Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 British rule 2 Ceylon after independence 3 Enactment 4 Tamil and Sinhalese opposition to the Act 5 Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act 6 Effect 7 Languages today 8 Further reading 9 References Toggle the table of contents Sinhala Only Act 6 languages Français پنجابی සිංහල தமிழ் ไทย اردو Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikisource Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1956 act making Sinhala the official language in Ceylon Official Language Act Parliament of Ceylon Long title An act to prescribe the Sinhala language as the one official language of Ceylon and to enable certain transitory provisions to be made. CitationNo. 33 of 1956 Territorial extentCeylon Enacted byParliament of Ceylon Commenced7 July 1956 Amended by Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act (No. 28 of 1958) Related legislation Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka Part of a series on Sri Lankan Tamils Ancient era Ravana Ancient clans of Lanka Tamilakam Nakar Nainativu Tissamaharama inscription Pancha Ishwarams Early Jaffna Middle Ages Chola Era Jaffna kingdom Aryacakravarti Vannimai Vanniar Portuguese conquest Colonial Portuguese Ceylon Dutch Ceylon Yalpana Vaipava Malai British Ceylon Colebrooke-Cameron American Ceylon Mission Wesleyan Methodist Mission Jaffna Youth Congress Donoughmore Commission Post independence Soulbury Commission Nationalism Colonisation Sinhala Only Act Riots 1954 pact 1957 Pact 1964 pact 1974 pact Standardization Colonisation Vaddukoddai Resolution Burning of Jaffna library Black July Civil war Origins Militancy Tamil Eelam LTTE Diaspora Thimpu principles Indo-Sri Lanka Accord ISGA War crimes IDP camps UN Panel LLRC History of Eastern Tamils Tamils portal Sri Lanka portal v t e The Official Language Act (No. 33 of 1956), commonly referred to as the Sinhala Only Act, was an act passed in the Parliament of Ceylon in 1956.[1] The act replaced English with Sinhala as the sole official language of Ceylon, with the exclusion of Tamil from the act. At the time, Sinhala (also known as Sinhalese) was the language of Ceylon's majority Sinhalese people, who accounted for around 70% of the country's population.[2] Tamil was the first language of Ceylon's three largest minority ethnic groups, the Indian Tamils, Sri Lankan Tamils and Moors, who together accounted for around 29% of the country's population.[2] The act was controversial as its supporters saw it as an attempt by a community that had just gained independence to distance themselves from their colonial masters, while its opponents viewed it as an attempt by the linguistic majority to oppress and assert dominance on minorities. The Act symbolizes the post-independent Sinhalese majority's determination to assert Ceylon's identity as a Sinhala Buddhist nation state, and for Tamils, it became a symbol of minority oppression and a justification for them to demand a separate nation-state, Tamil Eelam, which was a factor in the emergence of the decades-long Sri Lankan Civil War.[3] British rule [edit] During the British colonial era, English was the official language in Ceylon (known as Sri Lanka since 1972). Until the passage of the Free Education Bill in 1944, education in the English language was the preserve of the Sri Lankan elite and the ordinary people had little knowledge of it. A disproportionate number of English language schools were established in Jaffna by the American Ceylon Mission, which provided English-language skills for the Tamil population in Jaffna.[4][5] Thus, English-speaking Tamils held a higher percentage of coveted Ceylon Civil Service jobs, which required English fluency, than their share of the island's population: Ceylon Civil Service, 1870-1946[6] Year Total Sinhalese Tamil Burgher 1870 81 7 not recorded not recorded 1907 95 4 2 6 1925 135 17 8 14 1946 160 69 31 - Proportion of Tamil and Sinhalese speaking government employees 1946-2004[7] Sinhalese Tamil 1946 Civil Service 44.5% 20% 1946 Judicial Service 46.7% 28.9% 1980 Civil Service 85% 11% 2004 Civil Service 90% 8.5% By 1946, 33% of clerical jobs in Ceylon were held by Sri Lankan Tamils, although they were 11% of the country's population.[8] However, the focus on percentages obscures the fact that the actual difference in number of jobs was quite small, for example, in 1948, Tamils accounted for 46% of government accountants and 40% of irrigation engineers, which was equivalent to 20 more Tamil accountants and 10 more Tamil engineers in proportion. The overall difference in number of government jobs was minute considering that the overall workforce was approximately 3 million people, most of whom were working in agriculture, petty manufacturing and trade.[9] After their election to the State Council of Ceylon in 1936, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) members N. M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena demanded the replacement of English as the official language by Sinhala and Tamil. In November 1936, a motion that "in the Municipal and Police Courts of the Island the proceedings should be in the vernacular" and that "entries in police stations should be recorded in the language in which they are originally stated" were passed by the State Council and referred to the legal secretary.[citation needed] In the 1940s, Sinhala political leaders were willing to support both Sinhala and Tamil as the official languages. For example, in 1944, both J. R. Jayewardene and S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike supported both languages getting official status, with Bandaranaike saying that he had "no personal objections to both languages being considered official languages, nor do I see any particular harm of danger or difficulty from this."[10] However, nothing was done about these matters, and English continued to be the official language until 1956.[citation needed] Ceylon after independence [edit] Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranayaka. Ceylon was granted the status of dominion in the British Empire in 1948 after largely non-violent independence movement, with the transition of sovereignty from Britain to the Sri Lankans being a peaceful process. For the first years of independence, there was an attempt to balance the interests of the elites of the main communities: the Sinhalese and the Tamils.[citation needed] In 1949 the government disenfranchised the Indian Tamil plantation workers, who accounted for 12% of the population.[11][12] In 1951, the ambitious Solomon Bandaranaike broke with his party, the conservative United National Party (UNP), and created a new centrist party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). By 1953, the proposal for the use of Sinhala and Tamil as official languages was replaced by the chauvinist cry for 'Sinhala only', and the argument that Sinhala would be 'swamped' by Tamil. Arguments were made that 'Sinhala only' would give better opportunities for the Sinhalese.[10] In 1955, the SLFP decided to break ranks with the general consensus on the left to have both Sinhala and Tamil as official languages to campaign on the slogan "Sinhala Only".[13] Enactment [edit] Fast unto death by Prof. F. R. Jayasuriya in 1956, to force Bandaranaike government to implement the Sinhala as the only State language excluding Tamil language of masses in the country's north and east provinces. In the 1956 general elections, the SLFP campaigned on largely nationalist policies, and made the language policy one of their key election promises. The result was a landslide electoral victory for the SLFP lead coalition Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, which paved the way for Bandaranaike's appointment as Prime Minister. The Sinhala nationalist demanded that their new government immediately implement promise to make Sinhala the official state language. When Bandaranaike proceed to make Sinhala the official state language with administrative provisions for Tamil, K. M. P. Rajaratne and Professor F. R. Jayasuriya went on a fast unto death demanding legislation be drafted to make Sinhala the only official state with no concessions to Tamil language. This forced Bandaranaike to drop the administrative provisions for Tamil and The Ceylon (Constitution) Order in Council or Sinhala Only Bill as it was known was passed through parliament and was enacted. The bill was passed with the SLFP and the UNP supporting it, with the leftist LSSP and Communist Party of Sri Lanka as well as the Tamil nationalist parties (Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi and All Ceylon Tamil Congress) opposing it.[14][15] Tamil and Sinhalese opposition to the Act [edit] The left bitterly opposed the Act, with N. M. Perera, leader of the LSSP, moving a motion in Parliament that it "should be amended forthwith to provide for the Sinhala and Tamil languages to be state languages of Ceylon with parity of status throughout the Island."[16] Colvin R. de Silva of the LSSP famously argued against the Act:[17] Do we want an independent Ceylon or two bleeding halves of Ceylon...? These are issues that in fact we have been discussing under the form and appearance of the language issue…One language, two nations; Two languages, one Nation… The passage of the act was met with demonstrations from Tamils led by the Federal Party who organized a satyagraha outside the parliament building. In response, the Sinhalese nationalist group Eksath Bhikkhu Peramuna organized a counter-protest; a mob representing this group attacked the Tamil protesters and was "responsible for unleashing riots that killed nearly 150 Tamils" in the Gal Oya riots between 5 and 6 June 1956.[18] Bandaranaike stated in parliament on 6 June 1956 that Sinhalese people saw parity between Sinhala and Tamil as official languages as being "gravely detrimental to the continuance and progress of the Sinhala language; that it would almost imply the extinction of the Sinhala language."[10] Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act [edit] In order to assuage Tamil feelings following the anti-Tamil riots in 1958, Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike passed the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act, No. 28 of 1958 in August that year. The bill allowed for the use of Tamil as a medium of instruction in schools and universities, as a medium of examination for admission into public service (with the proviso requiring Sinhala fluency within certain time period), and for official correspondence and administrative purposes in the Northern and Eastern provinces.[19][20] However, following the assassination of Bandaranaike the next year by a Buddhist monk over alleged racial betrayal[citation needed], the regulations needed to implement the bill would not be submitted for parliamentary approval for another eight years.[21] Starting from January 1961, the new government led by S.W.R.D.'s widow Sirimavo Bandaranaike sought to forcefully implement the Sinhala Only Act and, under Sinhalese nationalist pressure, enacted the Language of the Courts Act No. 3 of 1961 to make Sinhala the only language of the courts, while ignoring the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act.[22] Although the regulations for implementing the latter bill were approved in January 1966 under Dudley Senanayake, it would be relegated to a "subordinate legislation" with the adoption of the Republican Constitution in 1972 under Sirimavo Bandaranaike which consolidated the 'Sinhala-only' policy, thus affirming the subordinate status of the Tamil language:[21] "the Tamils felt indignant that it was specifically stated in the constitution that the provisions relating to the Tamil language could be amended by ordinary legislation whereas the provisions relating to the Sinhalese were constitutionally entrenched." Effect [edit] The policy turned out to be "severely discriminatory" and placed the Tamil-speaking population at a "serious disadvantage".[23] As a Sinhalese academic A. M. Navaratna Bandara writes: "The Tamil-speaking people were given no option but to learn the language of the majority if they wanted to get public service employment. [...] A large number of Tamil public servants had to accept compulsory retirement because of their inability to prove proficiency in the official language [....]"[24] It also entailed that a Sinhalese officer working in Tamil areas was exempted from learning Tamil, but a Tamil officer working in even Tamil areas had to learn Sinhala.[25] The effects of these policies were dramatic as shown by the drastic drop of Tamil representation in public sector: "In 1956, 30 percent of the Ceylon administrative service, 50 percent of the clerical service, 60 percent of engineers and doctors, and 40 percent of the armed forces were Tamil. By 1970 those numbers had plummeted to 5 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent, and 1 percent, respectively."[26] For much of the 1960s government forms and services were virtually unavailable to Tamils, and this situation only partly improved with later relaxations of the law.[27] Languages today [edit] Following pressure from the Indian government in 1987,[28] the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed, which stated that, "the official language of Sri Lanka is Sinhala" while "Tamil shall also be an official language," with English as a "link language."[1][29] However, in practice, predominantly Sinhala-speaking police officers who are not fluent in Tamil are stationed in Tamil areas, posing practical challenges for the locals when interacting with the authorities.[30] Further reading [edit] Sandagomi Coperahewa, Bhashanuragaye Desapalanya (Colombo: Godage, 1999) References [edit] English Wikisource has original text related to this article: Sinhala Only Act 1 2 Sri Lanka Consolidated Acts 1 2 "Population by ethnic group, census years" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2010. Department of Census & Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011. ↑ Philips, Rajan. "NAVIGATE:Home » » 60 years after June 5, 1956:The making, unmaking and the difficult remaking of a nation". Island.lk. Retrieved 14 February 2020. ↑ "Welcome to UTHRJ". Archived from the original on 25 September 2001. ↑ Mendis, G. C., The causes of communal conflict in Ceylon (1943) http://dlib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1109 ↑ Welhengama, Gnanapala; Pillay, Nirmala (2014). The Rise of Tamil Separatism in Sri Lanka: From Communalism to Secession. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 9781138665750. ↑ Weller, Marc; Nobbs, Katherine (2010). Political participation of minorities: A Commentary on International Standards and Practice. Oxford University Press. p. 463. ISBN 9780199569984. ↑ Devotta, Neil (2003). "Ethnolinguistic Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka". In Brown, Michael E. (ed.). Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia'. The MIT press. p. 115. ISBN 9780262269353. ↑ Venugopal, R (2018). "Kulaks to Clerks". Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Cambridge University Press. pp. 48–52. ISBN 9781108553414. 1 2 3 Jayawardena, Kumari (1987). "From Sinhala only to ethnic violence". In Ali, Asghar (ed.). Ethnic conflict in south Asia. Ajanta Publications. pp. 173–188. ISBN 9788120201798. ↑ "Missed Opportunities and the Loss of Democracy". Archived from the original on 27 June 2002. ↑ "Plantation Tamils deprived of vote and citizenship, 1948/50". ↑ Brown, Michael Edward; Ganguly, Sumit (2003). Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia. MIT Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-262-52333-2. ↑ De Silva, K. M., & Wriggins, W. H. (1988). J. R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka: a political biography. ↑ Krishnamurthi, J. "History of 'Fasts-unto-death'". Daily News. Retrieved 9 May 2023. ↑ Neil DeVotta (2004). Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford University Press. p. 57. ISBN 9780804749244. ↑ Perera, K. K. S. "Colvin the fighter". Daily News. Retrieved 24 July 2024. ↑ Brown, Michael Edward, ed. (1 January 2003). Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia. MIT Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780262523332. ↑ Ghosh, P. A. (1999). Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka and Role of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). APH Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-81-7648-107-6. ↑ DeVotta, Neil (2004). Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford University Press. pp. 119, 125. ISBN 978-0-8047-4924-4. 1 2 Coperahewa, Sandagomi (2 June 2009). "The language planning situation in Sri Lanka". Current Issues in Language Planning. 10 (1): 117–119. ↑ DeVotta, Neil (2003). "Ethnolinguistic Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka". Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia. MIT Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-262-52333-2. ↑ Deegalle, Mahinda (27 September 2006). Deegalle, Mahinda (ed.). Buddhism, Conflict and Violence in Modern Sri Lanka. Routledge. p. 183. ISBN 9781134241880. ↑ Nubin, Walter, ed. (1 January 2002). Sri Lanka: Current Issues and Historical Background. Nova Publishers. p. 63. ISBN 9781590335734. ↑ Hoole, Rajan (22 July 2016). "'Sinhala Only' & Its Effects On Ceylon's Legal Tradition". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2024. ↑ Brown, Michael Edward, ed. (1 January 2003). Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia. MIT Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780262523332. ↑ Terminate Genocide ↑ Indo-Lanka Accord, Colombo, 29 July 1987 https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IN%20LK_870729_Indo-Lanka%20Accord.pdf ↑ Martyn, Sabina (17 January 2013). "In Post-Conflict Sri Lanka, Language is Essential for Reconciliation". asiafoundation.org. he Asia Foundation. Retrieved 14 February 2020. ↑ "Linguistic slights spur ethnic division in Sri Lanka". The Economist. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024. v t e Sinhala language Sri Lanka Sinhalese people Stages Elu Proto-Sinhala Medieval Sinhala Modern Sinhala Dialects Central Southern Rodiya dialect Pidgin Madam Academic Literature Literary Sinhala Sinhalese name Pali Sinhala and other languages Influenced by Dutch English Portuguese Sanskrit Tamil Influenced Macanese Patois Macanese Portuguese Writing system Script Braille Numerals Archaic numbers Romanization (transliteration) Computerization Software Keyboard Unicode block Input methods Grammar and vocabulary Grammar Spoken Sinhala Gender differences Honorifics Slang Dictionaries Phonology Phonology Events Hela Havula Sinhala Only Act v t e Sri Lankan Tamil people List of Sri Lankan Tamils History Ancient History of Eastern Tamils Tissamaharama inscription Annaicoddai seal Ketheeswaram temple Koneswaram temple Munneswaram temple Tenavaram temple Jaffna kingdom History Aryacakravarti Jaffna Palace ruins Kotagama inscriptions Portuguese conquest Vannimai Vanniar Demala Hatpattu Colonial American Ceylon Mission Wesleyan Methodist Mission Jaffna Youth Congress Post-colonial Nationalism Colonisation Sinhala Only Act Riots Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact Standardisation Militancy Vaddukoddai Resolution Tamil Eelam Burning of Jaffna library Black July Civil war NPC Resolution on Genocide Politics Government Northern Provincial Council Government of the Northern Province Governors Chief Ministers Eastern Provincial Council Governors Chief Ministers Political parties All Ceylon Tamil Congress Federal Party Tamil United Liberation Front Tamil National Alliance Democratic Tamil National Alliance Tamil National People's Front Tamil People's National Alliance Militant groups ENDLF ENLF EPRLF EORS LTTE PLOTE TELO Diaspora British Tamils Forum Canadian Tamil Congress Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America Global Tamil Forum Tamils Against Genocide Tamil Youth Organisation Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Society Eelam Genetic studies Karaiyar Koviar Mukkuvar Nalavar Paraiyar Thesavalamai Vellalar Vedar Culture Cinema Representations in Indian cinema Literature News Saturday Review Sudar Oli Tamil Guardian TamilNet Tamil Times Thinakaran Thinakkural Uthayan Virakesari Diaspora Australia Canada France Germany Italy India Malaysia New Zealand Pakistan United Kingdom United States Languages and dialects Batticaloa Tamil Jaffna Tamil Negombo Tamil Loanwords Religion Hinduism Naguleswaram temple Nallur Kandaswamy temple Catholicism Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu Village deities Sport Cricket Football Category Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sinhala_Only_Act&oldid=1372183684" Categories: 1956 in Ceylon 1956 in law Language legislation Politics of Sri Lanka Society of Sri Lanka Sinhala language Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war Acts of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Language policy in Sri Lanka Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from October 2019 CS1: unfit URL All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2026 This page was last edited on 30 August 2026, at 19:39 (UTC). 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