learners of Sri Lanka. This paper shows that the awareness of the students about the particular rule of using “wa” and “ga” were low in the instances where the error rate was high and the students showed confidence and awareness of the particular rule of using “wa” and “ga” in the instances where the error rate was low. “Wa” is mainly used to indicate the theme of a sentence. Particle “wa” in the above sentence indicates the theme “Watashi”. Particle “ga” is mainly used to indicate the subject of a sentence. In this sentence, particle “ga” indicates the subject “Shacho”. Though there are two different particles to indicate theme and subject of a sentence in Japanese Language, students whose native language is Sinhala does not understand this difference between the particles “wa” and “ga”. In Sinhala Language the ending of the word is changed to indicate the theme and subject. Therefore due to such influences of the mother language students find it difficult to understand the difference between “wa” and “ga” use.