VCE Sinhala cheat sheet

Language and culture

• Sinhala uses two levels of politeness: the plain form for intimates and the -nna/-wuna honorific forms; oba and oya are familiar second person, whereas the plural api/oya-la and respectful forms show distance.

• The pronoun ohe/eyata and honorific verb forms mark respect toward elders and strangers; using plain imperatives to elders is a marked social error.

• Traditional literary forms include the sandesa kavya (message poem), upadesha (didactic verse) and jataka stories retold in Sinhala.

• The folk poem form kavi is recited at work and ceremonies; the four-line verse with end rhyme is the common structure.

• Proverbs (kæhæti kathā) carry cultural norms, e.g., references to the jak tree, paddy and the village as central symbols.

• Ayubowan is the traditional greeting meaning 'may you live long'; it is used with palms together and is distinct from a casual hello.

• New Year (Aluth Avurudda, in April) and Vesak are central cultural events with their own vocabulary: kiri ithirikāwa, aurudu kudu, thorana.

• Honorific nouns and verbs exist for monks and elders (e.g., wædārenne, vahansē); using everyday verbs for a monk is inappropriate.

• Sinhala poetry and song use alliteration and rhythm; the vowel length distinction (short vs long a/ā, i/ī) is phonemic and affects meaning and metre.