Symposia & Conferences
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Item Trends in the Use of Sanskrit Language in Media and Communication(Department of Sanskrit, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, 2016) Ridmi, D.H.D.S.; Chandradasa, N.A.M.L.The entire communication system is centrally linked with language and it is identified language as a core factor in communication. However, in the present categorization of languages, the Sanskrit language is considered as an inanimate (death) language. Nevertheless, this belief cannot be considered as accurate. The Sanskrit language is one of the world’s most perfect, scientific and formal languages. As in Sinhala language, Sanskrit is the root language for many other languages such as German, Caltic, Bevilto, Slavic, etc. The Sanskrit language is evident in traditional, social, religious and academic communication, modern communication and new communication methods which come under the categorization of communication modes. Among the trends in new Sanskrit languages, telephone and computer software are also made by the use of structure and syntax of Sanskrit language. According to the NASA, Sanskrit is the language which is used in computers. In addition, Sanskrit is used not only as an official language but also it is used as a colloquial language in some regions of India such as Maththur in Karnataka, in Jhri village, Ganora in Rajasthan, Shyam Sundaram Pur in Orissa. Thus, the main purpose of this research is to explore the way in which Sanskrit language, which is the native language for many other languages, is used in communication. Interviews and content analysis will be used as methods of data collection. Data will be analyzed using a mixed approach of both quantitative and qualitative methods.Item Recent Research Views of Sanskrit Literature(Department of Sanskrit, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, 2016) Kumari, D.S.Sanskrit Literature has the glorious history of about more than 4000 years. The ancient literature, Vedas are available now with more critical commentaries and translations. This applies to the other arena of Sanskrit Literature also. From time to time these have been revised and studied in various measures which have resulted in getting a seemingly new version of these works.Various studies are conducting on Rgveda in the regional languages also which reach more readers. One among them is RgvedaPraveshike in Kannada by a scholar Dr. Ramakrishna. In this work the author gives the seemingly new version about the sūktas rejecting the traditional meaning. He narrates the facts which could be proved historically accurate. The book is without any bias regarding the proven Indian concept about Vedic literature and proved Indian culture. Culture of Encounter is another work by Audrey Truschke, as written, gives us insight into how and why the Moghalsone of the most powerful imperial powers- poured immense energy into Sanskrit thinkers to their court, adopted and adapted Sanskrit – based practices, translated dozens of Sanskrit texts into Persian and composed Persian accounts of Indian philosophy…The first book to read these Sanskrit and Persian works in tandem,Culture of Encounter recasts the Moghal Empire as a multilingual state that collaborated with its Indian subjects to establish its role as an Indian empire. Revisiting a forgotten part of Indian history, Audrey Truschke certifies the critical role of the sociology of the empire in building the Moghal polity, which came to shape the literary and ruling cultures of early modern India forever. Great works of Kalidasa etc. can also be the source of new research as Raghuvamsha can be studied in ample ways as regarding tourism, culture of different parts of India. Abhignanashakuntalam as the conflicts between an ordinary girl with a monarch. Mahabharata of Vyasa has ample options of study.Translations of great works from regional languages to Sanskrit also enhance the research insight of the connoisseurs. A translation of Kannada novel Parva, of S L Bhairappa into Sanskrit by same name gives a new dimension to the Mahabharata.Thus the various branches of Sanskrit literature are the sources for the re-evaluation of the pre-fixed conclusions so that the literature will be ever. The interdisciplinary studies contribute a lot for the development of Sanskrit also.Item The proper usage of synonyms in the Hindi Language(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Lansakara, R.N.This research draws upon the proper usage of synonyms in the Hindi language. A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language. As the Hindi language is rich with a vast vocabulary, often we can see plenty of synonyms for a single word. As a matter of fact, no synonyms have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of languages) because etymology, orthography, phonic qualities, ambiguous meanings, usage etc. make them unique. Thus, each and every synonym cannot be replaced the related word or phrase in the same environment. Synonyms can be any part of speech [such as nouns – pа:ni:/ʝəl (water), verbs - de:khan:/ta:kna: (to see), adjectives - bəɤa:/wiʃa:l (big), adverbs – te:z/ʃi:ghrə (quickly) or prepositions - pər/u:pər (on)] as long as both words belong to the same part of speech. Different words that are similar meaning usually differ for a reason. ʝəl is more formal than pа:ni:, bəɤa: and wiʃa:l are only synonyms in one usage and not in others (for an example the word bəɤa: bha:i: ‘big brother’ is not same as wiʃa:l bha:i: ‘vast brother’). Trough showing that all synonyms which stand for one word or phrase cannot be used in the same environment, this research highlights the importance of the proper usage of synonyms in Hindi language and how synonyms are meant differently in different environments. Moreover, the study will show what impact can be made of the incorrect usage of synonyms on communication in the Hindi language, and it will allow for more consideration on teaching process in enhancing vocabulary of students.Item Bilingualism and language pollution: A study on the impact of practicing mixed English in communication(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ihalagama, H.A.S.The majority of Sinhalese people use their mother tongue as the main vehicle of communication, but there is a growing trend of mixing English terms with Sinhala terms in communication activities. It is due to English becoming a major linguistic force in Sri Lanka for various reasons such as its colonial heritage, impact of globalization, new technologies of communication, growing up in international schools, increasing number of Sri Lankans working overseas and predilection for using English by many urban occupants. As a result of this, Sinhala speaking society has become a Sinhala-English bilingual society. When people use English to the detriment of their first language, then the situation appears to be discomfited and linguistically unproductive. The present study is to examine the patterns of mixed English use in day to day communication and how it affects the contamination of Sinhala language. Data and information for this study are collected from a sample of 30 bilingual and employed individuals in public and private sectors and some advertisements in printed and electronic media and name boards of commercial places. Based on the findings it can be concluded that, practicing mixed English in communication activities, influence Sinhala speakers to imitate such bilingual variations and it will lead to pollution and unsustainability of Sinhala language which is a precious cultural asset of Sinhala community.Item Social discrimination through language: A study on the discriminative usage of Sinhala(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Premaratna, C.D.H.M.Language is a medium of human communication and it is used for different purposes. One of them is discrimination. Language discrimination refers to an unfair treatment through language found in any society. This may be categorized into several concepts such as ethnic discrimination, political discrimination, religious discrimination or environmental discrimination. It is manipulated in the style of speech, such as accent, lexicon or syntax, used by an individual and does not include discrimination based on individual’s appearance. This situation can be seen in all human languages. Sri Lanka is a multilingual (Sinhala, Tamil, English), multiethnic (Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim), and multi-religions (Buddhist, Hindus, Slam) country. Sri Lanka was also governed by the European (Portuguese, Dutch, English) rulers since 17 th century to middle of the 20 th century. As a result of that Sinhalese culture has undergone many changes. This social environment is reflected on Discriminative lexicon of Sinhala language. The aim of this study is to examine the present condition of the Sinhala Discriminative Lexicon and to see how that affects society, culture environment and politics. This problem is examined under the sociolinguistic theory and data have been collected through the day today conversation of the Sinhala speakers. It is found that Sinhala speakers use discriminative language referring to some social groups or individuals in different contexts.Item 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.Item Problems Encountered by Students in French in Learning Grammar and the Possibility of a Student Oriented Approach into Teaching of Grammar(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Rajapaksha, U.D.The principal objective of learning a language is to express ideas or sentiments among humans. Whether the communication is oral or written, knowledge of grammar plays an important role when it comes to language learning.The students in French at the University of Kelaniya have been learning French since Grade 12 at school for Advanced Level, sometimes even at a younger age; before entering the university level. Thus, they are expected to demonstrate a high competency in French. The focus is on determining whether the students in French as a Foreign Language at University of Kelaniya, find it difficult to communicate in grammatically correct French. In the case of affirmative, the researcher intends to explore the possible reasons and secondly suggest a possible solution for the situation.The researcher plans to carry out the research by first identifying one grammar area which is considered difficult. Secondly, the researcher will study their reasons for declaring so and thirdly provide suggestions to improve the level of grammar of the students. The primary objective is to identify the presence of a difficulty in expressing oneself in communicating in French. In case of a lack of knowledge or competency in grammar, the researcher intends to evaluate what reasons are behind this communication failure and intends to provide possible suggestions to them. The research is based upon interviews and sample writings collected from students. The lecturers in French at the University of Kelaniya will be interviewed with open and closed questions, thus adding both quantitative and qualitative value to the study. Finally, I hope to present a sample lesson of a selected difficult grammar part in the suggested approach.The findings of the research would serve both students and teachers in French, in improving the quality of Teaching French as a Foreign Language.Item Emphasizing the Need to Restrict the Use of Non-Target Languages in the ESL Classroom and Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Communicative Approach as a Solution(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Madhusankha, B.H.I.Referring to the corpus of literature made with reference to the discipline of ELT, it seems conspicuously interesting that the use of non – target languages in the language classroom has recently become the subject of many a debate among most ESL practitioners. In such a milieu, the objective of the present research paper has been to explore the negative consequences that the extensive use of non – target languages in the ESL classroom poses not merely on the learning process but on the classroom management too. It is a widely acknowledged fact that both acquisition and retention of language skills have an equally significant role in the learning of a language. And, experts are of the belief that one of the most productive ways of learning a language is by picking it up (i.e. first listening to and reading a lot of language in authentic contexts and then using language in interaction with others for real purposes). Further, this gives rise to the fact that the ESL classroom should become a fountain of exposure to the target language where the students get a plenty of opportunities to receive and produce language and hence to experiment with language. Nevertheless, it is disheartening to note that a majority of the ESL teachers in the country hardly use the target language in order to communicate with the learners and to give instructions to them. Instead they speak in a particular non – target language which might be the first language of the majority in the classroom. As revealed above, this situation deprives the learners of the opportunity to have an L2 – interactive classroom thus directly affecting the learning of the language. In addition, the present study takes into account the socio-cultural and psychological facets of the situation under review. Thus, it explores the inconveniences undergone by the students hailing from minority communities when a majority in the classroom including the teacher communicates in a language (most probably the L1 of the majority) which might be alien to them. The issues of this kind have a special relevance to a country like Sri Lanka which is comprised of various ethnicities. So, it appears to be the responsibility of the language teacher as a facilitator to adjust the classroom management such that it enables the learners to be well exposed to the target language. Also, the research anticipates assessing the effectiveness of a communicative approach as a solution to the problems mentioned earlier. It is hence expected that this paper will serve as a useful source of information for those who are interested in the subject under review.Item Code Switching Problems in Bilingual Society of Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ramesh, S.In Sri Lanka, national language issue seems very influential in both cultural and political sphere; it was the major bone of argument between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. The use of English words within the society has increased amazingly. One of the reasons may be due to the extensive use of the mixed code in daily conversations by Sri Lankan bilinguals like Sinhalese and Tamils. This study explores the impact of code switching in the case of bilinguals and multilinguals who select different varieties of two or more languages to meet the requirements of different situations. The switchers use English words and expressions even when equivalents exist in Sinhala or Tamil vice versa. They feel that these English expressions come so naturally to them that their equivalents in Sinhala or Tamil might sound formal and unnatural. Nowadays most communication in a bilingual or multilingual society crosses national, linguistic and cultural boundaries and requires confidence and competence to be effective. The data presented in this paper have been collected through observation, questionnaires and analyzed descriptively. The study also includes catch phrases and slogans used in the electronic media to substantiate data gathered from an analysis.The study provides insight into the mixing strategies used by urban bilinguals. The analysis reveals that the mixed code is used dominantly in advertisements (print and electronic) where the medium of communication is Sinhala or Tamil. The methodological functions are identified (a) for translation, (b) for clarification, (c) for highlighting and (d) for efficiency. The social functions included code switching (a) for praise, (b) for encouragement, (c) for disapproval. Findings shall be discussed formally in a conference presentation. Consequently, there is a need for a valid and reliable form of code switching when problems are analyzed.