Documentation of Sri Lanka Portuguese
The Endangered Language Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides grants worldwide to for the linguistic documentation of endangered language and knowledge. Grantees create multimedia collection of endangered languages. These collections are preserved and made freely available through the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) housed at the library of SOAS University of London.
Sri Lanka Portuguese is a Portuguese-lexified creole formed in the 16th century. Although once an important language of the island, it is now much reduced and rapidly contracting. It is spoken by the "Portuguese Burghers" of Eastern Sri Lanka, in and around the towns of Batticaloa and Trincomalee, in which Tamil is the dominant language. This project will document the language of the community as used in various different domains and its unique song, music and dance traditions, which constitute one of its most recognisable cultural features and had a deep impact on Sri Lankan culture as a whole.
Primary investigator: Hugo Cardoso
Project Details
Location: Sri Lanka, Southern Asia, Asia
Organiser(s):
Endangered Languages Documentation Programme
Project partner(s): Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa
Funder(s):
Arcadia
Funding received: £56,218.00
Commencement Date: 01/2012
Project Status: Active
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