LANGUAGES OF THE MALDIVES
Divehi (Dhivehi) is the official language of the Maldives, the main language spoken there and the name of the people that speak it. Divehi is an Indo-Iranian-European language similar to Sinhala, the predominate language of the Sri Lankan Sinhalese and has a number of Arab and Persian words. Some regard it as dialect of Sinhala The three southern atolls and Maliku have their own dialects. English is spoken in government offices and widely understood in the tourist trade
Thaana, the written language for Divehi, is unique and simple and straightforward. Derived from Arabic, it is similar Arabic script and incorporates elements of Indian script and is well suited for the language. It was Introduced in the 16th century and is written from right to left. There are varying dialects of Divehi, especially in the southern parts of the country. However, formal Divehi is used in all the official and written communications. Similarly Divehi is spoken in the Indian administered territory of Minicoy.
Maldives is a considered a multicultural republic. Although is the official language, Arabic, Hindi, and English are also spoken. English is used widely in commerce and increasingly as the medium of instruction in government schools. In schools, both Divehi and English are mediums of instruction. Traditional education is provided in Dhivehi and based on the teachings of the Quran, which is often presented in Arabic, as well as modern education provided in English guided by international curricular standards are both offered. [Source: Leena Banerjee, “World Education Encyclopedia”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
Divehi has many similarities with Sinhala a there has long been a debate among linguists as to where Divehi was an offshot of Sinhala, meaning it was derived from it, or a sister language, which evolved in tandem from a parent language that perhaps originating in India. E. Nitz wrote: Research has shown that Divehi is not an offshoot of Sinhala but its sister language. For an exhaustive account of Divehi, see the recent publication Fritz, Sonja; "The Divehi Language"; Ergon Verlag, Heidelberg 2002]
Divehi and Indo-Aryan Languages
Dhivehi is spoken in all parts of the Maldives but is not spoken in any other part of the world but because it similar to Sinhala it is understood in Sri Lanka. Maldivian Divehi (Dhivehi) belongs to the Indo-European language family. Derived from Elu, an archaic form of Sinhalese (the language of Sri Lanka), it has numerous loanwords from Arabic, from Hindi — which is used in trade with Indian merchants- -and from Tamil. It has contributed one word, "atoll," to international usage. In Divehi, the numbers from one to twelve are of Sinhalese origin, and after twelve, Hindi. The names of the days are Sinhalese and Hindi. The names of persons are Arabic. Divehi is spoken throughout the atolls. Dialect differences are pronounced in the four southernmost atolls, however. [Source: Helen Chapin Metz, Library of Congress, 1994]
Clarence Maloney and Nils Finn Munch-Petersen wrote in the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: “ Divehi is derived from the old Sinhala of Sri Lanka, and so it is classifiable as an Indo-Aryan language, although at the very end of the Eurasian chain of that language stock. There is an underlying component of Tamil-Malayalam. Since conversion to Islam, numerous Arabic and Persian words have been borrowed. [Source: Clarence Maloney and Nils Finn Munch-Petersen, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Paul Hockings, 1992]
Divehi is an Indo-Iranian or Indo-Aryan language, which is a branch of Indo-Europen languages which includes English, French, Spanish, Hindi, Persian and Greek. Edward Perera (1898-1982), a Malaysian Sinhalese educator, wrote: The Indo-Aryan group consists of languages like Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi and Maldivian. These languages share common characteristics and the Indo-Aryan language which is closest to Sinhala is “Divehi” the language of the Maldive Islands, which is written in a script called “Tana”. Tana represents a mixture of both Indic and Semitic traditions. ‘Divehi’ is considered as an offshoot or a sister language of Sinhala. As modern European languages trace their ancestry to Greek and Latin, Sinhalese and other Indo-Aryan languages trace their origins to Sanskrit.” [Source: Edward Perera, Virtual Library Sri Lanka lankalibrary.com ]
Thaana, Written Language of the Maldives
The Maldivian script known as thaana was invented during the 16th century soon after the country was liberated from Portuguese rule. It was locally invented. Unlike former scripts thaana is written from right to left. This was devised to accommodate Arabic words that are frequently used in Divehi. There are 24 letters in the thaana alphabet similar to Arabic.
The first nine of the twenty-four letters are forms of the Arabic numerals. In 1977 a romanized script was introduced to be used along with Thaana for official correspondence, but since 1979 the requirement is no longer mandatory. Arabic is learned by many because of its association with Islam. From infancy children are taught the Arabic alphabet.
Thaana was invented for Divehi from a combination of Arabic and Indian principles of script. It suits the language well and is easy to learn. Arabic presumably has been used in the Maldives since Islam was introduced in A.D. 1153. Before that a Sinhala script like that used in Buddhist Sri Lanka was used, at least some. DhivesAkuru script was used until the 18th century for writing. Thaana developed during the 17th century.
History of Divehi
Asiff Hussein, a Sri Lankan journalist and writer, wrote: “The term by which the Maldivians denote their language, 'Divehi Bas' literally means 'Language of the Islands' and has developed from the Old Sinhala diva — island' and basa — 'language', divehi being the genitive form of diva. Divehi shares with Sinhala, the simplification of conjunct consonants, the shortening of long vowels, the dropping of nasals and the de-aspiration of the aspirated consonents of Old-and Middle-Indo-Aryan represented by Sanskrit and Prakrit respectively. It has also turned the Sanskritic and Prakritic ch into s, s into h, p into v and j into d in common with Sinhala. All these phonetic changes had taken place in Sinhala by the beginning of the Proto-Sinhala stage around the fourth century A.D. Thus it is likely that the main body of Sinhalese who migrated to the Maldives did so sometime after the fourth century. [Source: Asiff Hussein, Virtual Library Sri Lanka lankalibrary.com ]
It is today established beyond doubt that the Maldive Islands were peopled long ago by a sea-faring folk hailing from Sri Lanka. Linguistic evidence clearly shows Divehi, the speech of the Maldive Islanders to have derived from an early form of Sinhala known as Proto-Sinhala spoken in Sri Lanka from about the fourth to eighth centuries A.D. This is also corroborated by archaeological evidence such as the remains of stupas in the islands of Gan, Isdu and Miladu, which show that the Maldivians, like the Sinhalese, were Buddhists before they embraced Islam in the twelfth century. Although it is likely that in the main the Maldives were largely settled by a Proto-Sinhala-speaking folk in early mediaeval times, it may perhaps not be too far-fetched to postulate that intermittent settlement by Sinhalese migrants may have taken place at an earlier date, though on a much smaller scale.
It is possible that the Maldives were settled in ancient times by a Sinhalese folk speaking an early form of Sinhala known as Sinhala Prakrit before it was superseded by the Proto-Sinhala speech of later migrants who immigrated to the islands in superior numbers. Unfortunately, Maldivian chronology does not seem to have been as well developed as that of the Sinhalese and begins from about the twelfth century. The Maldivian chronicle Tarikh compiled by Hassan Thajuddin in the early eighteenth century gives Koimala as the first king of the Maldives. According to the chronicle, the Maldives were sparsely inhabited until about the early twelfth century, when a prince of royal birth named Koimala who had married the daughter of the King of Lanka departed thence with her and reached Resgatimu Island in the Ra Atoll. The people of the island, learning that the two visitors were of royal descent invited them to remain and Koimala was crowned King Vessels were subsequently despatched to Lanka to bring people of the Lion Race and it was thus that the Maldives came to be colonized by the Sinhalese. The legend may perhaps be referring to a relatively late migration of Sinhalese, for we know that the islands were peopled by a Sinhala-speaking stock well before the twelfth century — a contention borne out by linguistic evidence.
Divehi Language and the Low Front Vowel
Asiff Hussein wrote: Divehi does not possess the low front vowel ae and it may be safely assumed that it branched off from Sinhala before the appearance of this vowel. The development of ae from an earlier a or e is believed to have taken place in Sinhala around the seventh or eighth century A.D. so that it is likely that Divehi separated from Sinhala before this important phonological change took place. [Source: Asiff Hussein, Virtual Library Sri Lanka lankalibrary.com ]
Many are the phonetic changes that have characterized Divehi ever since it split from the parent speech. Among the more significant changes may be mentioned the replacement of the labial p by the dento-labial f, which probably arose as a result of Arabic influence. Sinhala: paen — Divehi: fen 'water' ; pas fas 'soil'; paha fahe 'five'.
Another significant change is that of retroflex t to the peculiar Divehi sound sh which is uttered by placing the tip of the tongue in the highest part of the palate and letting the breath escape sideways between the teeth. Sinhala: ata — Divehi: asha 'eight'; rata rashi 'country' ; miti(-vaela) mishi(-vela) 'elbow'. Among the other changes may be mentioned that of the velar surd k into its corresponding sonant g. Sinhala: kikini — Divehi: giguni 'bell' ; kadu gadu 'hunched' and that of y to d, perhaps through an intermediate j: Sinhala: yanna — Divehi: dan 'to go' ; yakada dagadu 'iron' .
Among the vowel changes may be cited the replacement of the low central vowel a by the high bach vowel u. Sinhala: dora — Divehi: doru 'door; maga magu 'path'; handa handu 'moon'. Further, the Sinhala high front vowel i has been replaced by its corresponding back vowel u: Sinhala: his — Divehi: hus 'empty'; diva du 'tongue'; hira(-ge) hura(-ge) 'jail' There are also instances where u has become I; Sinhala: tuna — Divehi: tine 'three' ; kusa kis 'belly' and a has become i ;Sinhala: dahaya — Divehi: dihaye 'ten'; vala vila 'cloud'
Dialects of the Maldives
Divehi is spoken throughout the atolls of the Maldives. 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 three southern atolls and Maliku have their own dialects.
Asiff Hussein wrote: It is clear that the dialects of the southern atolls such as Addu, Huvadu and Fua Mulaku which have been less affected by foreign intercourse have preserved the old Sinhala pronunciation more faithfully than the Standard Male dialect. Thus the Huvadu form bate 'cooked rice' shows a closer resemblance to the Sinhala form bat than the bai of the Male dialect. Yet even in Standard Divehi, we regularly come across the older forms in the written language. Thus while the term for 'rice' is pronounced bai, it is written as bat. Similar is the case with 'tooth', pronounced dai but written dat (Sinh.data) and 'book', pronounced fai but written fat (Sinh.pota). [Source: Asiff Hussein, Virtual Library Sri Lanka lankalibrary.com ]
“The southern dialects have also preserved some old Sinhala forms now lost in the Male dialect. For instance, in the Addu dialect, we come across bala for 'dog'(Sinh.balla), while in the Male dialect, this has been replaced by the Hindustani kutta. Similarly, the Addu tina 'breast'(Sinh.tana) is not found in Male, where urumati occurs in its stead.
Archaic Forms of Divehi
Asiff Hussein wrote: What is however remarkable is that Divehi has managed to preserve some old Indo-Aryan forms that have been lost in modern Sinhala. Many such forms are however attested in ancient and mediaeval Sinhalese epigraphs and literature. For example, the Sinhala forms of Divehi fan 'leaves'(Skt.parna), has 'thousand'(Skt.sahasra), hila 'stone'(Skt.shila),huvai 'oath'(Skt.shapatha), heki 'witness'(Skt.sakshin), hikan 'to dry'(Skt.shushka) and fuhen 'to ask' (Skt.prcchati) no longer exist. [Source: Asiff Hussein, Virtual Library Sri Lanka lankalibrary.com ]
“Many are however known to have existed in the not too distant past. For instance, we come across the old Sinhala form sava 'oath' which is related to the Divehi huvai occurring in the Sigiri graffiti of the eighth to tenth centuries. Similarly, the Sinhala form of Divehi fan'leaves' survives in the compound pan-sala 'temple', literally a 'leaf-hall', the residences of Buddhist monks in former times being very modest abodes made of leaves.
Besides their fairly copious vocabulary, the Maldivians also seem to have taken with them the Sinhala script when they migrated to their new home. The roundish eveyla akuru or 'ancent letters' found inscribed on lomafanu or copper plates of the twelfth century has been shown to closely resemble the Sinhala script of mediaeval times.
The Dives akuru or 'island letters' which evolved from it was in use until about the sixteenth century when it was superseded by the Tana script which runs from right to left and shows Arabic influence.
Divehi Swear Words and Loan Words
Divehi Language Swear Words and Their English Translation.
Fadaboe — Drink pussy juice
Goruboei — Drink urine
Ngoobalhu — Dog
Thilhaa amaafui — Your mother's pussy
[Source: myinsults.com]
There are many Persian and Arabic loan words, especially terms related to Islam and the judiciary:
namadu — "prayer" (from Persian namaz)
roda — "fasting" (from Persian roza)
kafaru — "non-believer" (from Arabic kafir)
taareekh — "date" or "history" (from Arabic tarikh)
zaraafaa — "giraffe" (from Arabic zarafah)
European Loan Words:
gili-gili — "tickle tickle" from French
lonsi — "hunting spear" (from Portuguese lança)
mezu — "table" (from Portuguese mesa)
English and Foreign Languages in the Maldives
Though Divehi is the official language, English is widely spoken in the country. English is an important business language. It is spoken in government offices and widely understood in the tourist trade. English is widely used in government schools but is not widely spoken among ordinary Maldivians, especially those who do not come in contact with foreigners.
Tourists that visit the Maldives come from all over: the U.S., Europe, Russia, Asia. Resort islands and hotels employ translators who can converse in different languages, including English, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese. [Source: Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation visitmaldives.com ]
Maldivian has also borrowed words from Urdu, Hindi and more recently, English (in particular many scientific and technological terms). English words are also commonly used in the spoken language, for example "phone", "note", "radio", and soatu ("shorts"). [Source: Wikipedia]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Republic of Maldives Department of Information, the government site (maldivesinfo.gov.mv), Ministry of Tourism Maldives (tourism.gov.mv), Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC, visitmaldives.com), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022