Jaffna Tamil
E40200
Jaffna Tamil is a distinct regional variety of the Tamil language spoken primarily in and around Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, known for its conservative linguistic features and unique phonology and vocabulary.
Aliases (2)
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dialect
→
regional language variety → variety of Tamil → |
| closelyRelatedTo |
Batticaloa Tamil
→
Indian Tamil dialects → |
| country |
Sri Lanka
→
|
| differsFrom |
Colombo Tamil
→
Standard Indian Tamil in phonology → Standard Indian Tamil in vocabulary → |
| hasAlternativeName |
Yalpana Tamil
→
|
| hasFeature |
conservative morphology
→
conservative phonology → distinct intonation patterns → distinct phonological system → distinct pronominal system → distinct verb conjugation patterns → distinct vocabulary → influence from Old Tamil → lexical items not common in Indian Tamil dialects → limited influence from Sinhala compared to other Sri Lankan Tamil varieties → loanwords from Dutch → loanwords from English → loanwords from Portuguese → loanwords from Sinhala → regional lexical innovations → retention of archaic Tamil forms → |
| languageBranch |
Southern Dravidian languages
→
Tamil languages → |
| languageFamily |
Dravidian languages
→
|
| mutuallyIntelligibleWith |
other Sri Lankan Tamil dialects
→
|
| partOf |
Tamil language continuum
→
|
| primaryCenter |
Jaffna
→
|
| region |
Northern Sri Lanka
→
|
| spokenIn |
Jaffna Peninsula
→
Jaffna city → Kilinochchi District → Mannar District (Tamil-speaking areas) → Northern Province, Sri Lanka → Tamil diaspora communities → Vavuniya District (Tamil-speaking areas) → |
| subclassOf |
Sri Lankan Tamil
→
|
| usedBy |
Jaffna Tamils
→
Sri Lankan Tamils → |
| usedIn |
domestic communication
→
education in some Tamil-medium schools in Jaffna (informally) → folk songs of Jaffna → local cultural practices → local media in Jaffna (informally) → oral storytelling traditions in Jaffna → |
| writingSystem |
Tamil script
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Tamil
→
|
hasDialect |
|
Tamil literature
("classical Tamil")
→
|
literaryLanguage |
|
Jaffna Tamil
("Sri Lankan Tamil")
→
|
subclassOf |