ELP1301: English Language, Social Class, and Conflict in Sri Lanka

This essay examines the complex role of the English language in Sri Lanka, highlighting its impact on social, cultural, and economic dynamics since the British colonial era. It discusses how English has become a marker of social class, leading to both unity and division within the country. The essay explores how the elite's proficiency in Standard British English created a social hierarchy, marginalizing those who spoke 'broken English' or code-mixed with Sinhala or Tamil. This linguistic divide contributed to social and economic segregation, particularly affecting the Tamil minority and exacerbating ethnic conflict. The author uses the example of cricketers Sangakkara and Jayasuriya to illustrate how English proficiency influences social perception. The essay concludes that English, while providing global connectivity, has also perpetuated inequalities and tensions within Sri Lankan society. Desklib offers similar essays and resources for students.

Running head: DISSENSION IN SRI LANKA DUE TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1
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Name
Institution

DISSENSION IN SRI LANKA DUE TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE 2
Abstract
English in Sri Lanka has been used as a measure of class, social, cultural and economic status.
This has affected the country both positively and negatively, thereby promoting unity and
divisiveness in equal measure. Since English is a global language, it has enabled Sri Lanka to
connect and relate with the outside world, especially in its participation and role in world cricket,
which is one of the most popular games, introduced into the country by British Colonialists in
established schools. It has also sparked conflict and violence due to the inequalities emerging
from its use in Sri Lanka.

DISSENSION IN SRI LANKA DUE TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE 3
In 1948, Sri Lanka became independent from the British colonial rule. The education system
in Sri Lanka was realized when it was assimilated into the British Colonial Territory in the
nineteenth century. Sri Lanka’s former colonizers, the Dutch had previously incorporated a
Christian primary school system, to which the British introduced the English language as a form
of communication. English colonial schools that were set up by the British thereafter experienced
low attendance since most Sri Lankans could not communicate in English. Local government
schools were then established and they taught in the local dialect, mainly Sinhala and this led to a
larger turnout since a majority of Sri Lankans were comfortable and familiar with the local
language (Jaufer, 2017).The British Colonial schools were later converted to prestigious schools
for the elite while other government schools were attended by the common Sri Lankan.This has
led to English being a preserve for a few and it ws used as a sign of social, economic and cultural
prosperity. One could identify with being middle or upper middle class by speaking nothing else
but Standard British English. This makes other people who borrowed words from Sinhala or
Tamil Languages, which were the other mediums of communication to be termed as inferior or
identified one as being from the lower class in Sri Lanka. English tainted with words borrowed
from Sinhala was termed as broken English. Broken English in Sri Lankan was associated with
not being educated in an elite school, and this, in turn, affected the perception of a person
(Gunesekere, 2010).
The act of mixing Standard English with other languages was also known as code mixing
(Senaratne, 1972.) Many Sri Lankans did not speak Standard English and used its counterpart
instead due to lack of exposure, thereby ended up speaking in English that was tainted with
words from the local language. Colonial schools provided elite Sri Lankans with a forum to
identify with the British, thereby segregating them from the rest of the country folks, with
English playing a major part in it. These Sri Lankans educated in Colonial Schools were viewed
by others as being intelligent and cultured just because they spoke British English. This elite also
ended up being rich and wealthy since it was easier for them to access opportunities provided to
them by the colonial administration.
In the case provided in the article, Sangakkara was more recognized than Jayasuriya despite
them being of equal measure in terms of cricket playing on a national and global level. This was
simply because Sangakkara used English identified with the elite society and Jayasuriya used
English used by the lower quartile of the society, leading to the latter being frowned upon.
English led to social and economic segregation of Tamils in Sri Lanka since most British English
speaking individuals in the government were the Sinhala leading to conflict (“The Root Causes
of the Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka”). English was recognized as the official language of working
in many institutions in the country. English Education was also a preserve for those in higher
levels of governance and this led to only them accessing and holding on to higher positions of
might and prestige (Saunders, 2007).
Standard English speaking being viewed as a preserve for the elite is not only limited to Sri
Lanka but also other former British colonies in the world. This makes it a requirement in the
most prestigious universities and it guarantees getting a well-paying job anywhere in the world.
English provides a platform for global business to prosper (Corradi, 2017).
Conclusion
In general, English speaking in Sri Lanka plays a major role in how other people perceive you.
This is not only in Sri Lanka but also in other parts of the world. It brought a large rift between

DISSENSION IN SRI LANKA DUE TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE 4
the Majority Sinhala and Minority Tamil, promoting violence and discrimination in the
economic sector and also in governance. This in turn, led to the unequal distribution of
government resources and opportunities to the minority people.
References
Jaufer, A. (2017). The Evolution of Education In Sri Lanka. Retrieved 19 April 2018, from
https://roar.media/english/life/sponsored/the-evolution-of-education-in-sri-lanka/
Gunesekera, M. (2010). The postcolonial identity of Sri Lankan English (pp.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00111.x). Colombo:
Vijitha Yapa Publ.
Senaratne, C. (1972). Sinhala-English code-mixing in Sri Lanka A sociolinguistic study (pp.
Chapter 1 page 4). Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved from
https://www.lotpublications.nl/Documents/217_fulltext.pdf
The Root Causes of the Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka (p. page 2). Retrieved from
https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSRILANKA/Resources/App1.pdf
Corradi, A. (2017). The Linguistic Colonialism of English. BROWN POLITICAL REVIEW.
Retrieved 19 April 2018, from http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2017/04/linguistic-
colonialism-english/
Saunders, B. (2007). (Post)Colonial Language: English, Sinhala, and Tamil in Sri Lanka.
Retrieved from http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/eng6365-saunders.htm