by Wela on 11 November 2010 18:17
Click here to download the Sinhala Windows 7 LIP via the Microsoft.com Download Center.
Please note that the Sinhala Windows 7 LIP can only be installed on a system that runs an English client version of Windows 7. It is available to download for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Localization was done by Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) (Translation and Linguistic Moderation), and Lionbridge (Strategic Engineering Partner).
Facts about the language:
- Sinhala contains loan words of Portuguese, Dutch and English origin, which reflects Sri Lanka's colonial history. English was official language from 1833 to 1958 (that is until 10 years after independence).
- There is a crucial distinction between "high" and "low" Sinhala: The colloquial form used in everyday life is quite different from the literary form which is also spoken in formal environments and in the media. The differences are so big that the two forms could be considered two different languages. Not only is the vocabulary very distinct, but also the grammar: In the colloquial version there are no inflected forms for verbs, for example. This is a little like having King Edward's English used on MSNBC and slang in everyday conversations.
- There are no sub-clauses - comparable constructions are created with participles and adjectives. Therefore a phrase like "The man who gives information on LIP languages" becomes "The information on LIP languages giving man".
- There are no prepositions but only postpositions. "under the book" would literally retranslate as "book under".
Classification:
Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is most closely related to Dhivehi, which is spoken on the Maledives.
Click here for more information on the Sinhala language.