List of loanwords in Sri Lankan Tamil

Loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil came about mostly due contact between colonial powers and the native population. Linguists study a language's lexicon for a number of reasons. Languages such as Tamil with centuries of literature and multi-cultural contact offer the chance to compare the various processes of lexical change. The words of foreign origin or loanwords illustrate those processes: calques, loanwords, the distinction between function words and content words.

Note: For information on the transcription used, see National Library at Calcutta romanization and Tamil script.

European contribution

Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are distinct from the Tamil dialects used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states of India. They are used in Sri Lanka and in the Tamil diaspora. Linguistic borrowings from European colonizers such as the Portuguese, English and the Dutch have also contributed to a unique vocabulary that is distinct from the colloquial usage of Tamil in the Indian mainland. Furthermore, a form of Tamil spoken exclusively by Sri Lankan Moors has been strongly influenced by Arabic. Words that are peculiar to Sri Lankan Tamil dialects are marked with an asterisk (*).

Portuguese

Most Portuguese loan words are for items the native population lacked when the encounter happened c. 1505. Some are administrative terms, others are personal usage terms as well as items directly introduced from South America via the Portuguese traders. Most of these words are also shared with Sinhalese language users.

Word	Meaning	Original form
alumāri	cupboard	armário
annāsi	pineapple	ananás
alavangu	iron lever	alavanca
alupunethi	safety pin	alfinete
alugosu	executioner	algoz
baila	dance	baile or bailar
chuppu	suck	chupar or chupo
rothai	wheel	roda
savei	key	chave
jaṉṉal	window	janela
kathirai	chair	cadeira
kaju	cashew	caju
kalusan*	trousers	calção
kamicai*	shirt	camisa
kaṭatāsi*	paper	carta
koiappalam	guava	goiaba
kōppai	drinking glass	copo
kusini*	kitchen	cozinha
mēcai	table	mesa
pān*	bread	pão
pappāḷi/papā paḻam	papaya	papaia
pēnā	pen	pena (old type)
piṅkāṉ*	plate	palangana
pīppa	wooden cask, barrel	pipa
sapāttu	shoe	sapato
thavaranai	tavern	taverna
tācci*	metal pan	tacho
tompu*	title	tombo
tuvāy*	towel	toalha
vaṅki	bench	banco
veethuru	glass	vidro
veranta	verandah	varanda
viskottu	biscuit	biscoito

Dutch

Word	Meaning	Original form
kakkūs	Toilet	kakhuis
kāmara* (rarely used)	Room	kamer
kantōr*	Office	kantoor
Thapal	Post	Tapal
kokkis	Cookies	koekjes
piaskōpu (rarely used)	Cinema	bioscoop
tē(ttaṇṇīr)*	Tea	thee

English

Sri Lankan Tamil dialects use countless number of English words; following are some of the unique ones.

Word	Meaning	Original form
kōppi*	Coffee	coffee
pattīs*	A kind of fried potato snack	patties
pilavus	Worn with Sari	blouse
rōls*	A kind of fried meat snack	rolls
tākkutar*	Doctor	doctor

Civil conflict terminology

Black July induced civil conflict has introduced number of English and international words to the native population.

Word	Meaning	Original form
Claymore*	Land or aerial mine	Claymore
Heli*	Helicopter	Helicopter
Kafir*	Bomber	Kfir Bomber
Shell*	Mortar or artillery shells	Shell

Sinhalese

Loanwords from the neighbouring Indo-European Sinhala are quite sparse in Sri Lankan Tamil (as opposed to the large number of Tamil loan words in Sinhala), which is most likely due to the relative isolation of the exclusively Tamil-speaking settlements in the North and East of the island.

Word	Meaning	Original form
mahattayā*	Sir, mister	mahattayā

Malay

There are also a few words from the Malay language. Malay words for edible fruits were introduced during the colonial period by traders. The same terminology is shared with Sinhalese.

Word	Meaning	Original form
maṅkostīn*	Type of Fruit	Mangosteen
ramputan*	A type of fruit	Rambutan
rempa* (rarely used)	Curry mix	Rempa
totol *	A type of sweetmeat	dodol
tūriyan*	Type of Fruit	Durian

Arabic

The Arabic language contributes a large number of words into a dialect form of Tamil that is spoken exclusively by ethnic Sri Lankan Moors.

See also

• Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language
• List of borrowed words in Indonesian

References

• Portuguese cultural imprint in Sri Lanka
• Tamil - A historical and linguistic perspective
• Portuguese words in Sinhala