The
language of the Maldivians is Dhivehi, a language which is placed
in the Indro-Indian group of languages. Dhivehi with its roots in
Sanskrit and according to some researchers Elu, an ancient form of
Sinhala, (spoken in Sri Lanka), is strongly influenced by the major
lanuguages of the region. The language has been influenced heavily
from Arabic since the advent of the Islam in 1153 and English in more
recent times, especially since the introduction of English as a medium
of education in the early 1960s.
Given
the wide dispersion of islands it is not surprising that the vocabulary
and pronunciation vary from atoll to atoll, with the difference being
more significant in the dialects spoken in the southernmost atolls.
The
Maldivian script known as thaana was invented during the 16th century
soon after the country was liberated from Portuguese rule. Unlike
former scripts thaana is written from right to left. This was devised
to accommodate Arabic words that are frequently used in Dhivehi.
There are 24 letters in the thaana alphabet. |
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Maldives
Islands 
