Abstract:
The variety of English spoken in Sri Lanka is defined as ‘Sri
Lankan English’ by scholars who have attributed this variety with
distinguished features that are both linguistic and ideological. There is also a
consensus in these ‘academic’ and ‘non academic’ circles that the English
language is a symbol of power and hegemony in the Sri Lankan society.
Accordingly, the programme that was launched in 2009 called ‘Speak English
Our Way’ was meant to dethrone the dominant position of English and
replace it with a more ‘native’ variety. Yet, in the definition of Sri Lankan and
its nativization process, there is an absence in the representation of the
‘other’ or the marginalized groups. It is because the Sri Lankan variety of
English or Sri Lankan English has been defined as Standard Sri Lankan
English or the normative variety which represents the class affinities of the
urban English speaking elite. Also, this variety is marked by the heavy
influence of Sinhala and not Tamil. Thus, this variety is both ethno-centric
and class biased. Also, when it is used in prescriptive forms like in the case of
language learning, it clearly favours the dominant ideology, suppressing the
voice of ‘the other’.
