been a cultural identity of the community for a long time. But now, as the Veddas, especially when the second and third generations mix with the locales, Sinhala/Tamil is the language they choose to communicate. With the use of technology, and as the youth pursue educational facilities more and more, Vedda language gets reduced to the level of an exhibit. A visit to the Dambana Vedda Village will prove how the overall culture of Veddas (i.e. their dresses, equipment, etc.) has changed, and how this is reflected in the language as well. According to Geiger and Gair, Sinhalese language has features that set it apart from other Indo-Aryan languages. Some of the differences can be explained by the substrate influence of parent stock of the Vedda language. Sinhalese has many words that are only found in Sinhalese or it is shared between Sinhalese and Vedda and cannot be etymologically derived from Middle or Old Indo-Aryan. Common examples are in Sinhalese and Vedda for 'leaf', in Sinhalese for 'pig' and 'offering' in Vedda. Other common words are for 'wild duck' and for 'stones' in toponyms found throughout the island. There are also high frequency words denoting body parts in Sinhalese such as for 'head', for 'leg', for 'neck' and for 'thighs' that are derived from pre-Sinhalese languages of Sri Lanka. The author of the oldest Sinhalese grammar, Sidatsangarava, written in the 13th century has recognized a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhalese. It lists ('to see') and ('ford' or 'harbour') as belonging to an indigenous source. is the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo. See also Vedda Balangoda Man Fa Hien Cave Indo-Portuguese creole Ceylon Portuguese creole Lists of endangered languages List of endangered languages in Asia Notes References Cited literature Definitely endangered languages Languages of Sri Lanka Mixed languages Pidgins and creoles Sinhala language Language