notes on some of the froms of solutation and address known among the singhalese

8/12/2019 Notes on Some of the Froms of Solutation and Address Known Among the Singhalese.

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Natiac Formt of Salutation, d7Notes on some ojf the .Forms of Salutation and, Address known

among the Singhatese. By the lfon. Mr. Jusrrcn Sr-mx.n.Tun Singhalese have a great variety of forms of expressiou

in address, to inclicate the respect or otherwise, which theywish to shew to the indiviclual I as, in their language itself,there are worcls ancl phrases appropriatecl to particular classesof the people.

For a consiclerable proportion of those various forms ofexpression, the fundamental terms of acldress are,

aal (to)and cs'roc (tam6.) (from the olcl root or fa, thou,*)terms, however, which by themselves, without any honoriffc

as it is callecl, or affix of respect, areconsidered properly

given to inferiors only; anil the term oo:I (ro) is now soassociated. rvith such inferiority, that if ailtlressed to others it

( i


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68 I'orms qf Salutation and Addrer

io exnressed in a more shookiug form' when a native in his

;;":;;;;;;s wishes he mav be a low cast: man or a demoni",i" """, birth, if

he is not to be believecl''**tt"r" a higher feeling is to be conveyecl' some honorific

or other ir tr"J, which hJnorifics ar:e variously'forrnecl'ancl

unite with each other and with the noun or pronounln

various waYs.orQod (tan,u'6)p"$' pron' You' may be ailclressecl to

an

"quJ__itis a term of civility, Chater' p' 40' ancl is even re-

Eardecl as " rather respectful," Bridgnell's Dictionary'It is

ir"o, *""tdl"g t" fvf"' Alwis, (Sidath Sangarawa' p' 158').. by husbancls torvarals their wives and' aice uersd' ; ancl

also

by some low caste people 'to the inferior classes of the Yel-

lole, ; by Upo.otop"il' 'riests towards- their pupils orSd'ma'-

o*rn, t ooa lo"o by serlants of a higher gracle towards the

young members of their master's families"'' -fr.{.." aa (tamunneh'e) is acltlressecl toan equal or to a

superior, but it is " the leasi of a'll the acknol'leclgmentsof

uop.rioty." Lambrick, Gram' p' 25' note'--Iget-rertsd (tamunnansd), pets' pron' Yott' is higher;

it is aiklressed to one pei'fectty equul ancl for whom we woulcl

express .o*" t.rp""i Bridgnell' after Clough' says it isil;; respectful." I{r' Alwis s ills' " it is used torvards eachotfr", ty p'"r.o,t. of an equal station in life amongst the

ttigft*.t""fu*of thc Singltaiese' and aruongst the priesthood'"

Ii-uy be like our '6 Leatneil Sir'"---g-:Ut a*ad (tamttn walmnse) is still higher; it is ad-dr"rrid to a superior, and is expressive of thehighest

respect'

It may be like our " Worthy Si*'"Si il to this last is tloe-*i"* (obawahanse) which

hnown cnnong the Singhalese'

through a third person, leave to speak qOard er'oO(o',uoloro tabenaui) to receive permission, must be exp

bhu,.r, p. 134. Arr,I so, in like manner, in apploachinwithilraiving, there must be leave to come ancl leave t

OogSoei (walutnse) is ailded as an affix to the tGorl, and to all the oo*"t of Gotl; as also in someexpressions, as to Futher in the Lord's prayer' qcrosl3cceurtlco aPage PiYd'nan uahanse'

But uncler the woril'aq E o g1 Oo erlo I ( D ewiy an zoClough points out the difference in its use' Innulinstances, he says, occur of the honorific being usec

vocative, in which case it may be addressetl not onlof these beings (the gocls of Swarga), but also to a

ury p..*oo of ,u"tfbot toht" usecl in lhe nomi*"rf., at oncs the clifference between a hea'then goclSupreme being.-

\Yhor"u.t otuy be in this, it is certain that the ct""*;;;;" ;f the honorifics in the Singhalese tran$IIoly Scripttlre, soon offends us; antl in so-nre casebhoouh *uhuose, the af&x almost shocks, coming upon

lilie some cliscorilance in an otherwise heavenly melo

;;;;; to i" *i.u"a, therefore, that Christianityhere attireil in a garb more accordant 'with the simpl

sincerity of its sPirit'

The flatterers of king Dutugemini callecl hima g

genA8 Bcldt"cOddo


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70 Forms oif Salutation and Addressuahansa,* many temples to Budha haae been erected by thee, andthe cost o1f them erceeds computation, $c.

And the name of another king is placeil in the centre ofgrandiloquence-

8 O"l S 6ce Sosr Orcr dcodldoOocened OeglodSree mat sree raja singha

maha rajotta mayanan wahanseHis Ttrosperous lighness the proslterous hrng Singha, uorthy,great, right regal

IMe find also in the extract from an old inscription, ap.Siilath Sangarawa, p. cxcix., the afrx wahanse is givento a deceased lady, the queen-mother as she is called.-

e.E te8g Og 6esQ


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72 Fonns oJ Saltttationand Addrest

h'nown among the Singhalese'an associated or collective capacity' as in the Introilu

the above book, where it is said' Budha preached thDamsak to many; anil among others' and especiallyfive worthY sorts of Priests-

ed Oo Ooeged Oo


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lmown &mong the Singhalese'

74 Forms of Salutation andAddress

DOr, enr,d8cc 6\ctdcil6r6rn qodd oolO oc6Nuwana nrttiya peratto akuslf kota ya

""J"-'A6 e.*l oo'"8 enoo


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7 6 -Fornts oJ Salutation and AddressAncl what we call an infant in arms' they more loosely call

*-*"rt (ata-lamaya), a child in the hantl' So' what we call*" fu*ify, or inmates of the house, they appear to call qsloorl derr (anto-jana)t the people insicle'

As respects an inferior servant, a cooly, a slave, or a person

of low"orte,

he is oOcE (bola),clross anil rubbish-one whose

demerit has sunk him low,tr'or the weaker sex in general, ancl 6d" (bheere) or lhe

timicl one, seems a favourite epithet, the Singhalese havemany

names expressive of desirable female qualities' But theseu"" *ortti of a sensible kincl; ancl when a woril of affectionis usetl, it seems to have more of passion than an Englishphrase in the like case' Their sorrows seem to partake ofih" ,r*" character. For when they are bereavecl of abelovedobject, or suffer any ill, they but say, 36oc (iniya)Hech

-"t it is my misfortune-the consequence of gome ilemerit

of mine in a former life unless it f,e the cleath of a person,for then it will probably be imputeil to his own sin

*

fn the Kandyan Districts, or amongthe Singhalese strictlyso calleclt there are terms by which they clesignate theirchildren as to size. What a big heavy boy This is 6\ec

1fonu1, lMhat a little tiny thing This is 665ec(tihiriya)'

Sl*iiu" to this, and no less descriptive, is the appellationgiven to the attencling sewant of a Builhist priest, qr'Boleicrc(aebittaya), a bit boy which incleetl, in point of fact' he

.o**ohy is. The termmay be connectecl with the)Dltlr ancl

dbetihos of the Greek, youthful, a stripltng'Ancl here it may be observe'I, that the tlistinguishing terms

characteristic of the priest ancl the layman are godol (grra-f l h

hnown among the Singhalese'hasta) and gOErn (Ttrawrajita),* householder antl wan

the one living in a cya (graha) house ancl family' tdwelling in a ooes6 (pansate) a leaf-hut or bower'

The Wihare neeil not however, I presume' be ofporary clescription; ancl the image roomis eventermei

q- {grot;*"-graha) in the Cotta inscription a2' Sid

garawa, p. cxcrx.o Th* plesthooil, or ministers as they appear moreto be, aie a distinct orcler, of fifferent degrees: nal

grO"of a l (srdmanera),the clevotee 1 pupil priest' s

iossibty, fike the eons of the prophets:and the 6

(uoasampad.a), one grailuatetl or atlvancecl: the sen

)ol;; in. *in"*"leing the &E6 (stawira) ot aterunnanse.

There was also the rr)'ctucrc (t'6'pasay6')' from

notes on some of the froms of solutation and address known among the singhalese

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