The concept of "kaduwa" in Sri Lankan English

Within the rich written history of more than 2500 years, Sri Lanka have fought many wars against various nations and have defeated all easily where some nations used guns and weapons while Sri Lankans used only “swords”. Therefore Sri Lankans have a long lasting relationship with “swords” and even after many years of post war era, Sri Lankans still are battling with swords in current society as well. However it is not the literally sword but the term reffered to English language in Sri Lanka.

“Kaduwa” (kᴧdʊwə), in Sinhala, meaning “sword,” is a derogatory term coined by the “Sinhala-educated”--the term used for those not educated in English--to show the social division between them and the English-educated (Harischandra, 2014). The born of the term “Kaduwa” flies way back to the century of 20^th. “About a decade or so ago, the vocabulary of colloquial Sinhala acquired a newterm of reference for the English language, namely Kaduva a familiar word whichmeant, until then, simply ‘sword’. No one knows for certain when and where thisuse of the word originated. It is widely believed, however, that it did so in thespeech of some hapless children in rural or semi-urban government schools, astheir response to their traumatically frustrating experiences in the well-nigh English classes they were obliged to attend, and that from there it spread to theuniversities.” (Kandiah, 1984) According to Kandiah the term “Kaduwa” has been created in 1970 by a group of school or university students and it has spreaded through out the island in a short time of period. According to Jayasuriya (2002) with refering to Kandiah, the term was born in University of Peradeniya in 1970s; when the mother toungue instructions which was introduced in 1950s,  was actively functioning  among the undergraduates who were learning in Sinhala ; their mother tongue. When these undergraduates found it difficult to comply with the academic life as well as the outside world where native English speakers were embossed due to their language and the life style. although they felt discreeted within their hearts, despite of earning the similar position in the society by learning and using the alien language of English, they chose to hoot and jeer towards the natives who spoke English language. This laid the foundation for the term “kaduwa” to be born which the undergraduates thought is similar to the alien toungue which the society around them used to cut a striking figure with their suave behaviour mainly due to that language.

Even though the Sinhala only Act brought in 1956 purported to do away with English in the State sector, it continued to be used in the private sector and at higher levels of state administration and the judiciary. (Ratwatte, 2012) This as Widyalankara (2009b) identifies, created the platform to devide 2 social classes as English speaking natives as high class and non English speaking natives as low class. However the majority of the island belonged to the latter which gave the “low class” majority to establish the opinion of cutting the majority in above mentioned fields with the “sword of English”. This reasoned the term “kaduwa” to spread throughout the island as a weapon of cutting natives who do not speak the alien tongue. On the other hand the undergraduates who understood themselves getting cornered in the society due to the alien tongue, according to Jayasuriya (2002) ended up as civil servants, university lecturers or even professors etc. This set the environment for the “kaduwa” to be famous in the society as the particular now graduates (earlier undergraduates) covered up their arrears on English language by painting it as a black monster.

In human nature, it is common to see, when a difficult task is given, humans tend to find a way not to accomplish it, but to complain or find ill of it. Same happened with English language as well. Having a lack of knowledge and inability to use the language was a reason to be ahsamed of, for the non English speaking majority in the country. Despite of learning the language and adopting to the enviroment, with the power of being the majority, they started ridiculing the English speaking natives. In their hearts they knew they can not compete with the English speakers, therefore the best way not to get ridiculed was to ridiculed the opponents. Interestingly enough, perhaps owing to the culture of complacency regarding the teaching of the language we’ve institutionalised over the decades, “kadda” is not a term of disparagement or fear. On the contrary, it is used whimsically, not to ridicule the non speaker of English, but to refer to and ridicule the speaker. (Whenever I pick up the phone and speak in front of them, I hear their giggles as they try to imitate me and poke fun at the mistakes they make.) The young non English speaker no longer regrets his lack of English education; he laughs at it and that by consciously laughing at the errors he commits. Be it Royal College or Kekirawa Central, this process plays out in almost exactly the same way. (Dewapriya, 2018) This has covered all the country in today’s society where when an individual tries to speak in English, the rest is looking forward to find any slightest mistake he makes in order to laugh at him. Even when he does not make any mistake, non speakers laugh at him taking his “English speaking ability” into granted saying “ada suddek wath issarahata hambunada?” (Did you come across any foriegner today?) “kadda¹ danne nethuwa inna” (don’t use “kaduwa”) meaning that it is nonsense to speak in English. Thereofore the term “kaduwa” has well established in current society with well strongly spreaded roots in every nook and corner.

Born in post colonial period of 1950s, fastly grown in next few decades “kaduwa” in Sri Lanka has envelopped the whole island with well far spreaded roots deep in the ground. Socially, culturally and politically watering the “kaduwa” seed to become an enormerous tree has a famous background of specially political influences which ended up being a cultural term which today has well settled and well established in Sri Lanka.

- Dhanuka Thenuwara -

________________________

Kadda¹ - It is a corruption of “kaduwa” and it is derived from the saying “kadden kotanawa” (“using language as a sword to brush away people”). (Dewapriya, 2018)

REFERENCES

·         Dewapriya, U. (2018 October 4). English or “Kadda” What shall it be? Daily mirror. Retrieved from

http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/English-or-Kadda-What-shall-it-be--156381.html

·         Harischandra, N. (2014). An Identity of One’s Own: The Use of Sri Lankan English in Ru Freeman’s A

Disobedient Girl 1, Sabaragamuwa University Journal, 13 (2) 20

·         Jayasuriya, V. (2002 July 17). Sharpening edge of English as ‘Kaduwa’. The Island. Retrieved from

http://www.island.lk/2002/07/17/midwee07.html

·         Kandiah, T. (1984).  Kaduva: Power and the English language weapon in SriLanka. In Colin-Thome, Percy and Halpe,

Ashley (Eds.),  Honouring E.C.F. Ludowyk: Felicitation Essays. Thisara Prakasakayo. Dehiwala. 36

·         Ratwatte, H (2012). Kaduva, Karawila or Giraya? Orientation Towards English in 21st Century Sri Lanka,

Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 7/8, 188-192

·         Widyalankara, R. C. (2009b). Kaduwa and the evolution of a theory. Golden JubileeCommemoration Volume

of University of Kelaniya. Research and PublicationCommittee, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.