On Sri Lanka Becoming a Truly Multilingual Society

Photo courtesy of e-sinhala

Managing language equality in any multilingual society is challenging. But for Sri Lanka, language is especially politically, historically and culturally loaded because the nation began by setting one language as superior to all others through the Sinhala Only policy. Sadly, language is such a complex and long standing issue that it’s regularly overlooked to deal with immediate challenges like the economy.

Since 2009, the process for linguistic reconciliation has been slow. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report of 2011 showed promise with the recommendation that Sri Lanka become a trilingual state where citizens would know English, Sinhala and Tamil. Sri Lankans would be able to access government services in both official languages, Tamil and Sinhala. School children would be educated in the official language deemed to be their mother tongue and would learn the other official language as well as English as second languages. These were positive steps towards a multilingual society which would foster more communication and connection between Tamil and Sinhala speakers. The outlook was a pathway towards a post-war reconciled society.

In the 14 years since, the momentum for language rights has ebbed more than flowed due to a lack of political will. The right for Tamil speakers to use their tongue in key parts of society is yet to be realised. The idea of linguistic reconciliation was pushed back by successive Sinhala chauvinist governments. By creating division between the two main ethnic groups, the ruling class were able to maintain power and control over the population. Since the days of independence, their divisive politics served to divert the public’s attention away from their own corrupt actions.

Apart from language equality for Tamil, there is also the question of language rights, recognition and accessibility for users of lesser known minority languages such as the Vedda language of the indigenous people, the Adivasi, as well as Sri Lankan Malay, Sri Lankan Sign Language and Portuguese Creole. Lesser known or minority languages have relevance to a significant number of Sri Lankans and steps could be taken to include them in a multilingual society.

An opportunity to change

The aragalya of 2022 highlighted the need for unity and recognition of the rights of minorities. It opened a window to address the big issues like practicing trilingualism and making spaces for minority languages. The NPP came to power, in part, due to this idea and its campaign based on justice, equity and access for all Sri Lankans. Its manifesto, while not containing a targeted strategy on achieving language equality at multiple levels of society, did include some key proposals to uphold language rights in the country.

The NPP manifesto included the statement that “No citizen/community should be subjected to humiliation, oppression, degrading treatment or injustice on the basis of ethnicity, language, religion, caste, sex or any other grounds”.  In addition, the NPP proposed to implement the “National Language Policy recognized under the 16th Amendment of the Constitution by providing necessary resources and technical facilities”. It also addressed the need to improve access to civil and government services in Tamil language in the Northern and Eastern provinces and up country areas and the need for trilingual language programmes in early childhood education. There were statements about looking into AI-powered multilingual communication systems in government and for provisions for sign language in schools, private and public institutions.

Has anything changed?

The NPP have been in power for almost a year and it is unreasonable to expect immediate change on such a big issue. The Centre for Policy Alternatives’ reconciliation tracker states that “There is no public information on any proposals by the government to address the full implementation of a language policy” and that “No specific actions have been provided as to how the national language policy”.

In the meantime, there are media reports of daily injustices, where Tamil speakers are not able to receive government services in their mother tongue and official written documents are not provided in Tamil. I have heard stories of Malaiyaga Tamils approaching Sinhala people in the up country to ask them to help with interpretation, since official interpreters are absent. When a language has been diminished in the public realm, even things that seem trivial such as where the Tamil is placed on a sign relative to Sinhala and English, hold significance in reinforcing a message of linguistic inferiority.

If the NPP aims to have no citizens or communities experience injustice on the basis of language, then we need to consider all languages in Sri Lanka as part of the national language policy. All languages of Sri Lanka need recognition of their societal relevance and users of all lesser known languages of Sri Lanka should be supported to use their languages in certain domains of life.

What can we hope for?

Certain universities have the task of training more Tamil and Sinhala interpreters. There is not yet a critical mass of trilingual Sri Lankans but it does not have to be an impossible goal. The impetus is there – many citizens recognise the need for mixing and building intercultural relationships. Now this potential needs to be harnessed, and resourced, so that interpreters are impelled to move around the island and bridge the language barrier gap, and so that Sri Lankans can access some education in the official languages even if it does not lead to complete fluency.

There is already a lot of good work being done at the grassroots and micro levels by civil society organisations and even by individuals who at least try to converse in both official languages, no matter how basic, when they can. The government could support the momentum achieved by these sectors of society by talking to them, learning from their experiences, and finding out what they need to progress further.

Why does it matter?

Seventy seven years since independence, it should be obvious why language matters. Sri Lanka is still experiencing the impact of the Sinhala Only Policy and the fear Tamil speakers experienced in using their mother tongue for the 26 years of the war. Language is a core part of our identities and a key part of our cultures. If one’s language is not respected, then they cannot feel a fully included member of society.

With all the linguistic-based division in the country and the way it has fuelled separation between different ethnic groups, we cannot afford to go backwards. Fostering multilingualism in all levels and aspects of public life has the potential to bring people together, not only in understanding each other’s languages but also in respecting every person’s right to use their language.