Alternate Names: Java Jati, Melayu Bahasa, Sri Lankan Malay
Dialects: None known. Not intelligible of Standard Malay , due to phonological and syntactic differences, and strong influence from Tamil ,. May be similar to Malaccan Creole Malay , (Lim 1981).
Genealogy:
Demographics: 46,000 (Ansaldo and Lim 2006), decreasing.
Language Use: Language shift taking place. Malay communities using either English [eng], Sinhala [sin], or Tamil [tam] favor Sri Lankan Creole Malay. Clear shift to English among youth in Colombo. Kirinda is the only vital community of Sri Lanka Malays who have youth who speak it as L1. There is also a desire to acquire Standard Malay [zsm] as a useful economic tool but still preserve Malay identity. Beginning to shift to Standard Malay even in Kirinda. Home, community. All ages only in Kirinda; being lost by youth in every other community. Also use English [eng], Sinhala [sin], Standard Malay [zsm], Tamil [tam].
Language Development: Newspapers. Radio programs.
Typology: SOV; postpositions; case; adjectives and genitives precede noun heads.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Sri Lanka
Other Comments: Malay vocabulary with grammatical structure based on Sri Lankan Moor Tamil. Muslim, traditional religion.