A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF NUMERICAL MORPHEME, “EKƎ” (ONE) BY THE NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF SINHALA

Nipunika Dilani

Abstract


“ekǝ” is a numerical morpheme that stands to mean one in English. The term is commonly inserted in mixing English codes in speaking in the native language of Sinhala in Sri Lankan society. However, the insertion of the term is complicated because it is governed by descriptive grammar rules. Thus, the current study analysed the acquisition of the use of the morpheme, “ekǝ” by native speakers and non-native speakers of Sinhalese. The study can be categorized under qualitative approach for which the primary data was collected from two native speakers and two non-native speakers of Sinhala through semi-structured interviews and observation of natural speech. The data has been analysed descriptively and comparatively referring to mental rules regarding the usage of the term. The study found that non- native speakers of Sinhala fail to acquire the complete manipulation of the term and it is suggested that they use it as a flexible term that fits into different contexts.

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Keywords


code switching, ekǝ, native speakers, non-native speakers, Sinhala

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejlll.v5i3.308

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