Contents

Transliteration and Pronunciation of Sinhala words - xi

Introduction - 1

1. Sinhalese National Consciousness: Early Nineteenth-Century Manifestations - 5

2. The Triumph of English and the Emergence of Sinhala Language Loyalty - 27

3. The Sinhala Language as a Nationalist Cause - 47

4. The Nineteenth-Century Buddhist Revival - 87

5. Revivalism, Social Mobilization, and the Sinhala Language - 115

6. Identity, Language, and Modernization - 155

7. Political Developments and the Position of the Vernacular - 189

8. The Politicalization of Language Loyalty: A Bid to Make Sinhala the Official Language - 239

9. The Aftermath, 1943-90 - 307

Appendix: Biographical Notes on Important Personalities Mentioned in the Text - 321

Abbreviations - 337

Glossary - 339

Bibliography - 343

Index - 363