Dhivehi

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Dhivehi language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dhivehi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 300,000 people in the Republic of Maldives where it is the official language of the country and in the island of Minicoy (Maliku) in neighbouring India where it is known as Mahl. Dhivehi is thought to be a descendent of Maharashtri, one of the Prakrit languages which developed from Sanskrit. Dhivehi is closely related to Sinhala. Many languages have influenced the development of Dhivehi through the ages, Arabic being one of the main ones. Others include Sinhala, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Persian, Portuguese, and English.

Linguists agree that Divehi is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sinhalese of Sri Lanka. Divehi represents the southern most Indo-Aryan language and even the southernmost Indo-European language. Together with the closely related Sinhalese, Divehi establishes a special subgroup within the Modern Indo-Aryan languages.

Mr. De Silva proposes that Divehi and Sinhalese must have branched off from a common mother language. He says that “the earliest Indic element in Maldivian (Divehi) is not so much a result of branching off from Sinhalese as a result of a simultaneous separation with Sinhalese from the Indic languages of the mainland of India”. De Silva is referring to the Dravidian influences seen in the Divehi language such as in the old place names. De Silva’s theory is supported by the legend of Prince Vijaya as told in the Mahavamsa because if this legend is to be believed, the migration of Indo-Aryan colonists to the Maldives and Sri Lanka from the mainland (India) must have taken place simultaneously. This means that Divehi and Sinhalese must be sister languages that developed from a common Prakrit.

Due to the widespread distribution of the islands, differences in pronunciation and vocabulary have developed, especially between the northern and southern atolls. People in Malé cannot understand the dialect of Addu.

Dhivehi is written using a unique script, called Thaana, written from right to left, but was formerly written in Dhives Akuru which is written from left to right. Dhives Akuru was used in all of the islands until the 1700s and the arrival of Islam, but was used in all official correspondence with Addu Atoll until the early 1900s. Also, it was used in some isolated islands and rural communities until the 1960s. Its last remaining native user died in the 1990s, and today Maldivians learn it as their second script if they learn it at all.

Inherent in the Dhivehi language is a form of elaborate class distinction expressed through three levels: The first level, the reethi bas or aadhe-vadainevvun, is used to address members of the upper class and of royal blood, but is now more often used on national radio and TV. To show respect for elders, officials and strangers the second level, labba-dhuruvun is used. Most people use the more informal third level in every day life.

There is no direct translation of the English "hello" or "good-bye" in Dhivehi. Instead, someone might greet you with a smile or the raising of the eyebrow and just ask how you are doing. Goodbyes are usually expressed by announcing that you are leaving.

English words such as Atoll (a ring of coral islands or reefs) and Doni (a vessel for inter-atoll navigation) are Anglicized forms of the Dhivehi words Atholu and Dhoni (ultimately derived from Tamil, Thoni a boat).

The literacy rate of the Maldives is very high (98%) compared to other South Asian countries. Since the 1960s English has become the medium of education in most schools although they still have Dhivehi classes, but Dhivehi is still the language used for the overall administration.