What languages do Sri Lankans speak?
The three main languages of Sri Lanka are:
- Sinhala
- Tamil
- English
Sinhala
Sinhala is the national language of Sri Lanka as well as the native language of the Sinhalese people, who total about 16 million (or roughly 70% of the population). An additional four million people speak Sinhala as a second language.
Tamil
Tamil is Sri Lanka’s other official language. It’s the mother tongue of about five million people (or 15% of the population). It’s almost exclusively spoken in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Tamil was brought to the island centuries ago by traders, invaders, immigrants and others coming from southern India.
English
English is widely spoken and it’s the language with which Sri Lanka communicates with the outside world. Despite being the language of the former colonial power, English is nowadays a politically neutral language. Most of the people you’re likely to encounter in shops, hotels, restaurants and when travelling on public transport are likely to speak enough English for you to get by. Taxi drivers usually speak some English, and bus and railway personnel are usually quite fluent. In the countryside, English is less widely spoken, though it’s rare to find yourself completely unable to communicate.