That means “I can speak Sinhala” in Sinhala. Well actually it means “Sinhala can”, but that’s just Sinhala.
One of the best things I have done since coming to Sri Lanka is learning to speak and read Sinhala. A lot of foreigners who spend time here don’t really bother, because you can get by in English and also because Sinhala is a language only spoken by people in Sri Lanka so it’s not the most useful language to add to your collection.
But although you can get by in English here, it is not very widely spoken. After Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 the then Prime Minister ruled that English should not be taught in schools. Now the result of that is a whole generation – and those who have been taught by them – who don’t really speak English. In big cities it is more widely spoken but in the rural areas, speaking a bit of Sinhala goes a long way.
So for four months now, Olof and I have been having once weekly Sinhala lessons with our next door neighbour. Initially we really struggled to get our heads around a language that has no points of familiarity or reference to our own language or other European languages we have learnt. But after a few weeks, we began to get used to how the words sounded, and were able to say a few phrases.
Now we are both able to hold a short conversation with someone in Sinhala, and have both learnt about 40 characters in the alphabet. Apart from the fact that learning Sinhala has been fun, it also has some real benefits. Here are some of them:
1) It gets you discounts (or more accurately local’s price) in three wheelers and tourist destinations
2) It provides a good diversion for people to stop them asking awkward questions (are you married, where are your children etc)
3) It completely disarms people who are trying to rip you off or sell you things that you don’t want
4) It provides endless amusement for people to listen to you speaking their language or see you reading signs (very slowly) on the street
5) It means that wherever you are in Sri Lanka (within reason) you can converse with the locals and find out a bit more about their lives or their culture.
So even though when I leave Sri Lanka in five weeks, my Sinhala may never be used again, it has been really worthwhile to learn. And I can now happily say "Singhala pulwan".
