(Ajay Kamalakaran is a writer and independent journalist. The article was first published in Scroll on March 23, 2022)
- Wherever you go in Sri Lanka, you will find Tamil. Its status as one of the official languages means it is on the currency, official signage and government notifications. Almost one in four Sri Lankans claims to be a native speaker of Tamil, and chances are high that you will discover at least a small Tamil-speaking community in most parts of the island nation. While the formal Tamil used by the government is similar to what for official purposes in Tamil Nadu, the spoken language in the island nation varies according to the region. For instance, some visitors from Tamil Nadu to northern Sri Lanka say the Tamil spoken in Jaffna sounds like Malayalam, although this is vehemently denied by many Jaffna residents…
