Loanwords in Sri Lankan Tamil explained

Loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil came about mostly due contact between colonial powers and the native population. Linguists study a language's lexicon for a number of reasons. Languages such as Tamil with centuries of literature and multi-cultural contact offer the chance to compare the various processes of lexical change. The words of foreign origin or loanwords illustrate those processes: calques, loanwords, the distinction between function words and content words.

Note: For information on the transcription used, see National Library at Calcutta romanization and Tamil script.

European contribution

Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are distinct from the Tamil dialects used in Tamil Nadu, India. They are used in Sri Lanka and in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. Linguistic borrowings from European colonizers such as the Portuguese, English and the Dutch have also contributed to a unique vocabulary that is distinct from the colloquial usage of Tamil in the Indian mainland. Furthermore, a form of Tamil spoken exclusively by Sri Lankan Moors has been strongly influenced by Arabic. Words that are peculiar to Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are marked with an asterisk (*).

Portuguese

Most Portuguese loan words are for items the native population lacked when the encounter happened c. 1505. Some are administrative terms, others are personal usage terms as well as items directly introduced from South America via the Portuguese traders. Most of these words are also shared with Sinhalese language users.

Word Meaning Original form
alumāricupboardarmário
annāsipineappleananás
alavanguiron leveralavanca
alupunethisafety pinalfinete
alugosuexecutioner algoz
bailadancebaile or bailar
chuppusuckchupar or chupo
rothaiwheelroda
saveikeychave
jaṉṉalwindowjanela
kathiraichaircadeira
kajucashewcaju
kalusan* trousers calção
kamicai*shirtcamisa
kaṭatāsi*papercarta
koiappalamguava goiaba
kōppaidrinking glass copo
kusini*kitchencozinha
mēcaitablemesa
pān*breadpão
pappāḷi/papā paḻampapayapapaia
pēnāpenpena (old type)
piṅkāṉ*platepalangana
pīppawooden cask, barrelpipa
sapāttushoesapato
selvamwoodsilva
thavaranaitaverntaverna
tācci*metal pantacho
tompu*titletombo
tuvāy*toweltoalha
vaṅkibenchbanco
veethuruglassvidro
verantaverandahvaranda
viskottubiscuitbiscoito
[1] [2]

Dutch

Word Meaning Original form
kakkūsToiletkakhuis
kāmara* (rarely used) Room kamer
kantōr*Officekantoor
ThapalPostTapal
kokkis Cookies koekjes
piaskōpu (rarely used)Cinemabioscoop
tē(ttaṇṇīr)*Tea thee
[3] [4]

English

Sri Lankan Tamil dialects use countless number of English words; following are some of the unique ones.

Word Meaning Original form
kōfii*Coffee coffee
pattīx*A kind of fried potato snack patties
Piḷavus Worn with Sariblouse
rōlls*A kind of fried meat snack rolls
Iṭākuttar*Doctor doctor
[5]

Civil conflict terminology

Black July induced civil conflict has introduced number of English and international words to the native population.

Word Meaning Original form
Claymore*Land or aerial mineClaymore
Heli*Helicopter Helicopter
Kafir*Bomber Kfir Bomber
Shell*Mortar or artillery shells Shell
[5]

Sinhalese

Loanwords from the neighbouring Indo-European Sinhala are quite sparse in Sri Lankan Tamil (as opposed to the large number of Tamil loan words in Sinhala), which is most likely due to the relative isolation of the exclusively Tamil-speaking settlements in the North and East of the island.

Word Meaning Original form
kirāma cēvakaṉ* Village Leader grāma sēvakayā
(mālu) panis* (fish) buns (mālu) banis
mahattayā* Sir, mister mahattayā
piratēciya sapā* Council pradeśiya sabhāva
Tuvakku Tuvakuva
vitānayar*Village headman vidāna (muhandirama)

Malay

There are also a few words from the Malay language. Malay words for edible fruits were introduced during the colonial period by traders . The same terminology is shared with Sinhalese.

Word Meaning Original form
maṅkostīn*Type of Fruit Mangosteen
ramputan*A type of fruitRambutan
rempa* (rarely used)Curry mix Rempa
totol *A type of sweetmeat dodol
tūriyan*Type of Fruit Durian
kaccān *Peanuts kacang

Cited literature

External links

Notes and References

  1. Smith, H. S.Reinterpreting Indian Ocean Worlds, p. 152-153
  2. Dalgado, S. Portuguese Vocables in Asiatic Languages, p. 502-504
  3. Avram, A. The Dutch lexical contribution to three Asian Portuguese Creoles, p. 16–548
  4. Thananjayarajasingham, T. Some Dutch Loan-words in the Jaffna Dialect of Tamil, p. 793-799
  5. Suntharesan, V. Impact of borrowings from English on Jaffna Tamil (a text book for University students), p. 426