CHENNAI: Sinhala and Tamil, the official languages of Sri Lanka, have coexisted for centuries as "languages in contact," enriching each other, J.B. Disanayaka, professor emeritus, University of Colombo, said here on Friday.

Sinhala was a member of the Indo-Aryan family of languages and many Dravidian elements had found their way into the language due to the "languages in contact" situation, he said while delivering the Fifth Vesak Commemoration Lecture 2007.

The Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission organised the lecture along with Hatton National Bank, Sri Lanka, and the India-ASEAN-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Professor Disanayaka said religion was another factor that brought the two languages together, as Sinhala Buddhists adopted Hindu religious rites and customs.

The Sinhala folk religion was enriched by the Hindu folklore, as could be observed in the connection between the cult of goddess Pattini in Sri Lanka and Kannagi in Tamil Nadu. Buddhism also contributed to secular Tamil culture, he said.

Many Tamil literary works gained popularity among Sinhalese scholars. Sinhala was also influenced by Tamil medical literature and many Tamil words entered Sinhala medical literature.

Dravidian art and architecture also brought the two languages close. The Sinhala folk music was also influenced by Tamil and many words had their origins in Tamil. Over many centuries, Sinhala evolved as a language that showed features that distinguished it from the Indo-Aryan family of languages.

Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner P.M. Amza and the former bureaucrat and linguist, Iravatham Mahadevan, were present.

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