[lg policy] Sri Lanka to implement language policy for consumer products

[Harold Schiffman]

Sri Lanka to implement language policy for consumer products

 Posted 08/28/2011 01:12 AM ET

COLOMBO, Aug 28, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Sri Lanka is to strictly
impose its official language policy in display of consumer products at
retail stores, officials said Sunday. The Ministry of National
Languages and Social Integration said display of product details in
both majority Sinhala language and minority Tamil language would be
strictly enforced soon. Currently trade names and product details are
indicated mostly in English.

Sinhala and Tamil languages are officially recognized in the island's
constitution. However English is used mostly for commercial purposes.
Even the public road names are mostly only in English. Since two years
ago, the ministry has taken steps to implement the official language
policy of giving due recognition to both Sinhala and Tamil.

The ministry has directed that public correspondence handled by the
state must also be done in Tamil. The language issue was a long
standing grievance of the Tamil minority since Sri Lanka in 1956 made
Sinhala the only state language. In the early 1990s Tamil was
conferred official status with English as the link language.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Newsfeed/Article/135328262/201108280112/Sri-Lanka-to-implement-language-policy-for-c

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