Sinhalese language
1
6.7
- noun
- She is fluent in both English and the Sinhalese language, which she learned from her family.
Examples
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The constitution of Sri Lanka recognizes both Sinhalese language and Tamil as official languages.
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The Sinhalese language has a unique script that is different from other languages spoken in Sri Lanka.
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Students at the university can choose to study the Sinhalese language as part of their curriculum.
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The Sinhalese language is rich in literature.
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Many people in Sri Lanka speak the Sinhalese language.
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Students at the university can choose to study the Sinhalese language as part of their curriculum.
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Many people in Sri Lanka speak the Sinhalese language fluently.
Synonyms
1
7.9
Main language spoken by most people in Sri Lanka
1
9.3
The language spoken by Sri Lanka's largest group, called Sinhala
1
7.3
The official language of Sri Lanka spoken by most people
1
9.8
A language spoken by the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka
A language most people in Sri Lanka speak
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'Sinhalese' identifies the ethnic/language name and 'language' denotes a speech system, so together they directly mean the language of the Sinhalese people. This is a standard, cross-linguistically common noun + language construction that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would immediately understand.
Etymology
Sinhalese language gets its name from Sinhala, a word that may come from an old word for 'lion'. One popular story says the people called themselves 'sons of the lion', so the language of those people became known as the Sinhalese language, the main language of Sri Lanka.