Symposia & Conferences
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10219
Browse
11 results
Search Results
Item A Study on the Awareness of Sri Lankan English among Undergraduates.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Karunanayake, S.Michael Meyler (2007) defines Sri Lankan English as “the language spoken and understood by those Sri Lankans who speak English as their first language, and/or who are bilingual in English and Sinhala or Tamil”. Although there are many studies conducted on various topics related to Sri Lankan English (SLE), a study on the awareness of SLE among the undergraduates is an area seldom examined by researchers. Hence, this research is designed with the purpose of studying the awareness of SLE among the undergraduates. Therefore, a structured approach was used where the objective, design, sample and the questions were predetermined. The community selected for the study was the undergraduates of the faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, those who use English as their second language. The sample was drawn using simple random sampling so that each person had the chance of getting selected. A questionnaire was used as the main tool of primary data collection, which was a combination of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The data collected were presented using pie charts and bar charts. Percentage calculations were used to discuss the findings. When examining the overall responses of the questionnaire, it was apparent that majority (84%) of the undergraduates use the lexicon of SLE. However, when asked what variety of English they speak, almost all the participants responded that it‟s British English. They were unable to identify a variety between British and American English. Hence, this research has specifically identified that there is lack of awareness of Sri Lankan English as a variety different from British and American English. The statistical analysis proves that colloquialisms have emerged in SLE and that there is a direct impact of the use of direct translations from Sinhala on the lexicon of Sri Lankan English.Item 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).Item An insider perspective on Michael Meyler’s codification of Sri Lankan English Vocabulary: Towards a broadening of the standard.(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH), 2017 Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Hettiarachchi, H. V. A.Defined as “the language used by Sri Lankans who choose to use English for whatever purpose in Sri Lanka” (Gunesekera. 2005, P.11), Sri Lankan English is regarded as a newly institutionalized variety of English, with its distinctive phonological, morphological, and 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 mirisgala.net; the digitized, extended and an updated, up-to-date version of Michael Meyler’s A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English (2007), is considered one of the “very first steps” (Mendis, 2007) towards an elaborate codification attempt of Sri Lankan English. Though Meyler himself has highlighted that his dictionary is not intended as a prescriptive work but a descriptive one where his intention was to describe the way in which the English language is used in Sri Lanka, without attempting to make any judgment on whether it is ‘correct’” (Meyler, 2007), given that codification attempts are traditionally regarded as an attempt in legitimizing a language variety as the standard, there is the danger that meaning, spelling, and usage of codified lexical items in mirisgala.net to be perceived as standard and acceptable usages of Sri Lankan English. This situation is further intensified given the digital nature of the mirisgala.net dictionary with increased and flexible knowledge sharing, while allowing the lexicographer to update and upgrade the printed version anytime, “leaving the text malleable” (Earhart, 2012). However, given the codifier’s position as an “outsider” (Meyler 2007, p. x), where 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 and the inadequacy of insider’s perspective on codified Sri Lankan English vocabulary is underscored. Further, given that Meyler’s “outsider status” significantly hinders him from acquiring in-depth insights into the English language usage of the “majority “non-elite” average Sri Lankan English speakers”, whose English language usage is noticeably influenced by their L1 native language varieties, Meyler’s codification attempts display a propensity towards the codification of the language used by the “anglicized Colombo English speaking elite minority” where a noticeable lack of representation of the non-elite variety of the language is observed.Therefore, the research will attempt to identify how the outsider status of the lexicographer has affected the codification process, the existence or non-existence of a binary as “outsider” and “insider”, the specific aspects of the vocabulary in the dictionary which are limited by the outsider’s perspective and the effect of the digitized version in the codification process. Accordingly, this research study will utilize theoretical methodologies of reflexivity and positionality to offer a subjective perspective of an insider, who is linguistically, politically and culturally positioned within the Sri Lankan Sinhala Buddhist community, on the codified vocabulary of Sri Lankan English on mirisgala.net, in an attempt to contribute to the discourse on the need to broaden the standard of Sri Lankan English.Item The significance of the English language errors made by tourist guides in Sri Lanka(Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayavindi, A.M.S.; Jayasinghe, D.N.P.; Dissanayake, D.M.R.N.; Shavoni, D.P.N.; Jayathilaka, G.R.A.P.; Fernando, W.D.M.In Sri Lanka, this has become the subject of extensive research as tourism in Sri Lanka is one of the largest foreign exchange earners. Within the industry the role of a tour guide is indispensable in value with regard to the nation. Thus proficiency in foreign languages is of utmost importance for tour guides and the English language has been identified as the most commonly used language by the majority of tourist visiting Sri Lanka. It has been observed that there are certain limitations in the use of the English language by the local tourist guide. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify such limitations in the English language used among tour guides; a profession challenging the sustainability of an important industry for the economy of the country. Data for the research was gathered through interviews with English speaking tour guides and were analyzed with attention mainly focused on phonological, grammatical, and vocabulary errors. It was found that language is an integral skill for tour guides. Foreign tourists tend to ignore errors in language as long as they can comprehend the content.Item Sri Lankan English (SLE) over the years: Evolution of the SLE vocabulary over two generations of SLE speakers(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Perera, N.; Weerasooriya, T.Sri Lankan English (SLE) has unique phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic features which have gradually developed since the introduction of English in Sri Lanka. Vocabulary is one of the first features to be developed in SLE. Although the SLE vocabulary has been studied and recorded by researchers such as Gunesekera and Meyler, its generational difference has not been researched into. The research question of the study was: ‘Can the generational change’ observable in the selected SLE vocabulary be termed an evolution?’ This was done through a qualitative, comparative analysis of selected SLE vocabulary used in the decade 1955 – 1965 and 2005 – 2015. The primary data was taken from the Ceylon Observer of 1955 – 1965 (36 words) and the Sunday Observer of the decade 2005 – 2015 (111 words). 19 words were used in a questionnaire survey among 60 participants of which 30 were of the ages 15 – 25 and 30 were between the ages 65- 75. The results of the survey were then analyzed in detail through 10 interviews. The survey and the interviews were conducted to prove / disprove the age-gradedness of the selected SLE vocabulary and to prove / disprove the apparent time hypothesis in relation to the selected SLE vocabulary. Most of the vocabulary used disproved age-gradedness as they had specific meanings in relation to the two generations. A lexical change in the vocabulary was also observed. The usage of these terms were generation specific, which supported that the selected SLE vocabulary is not age-graded. The interviews supported the apparent time hypotheses as the older generation showed that their vocabulary has not changed significantly over the years. From these observations, it could be concluded that the generational difference observable in the selected SLE vocabulary over 60 years could be termed an evolution.Item Dialectal Variations of Sri Lankan English due to Mother Tongue Influence of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Pathirana, R.V.A.R.K.Dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by minimal lexical, grammatical, phonological or vocabulary, specially a way of speaking differences from the standard variety of the language. Sri Lankan English is the language spoken and understood by the Sri Lankans who speak English as their first language, and/or who are bilingual in English and Sinhala or Tamil. Sri Lanka being a multi-national society, Sri Lankan English consists of a variety of dialects and the way the Sri Lankans speak English as a second language is absolutely different from the original speakers of English. The objectives of the present research are investigation whether Sri Lankan English has provincial dialects and the specific phonological features around provincial dialects. For methodology all the data were collected from the tertiary level students at Advanced Technological Institute - Dehiwala and from the lecturers who speak English as their second language, by conducting face to face interviews, listening to the conversations taking place at the staffroom, meetings, lecture halls and cafeterias. The sample groups were selected considering the province in which they live in. Finally, all the data recorded were separately analysed phonologically to examine the colloquial features and pronunciation variety among the speakers. According to the findings, it was clear that mother tongue influences the pronunciation of any language especially English than the provincial differences. The association of the society may slightly influence the speaking variety of a language.Item Lexical Features and Variations of Sri Lankan English in Sri Lankan Internet Memes(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Nilesm, J.S.The emergence and validation of New Englishes is often assessed within the framework of the „Dynamic Model of the Evolution of New Englishes‟ developed by Edgar Schneider (2003; 2007) in which New Englishes are formed by undergoing a fundamental uniform process of several stages. However, while scholars continue to grapple with concerns regarding recognition and acceptance of Sri Lankan English (SLE) as a variety, it is interesting to examine the possible expansion of SLE into the virtual arena. The study of the spread of SLE into the online forum is of paramount significance within a World Englishes paradigm given the current context of globalisation which provides ample opportunity for the enrichment of varieties through language contact. Therefore this research examines the extension of lexical features and variations of SLE into the online forum through a study of Sri Lankan internet memes. This study also explores the level of acceptance and attitudes of users of SLE towards the use of SLE in Sri Lankan internet memes. The research employs both a qualitative and quantitative approach as is evident in the two phases in which the study is carried out. The first step of the research is to identify and categorise a sample of 100 Sri Lankan internet memes on Facebook (a popular online social networking site) according to the most frequently used lexical features and variations of SLE. Thereafter, in the second phase a questionnaire is distributed among 30 undergraduates who own Facebook profiles and study English as a subject at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Colombo and the University of Kelaniya. The study then examines the limitations of Schneider‟s model (2003; 2007) based on the possibility that SLE may have circumvented stages of the model in developing into a variety which not only extends to the online platform but is also gradually gaining acceptance within the virtual sphere.Item Awareness and the Attitudes towards Sri Lankan English among Undergraduates(English Language Teaching Unit, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ariyasinghe, D.This study examines dialects 1-3 based on the pronunciation of the back vowels in the typology of Sri Lankan English (SLE) by Siromi Fernando (2006) across the selected phonemes /ei/, /z/, /θ/, /ʒ/ and /oʊ/. The methodology included online questionnaires/interviews and voice recordings of 50 undergraduates, mean age 22 years, from diverse disciplines in universities and institutes in Sri Lanka and abroad. 05 of the participants were case studies. The findings identified that a fairly large undergraduate population declare that the variety of English they speak is either Standard British English or American English thus belonging to dialect 3. But analysis of the podcasts evidenced that in the selected pronunciation areas examined SLE characteristics are indicated. In the usage of identified morphological processes too they retained SLE characteristics. Analyzing the Likert scale measurements for awareness and the attitude towards the variety it was clearly visible that both of the aforementioned factors distinctly differ according to the discipline the undergraduates follow at the universities. The attitude towards speaking SLE in undergraduates especially from Sciences, unless they are exposed to the background of Social Sciences or Humanities, was negative. Their belief of the inadequacy of SLE for communication with native speakers was the cause for their negativity. Further there was a lack of awareness in this population that SLE is a standard variety of English. On the contrary, the students who are from Social Sciences or Humanities backgrounds were aware and were proud to use Standard Sri Lankan English. Conclusively it can be stated that dialect 3 is becoming more powerful and influential among the Sri Lankan undergraduate populations. Moreover, it can be recommended to introduce SLE as a standard variety in undergraduate English programs, especially for the undergraduates are from Science backgrounds, in order to increase their confidence.Item Attitudes towards Sri Lankan English lexis and grammar(Department of English, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, N.In Sri Lanka, English has long been a language of authority granting access to the higher classes of society. However deviating from the “British” standards and speaking Sri Lankan English is not always regarded in a positive light. The research was conducted to explore the acceptance, the notions on grammatical accuracy and lexical validity of Sri Lankan English among undergraduates and graduates of the University of Kelaniya. The findings are compared with responses from the older users of English. It is seen that both the younger generation and the older generation hold a more permissible attitude towards the use of English, which can be attributed to the increased acceptance and the popularity of Sri Lankan English. However there is less willingness to bend certain hard core rules, especially grammar rules and rules governing the pronunciation of words.Item The Kaduwa of today: Sri Lankan English – its acceptance and attitudes towards variation(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Perera, M.C.N.In Sri Lanka, English has long been a language of authority granting access to the higher classes of society. Hence it is referred to by the colloquial appellation kaduwa, meaning ‘the sword’. However the English that is spoken in Sri Lanka today is not the same as the English that was introduced by the British colonizers since the year 1796. At present, there is an observable tendency to deviate from the “British” standards of speaking English and to use a variety of English which is identified as ‘Sri Lankan English’. Nevertheless, this tendency is not always regarded in a positive light. The research was conducted to explore the acceptance, the attitudes towards grammatical accuracy and lexicography of Sri Lankan English among undergraduates and graduates of the University of Kelaniya. The study was conducted as a quantitative analysis of the data gathered through a questionnaire survey including 50 participants. The findings were compared with responses from the older users of English. Hence it reveals the levels of acceptance of Sri Lankan English among the youth and the older generation. The study shows a number of language traits that are regarded as acceptable and unacceptable by Sri Lankan English speakers belonging to two different generations. The results reveal that both the younger generation and the older generation hold a more permissible attitude towards the use of English. Although the older users of the language might not necessarily use words that belong to the language of the youth, they are aware of their meanings. This can be attributed to the increased acceptance and the popularity of Sri Lankan English. Nevertheless, it is seen that interlocutors welcome additions to the spoken language but not necessarily to the written language. They display less willingness to bend certain rigid rules, especially grammar rules and rules governing the pronunciation of words.