A Study of the Influence of the Tamil Grammar Book Veera Soliyam on the Naming of Letters of Sidath Sangarawa

Abstract

In the study of any language, close attention should be paid to the Alphabet of that language. When studying the history of the Sinhala language, many people think that the Indo-Aryan languages influenced the origin and evolution of the Sinhala language. However, when the Sinhala language and Tamil language are analysed comparatively, it is evident that the Tamil language has intensely influenced the creation of the Sinhala language. The similarities between the grammar books of Sidath Sangarawa and Veera Soliyam will confirm that. The abovementioned two books show similarities in content and form. The research problem is to investigate if there is any influence of the grammar book Veera Soliyam on Sidath Sangarawa. It is identified that the naming of the letters of Sidath Sangarawa as vowels and consonants was created under the influence of the Tamil language. Also, it is explained that Tamil was to some extent influenced in the naming of consonants as ''Hal Akuru''. Thus, the objective of this is to indicate that the contact with the Tamil language has caused the development of the Sinhala language. Following the qualitative research method, it is expected to study related books in Sinhala, books in Tamil, and other sources as secondary sources, and as tertiary sources the articles on the internet, and magazines will be utilised. In the creation of the Sinhala grammar, native languages that are Pali and Sanskrit languages have contributed immensely. However, it will be revealed that the grammar book Veera Soliyam was a direct influence on the naming of the letters of the Sinhala grammar book Sidath Sangarawa.