Sinhala

Sinhala ( SIN-hə-lə, SING-ə-lə; Sinhala: සිංහල, siṁhala, [ˈsiŋɦələ]), sometimes called Sinhalese ( SIN-(h)ə-LEEZ, SING-(g)ə-LEEZ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first language of about 2 million other Sri Lankans, as of 2001. It is written in the Sinhalese script.

The language has two main varieties, written and spoken, and is a notable example of the linguistic phenomenon known as diglossia.

Sinhala is one of the two national languages of Sri Lanka, along with Tamil. Along with Pali, it played a major role in the development of Theravada Buddhist literature.

From Wikipedia · Sinhala language · CC BY-SA 4.0