Symposia & Conferences
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Item A Study on the Language Planning Situation in British Colonial Ceylon.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Perera, A.Language is one of the prominent resources that should be planned for the socio-political well-being of a multilingual and multi-ethnic country. This study intends to examine the Colonial Period Language Planning of Ceylon, particularly from 18-19 centuries, which is in the British Colonial Period. The study was done with special focus on the types of language policies introduced by the British to govern their official domains, specially the administrative process and the judicial services. The data was collected from official documents such as Colebrook and Cameron paper, books, journals and from discussions. According to the findings, English has been introduced as the only official language for administration, Judicial and other official domains in this particular time period and it was established through Colebrooke, Cameron and Dounghmore constitutional reforms. Research findings show that majority of the Ceylonese were either Sinhala or Tamil native speakers and limited number of people could work in English. According to the recommendations of this research the monolingual policy, is not suited for the multilingual and multi-ethnic country. However, British rulers should have introduced the national level for the Sinhalese and Tamil Languages. This gap caused many problems during that period and afterwards. Findings of this research can be used in preparing a better language planning Policy in Sri Lanka and the other countries where multi-ethnic groups exist.Item Language policy in Singapore(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Kamali, R.D.; Hettihewa, A.S.; Senarathna, I.R.Language is not merely a tool for human communication where it also plays an important role in the development of social identity. Therefore it is important to have a wellplanned language policy in a country and it is becoming more and more essential in an increasingly multilingual society. As a multinational country Singapore has a diverse population and it includes Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Caucasians and Asians of different origins. As a result of that Singapore has become a multilingual nation. However, the Singapore government recognises four official langauges: English, Malay, Chinese, Tamil. Their decison to adopt English, Mandarian, Malay and Tamil as their official languages came early in their nationhood. And also Bilingualism is a fundamental aspect of their education system while English is the medium of instruction in schools, students are required to learn their mother tongues aswell. This has ensured that they are able to engage fellow singaporeans of different races, access the global economy and at the same time remain connected to their cultural roots. This study attempts to describe how the language is being planned by the Singapore government and the present condition of their language policy. Data for the research are collected by using official documents of Singapore Government, newspaper articles and from recordings of informal conversations with a group of native speakers. These informal conversations are used to identify the bilingual habits of Singapore citizens. What we learned from the study is that in Singapore all four official languages were accorded parity of recognition, a clear message that all Singaporeans are equal partners in a single nation, regardless of race or language.Item Official Language Efficiency Bar Examination: A Critical Analysis(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Dassanayake, H.B.The efficiency bar exam for public sector officers in Official Languages was introduced in July, 2007. Since then, all new recruits to state sector employment, according to their profession, are required to prove their proficiency in the National language other than his/her mother tongue within a period of seven years from recruitment. The Official Language Department is entrusted with the final responsibility of certifying the officers’ knowledge in National Languages by conducting exams in terms of a pre-defined outline. This examination, which anticipates achieving universal bilingual competency of public service, presents a unique case in language policy owing to its ambitious outlook and declared interests to reinforce national integration. The present study is a critical assessment of the success and relevance of this exam, bringing into question the number of public employees who have taken this exam, their pass rate, post-qualification applicability of the obtained language competence and public reception of the exam and criticisms against it. The study revisits the decision making process that led to the establishment of this examination and highlights the need to avoid assumption based decisions.Item Language Planning and Future of the National Languages of Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Premaratna, C.D.H.M.Language planning is a deliberate effort to influence the function, structure, or acquisition of languages or language variety within a speech community. It is often associated with government planning. The goals of language planning differ depending on the nation or organization, but generally include making planning decisions and possibly changes for the benefit of communication. Planning or improving effective communication can also lead to other social changes such as language shift or assimilation. This research paper discusses how English is established as a Link Language and how Sinhala and Tamil National Languages are given the Official Language status as described in the 13th amendment of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka of 1987, and how that affects the future of the language planning in Sri Lanka.The problems are studied through a description of the language situation and language policy in Sri Lanka. This study is an attempt to relate the political agenda underlying its introduction and contents originating from political, national, religious and other ideologies. Data will be analysed in three areas: the language situation, the language planning ideologies of the language policy makers and ideas of the linguists. Information about the language situation includes the essential social, political, religious and economic structures which condition the language policy and which constitute the setting for its implementation. Data will be collected from official reports. This study will view English as a Link language affecting the allocation of different functions of varieties in a community including the medium of education and how that affects the use of National Languages in such a function of varieties in future. Finally it examines the extent to which language policy in Sri Lanka is aimed at achieving multilingual problems.