The very phrase that you may hear and see when you visit Sri Lanka! It is the Sri Lankan way of greeting anyone and going beyond just a “hi”, it adds the meaning of “May you live long!”
“Ayubowan” (ආයුබෝවන්) comes from the language spoken by a majority in Sri Lanka: Sinhala. “Sinhala” is a language that is unique to Sri Lanka and it has its own alphabet, where you may see round-shaped letters that embodies various strokes then and there. Wherever you may visit in Sri Lanka – you will find anyone speaking in Sinhala, for it is the lingua-franca used in the country.
“Wanakkam” (வணக்கம்), the Tamil equivalent of “Ayubowan” is also a phrase that you may hear often. Tamil, a language of Dravidian origin is also an official language spoken in Sri Lanka and nearly one-fifth of the population speak Tamil – especially in the Northern, Eastern and Central provinces. Not to forget that the Moors in Sri Lanka speak Tamil as well.
What is interesting about Sinhala and Tamil is that both languages have tons of borrowings, which have been taken from languages all across the world. As a result of being a colony under the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British for centuries – loan words had been taken from them to enrich the vocabulary of Sinhala and Tamil. Words like “balde” from the Portuguese (meaning – bucket), “Kamer” from the Dutch (meaning – room) are used in Sinhala, and are pronounced as “baldiya” and “Kamaraya” respectively.
When you are visiting Sri Lanka, English will be useful in communicating, for many people you may come across can converse in English, since it is considered as a second language in the country.
And you will hear so many English borrowings whenever you speak with Sri Lankans, for code-switching between English / Sinhala and English/ Tamil are more popular amongst the citizens of the island nation! Of course – around the country, you will find sign boards written in all the three official languages: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Knowing few phrases like the following will be quite helpful for you whenever you commute across Sri Lanka:
- Kohomada? (How are you?)
- Sththuthi ! (Thank you)
- Keeyada? (How much?)
Yet, undoubtedly one of the catchiest terms to learn in Sri Lanka will be “aiyo”, a word of Tamil origin that is accepted even in the Oxford English Dictionary! “Aiyo” may not have one meaning – yet it is the embodiment of all the expressions including “Oh no!”, “Oh Dear!” and many more!
One of the perks of being a travel junkie is to make lifelong friends – and here in Sri Lanka, you can do that when you learn a few phrases from Sinhala/ Tamil to mingle with the community!
