Loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil came about mostly due contact between colonial powers and the native population. Linguists study a language's lexicon for a number of reasons. Languages such as Tamil with centuries of literature and multi-cultural contact offer the chance to compare the various processes of lexical change. The words of foreign origin or loanwords illustrate those processes: calques, loanwords, the distinction between function words and content words.
Note: For information on the transcription used, see National Library at Calcutta romanization and Tamil script.
European contribution Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are distinct from the Tamil dialects used in Tamil Nadu, India. They are used in Sri Lanka and in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. Linguistic borrowings from European colonizers such as the Portuguese, English and the Dutch have also contributed to a unique vocabulary that is distinct from the colloquial usage of Tamil in the Indian mainland. Furthermore, a form of Tamil spoken exclusively by Sri Lankan Moors has been strongly influenced by Arabic. Words that are peculiar to Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are marked with an asterisk (*).
Portuguese Most Portuguese loan words are for items the native population lacked when the encounter happened c. 1505. Some are administrative terms, others are personal usage terms as well as items directly introduced from South America via the Portuguese traders. Most of these words are also shared with Sinhalese language users.
Word Meaning Original formalumāricupboardarmárioannāsipineappleananásalavangu iron lever alavancaalupunethi safety pin alfinetealugosu executioner algozbaila dance baile or bailarchuppu suck chupar or chuporothai wheel rodasavei key chavejaṉṉalwindowjanelakathirai chair cadeirakajucashewcajukalusan* trousers calçãokamicai* shirt camisakaṭatāsi*papercartakoiappalam guava goiaba kōppai drinking glass copokusini*kitchencozinhamēcaitablemesapān*breadpãopappāḷi/papā paḻampapayapapaiapēnāpenpena (old type)piṅkāṉ*plate palanganapīppawooden cask, barrel pipasapāttushoesapatoselvamwoodsilvathavaranai tavern tavernatācci*metal pantachotompu*titletombotuvāy*toweltoalhavaṅkibenchbanco veethuru glass vidroverantaverandahvarandaviskottubiscuitbiscoitoSmith, H. S.Reinterpreting Indian Ocean Worlds, p. 152-153Dalgado, S. Portuguese Vocables in Asiatic Languages, p. 502-504
Dutch Word Meaning Original formkakkūsToiletkakhuiskāmara* (rarely used) Room kamerkantōr* Office kantoorThapal Post Tapalkokkis Cookies koekjespiaskōpu (rarely used) Cinemabioscoop tē(ttaṇṇīr)* Tea thee Avram, A. The Dutch lexical contribution to three Asian Portuguese Creoles, p. 16–548Thananjayarajasingham, T. Some Dutch Loan-words in the Jaffna Dialect of Tamil, p. 793-799
English Sri Lankan Tamil dialects use countless number of English words; following are some of the unique ones.
Word Meaning Original formkōfii* Coffee coffee pattīx* A kind of fried potato snack patties Piḷavus Worn with Sari blouserōlls* A kind of fried meat snack rolls Iṭākuttar* Doctor doctorSuntharesan, V. Impact of borrowings from English on Jaffna Tamil (a text book for University students), p. 426
Civil conflict terminology Black July induced civil conflict has introduced number of English and international words to the native population.
Word Meaning Original formKilēmōr* Land or aerial mine ClaymoreEli* Helicopter HelicopterKapīr* Bomber Kfir Bomber Cel* Mortar or artillery shells Shell
Sinhalese Loanwords from the neighbouring Indo-European of sinhala is extensively found in sri lankan tamil dialect as it has prolonged contanct with sinhala (the origin of sl tamils it self is sometimes connected with sinhalese intermixing with south indian tamils) . sameway there are many tamil loanwords in sinhala.
Word Meaning Original formkirāma cēvakaṉ* Village Leader grāma sēvakayā(mālu) panis* (fish) buns (mālu) banismahattayā* Sir, mister mahattayāpiratēciya sapā* Council pradeśiya sabhāvagamavillagegamavitānayar* Village headman vidāna (muhandirama)Eḷavalu vegetableselavalu Kērubuffalo curd kiriVitāṉai / VitānayarVillage headman/ supervisorVidānaVisaicrazy/erratic behavior(jaffna slang)Pissu / VissayaAntirāMeaningless chatterAndara (අන්දර)AvaccāriyaPermission Avasāraya (අවසරය)VattaiLand plot / private garden estateVatta (වත්ත) The integration of these terms highlights a unique linguistic convergence. In sectors like public transportation, domestic trade, and state infrastructure where Tamil and Sinhalese communities continually interface—the spoken language dynamically adopts phonetic variations of Sinhala words. This structural lexical borrowing occurs primarily to bypass complex classical Tamil equivalents in favor of mutually understood localized terms
Malay There are also a few words from the Malay language. Malay words for edible fruits were introduced during the colonial period by traders . The same terminology is shared with Sinhalese.
Word Meaning Original formmaṅkostīn* Type of Fruit Mangosteenramputan* A type of fruit Rambutanrempa* (rarely used) Curry mix Rempatotol * A type of sweetmeat dodoltūriyan* Type of Fruit Duriankaccān * Peanuts kacang
Notes
References
Cited literature
Avram, A.A., 2013. The Dutch lexical contribution to three Asian Portuguese Creoles//Contribuição lexical do holandês para três crioulos de base portuguesa da Ásia. PAPIA-Revista Brasileira de Estudos do Contato Linguístico, 23(1), pp.51-74. Hoogervorst, T. (2018) ‘Sailors, Tailors, Cooks, and Crooks: On Loanwords and Neglected Lives in Indian Ocean Ports’, Itinerario, 42(3), pp. 516–548. doi:10.1017/S0165115318000645. Thananjayarajasingham, Sabaratnasingham, "Some Dutch Loan-words in the Jaffna Dialect of Tamil", Proceedings of the First International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies - Volume Two : First International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 - 23 April 1966. Edited by Thani Nayagam, Xavier S., International Association of Tamil Research, April 1969, 793-799. Suntharesan, V. "Impact of borrowings from English on Jaffna Tamil (a text book for University students)." Language In India, vol. 14, no. 6, June 2014, pp. 426
External links https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361407248_Translation_of_Tamil_Dialects_in_Sri_Lankan_Context