Thesis Abstract and Dissertation Abstracts

The word Ceylon came into legal documents during the colonial era of South Asia. Mainly, the Portuguese rule of Sri Lanka made the name official against the traditional and historical name Sri Lanka. There are many versions explaining the etymology and time of origin of the word Ceylon. My version is this:

The name originated not from any legal and state authority or institution but from the tongues of pirates, buccaneers, sea traders and exodus victims. They had least time for formalities let alone the keenness to obeying any nomenclature and regulations. Most of the marine pirates in their boats, dhows, catamarans, rickety sailing rafts and devices had no education or any literacy. Their urges and impulses were to get to the aim through least effort and distance. The aims were plundering and robbing; if decency permited, then purchase and transport of goods to next ports to vend. And besides other reasons, to find a place to survive. Their life-conditions were miserable to unbearable from all sides, though often the fantasy of the mind had made them romantic with charming adventures.
These pirating and trading people were Persians and Arabians in the seas west of Sri Lanka. Renowned names are Sando Khan and Ibn Batuta. While on the eastern seas they were East Asians with tongues that els “R” to “L”.
The people from the Orient, beginning from Persia going through Arabic region into turkey on the right and into Northern Africa on the left, have problem with the ending “ka”. Namely, they just don’t bother to articulate fully the ending “ka”. Thus from the word “Lanka” the “ka” goes silent. What left is “Lank”. This difficulty with “ka” ending could be heard all over Orient when one Sri Lankan talks to them and explains his country of origin. When the natives repeat they slide “ka” to silence.
Besides, they have problem with their tongue when they pronounce “Sri Lanka”. They slip at “r” of Sri as they move into the “L” of Lanka. They tend to say “Sirilank” with a slight roll at “r”. It means: the maritime people from Orient, North Africa and Persia had been pronouncing “Sri Lanka” as “Sirilank” or even “Sirilan”. With a weak “r and k”. They do so today too.
Then when the seafarers from North Africa, and West Asia met their East Asian counterparts the pronunciation had proceeded further to the depletion of “r” in Sri. In East Asia, no matter Chinese, Japanese, or who ever, the “R” els itself into “L”. For instance: “Rock and Roll” in East Asia turns into “Lock and Loll”; “ curry rice” els to “cully lies”. Furthermore, in East Asia the consonant at the endings of words tend to go silent and soft or even disappear in such a way that “lock and loll” may come out as “lockeylo” and “cully lies might end as “cully lie”.
So the name “Sri Lanka” had established herself in the maritime slangs of middle-ages as Sirilank, Sirilan and Silan in the regions west of Sri Lanka (in the Arabian Sea), and as Silan, Sila and Silo in the countries East of Sri Lanka (East of Bay of Bengal).
All these slang names had been waiting for Portuguese to pass through to add “O” to them. Portuguese like Spanish and Italians love “O”. For instance: In Northern Europe there are the names Christian, Ronald, Edward, Anthony, Marx and Paul. In Portugal, Spain and Italy they turn into Cristiano, Ronaldo, Eduardo, Anthonio, Marco and Polo. So when Portugal had been haunting the Asian seas the name had become initially as Silăo and Silon. Further when it got into log books of the sailors and legalised in the Latin countries “S” was replaced by “C”. For “C” is pronounced as “S” before the vowels “i, y and e” as in cell, cent city and cycle. In contrast “c” is “k” before “a, u and o” like in cap, cot, cut, Colombo and Cuba. Thus the name got blessed with “C” instead of “S”. The slang names Sirilank, Sirilan, Silan, Silo and Sila went through Ceylão in Portuguese and with the invasion of coastal Asia by the French, Dutch and English the name finally metamaphorsed into Ceylon.
The nice names “Ceylăo and Ceylon” was officially used for “Sri Lanka” from about 1500 till about 1970, when they, being stressed, strained and tired by colonial and self-rule turmoils, gradually drifted into history to rest forever.

Author: Hamsen B Paramahamsa email: snb1898@gmail.com Comments: Welcome

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Submission Details: Paper Abstract submitted by Balasupramaniam Paramahamsa from Sri Lanka on 22-Dec-2014 11:56.
Abstract has been viewed 1782 times (since 7 Mar 2010).

Balasupramaniam Paramahamsa Contact Details: Email: eecoltd2@gmail.com