Dhivehi language

Dhivehi (ދިވެހި), also known as Maldivian, is an Indo-Aryan language from the Indo-European family. It is mainly spoken by the Maldivian people who live in the Maldives, a country made up of many islands in South Asia. It is also spoken on Minicoy Island, which is part of India.

Dhivehi has four main dialects. The standard one is spoken in the capital city, Malé. The southern islands like Huvadhu, Addu, and Fuvahmulah have their own dialects that can be quite different from the northern ones. These southern dialects are so unique that people from the north might not understand them.

The word Divehi is sometimes written as Dhivehi in English, following the local way of using the Latin alphabet. Dhivehi uses a special writing system called Thaana. It comes from an old language called Elu Prakrit and is closely related to Sinhala, though they are not easy to understand between each other.

Over time, Dhivehi has been influenced by many languages, including Malayalam, Arabic, Hindustani, Persian, Tamil, French, Portuguese, and English. For example, the English words "atoll" and "dhoni" come from Maldivian words. Before Europeans arrived in the southern part of the world, Dhivehi was the southernmost language in the Indo-European family.

Etymology

The word "Divehi" comes from an older phrase, divu-vesi, which means "island dwelling." Over time, divu became dū, seen in island names like Hanimādū, Mīdū, and Dāndū. The word vesi also changed and became vehi. Adding bas, meaning "language," we get dhivehi bas, which means "islanders' language."

A German linguist named Wilhelm Geiger first studied this language and called it Divehi. In 1976, an extra letter h was added to make it Dhivehi when a new way to write the language was created. Today, people commonly use the spelling Dhivehi in the Maldives.

Origin

Dhivehi is an Indo-Aryan language that is closely related to the Sinhala language spoken in Sri Lanka. It is the southernmost language in the Indo-Aryan and Indo-European language families. Dhivehi and Sinhala are part of a special group called Insular Indo-Aryan, but people cannot understand each other’s languages easily.

Both Dhivehi and Sinhala come from an old language called Elu Prakrit used in ancient Sri Lanka. These Prakrits were based on old Indo-Aryan languages related to Vedic Sanskrit.

In 1969, a scholar named M. W. S. de Silva suggested that Dhivehi and Sinhala came from a common ancestor language.

Dhivehi and Sinhala share some special sound changes, such as:

• Changing sounds in certain words, like khasa becoming kah in Dhivehi and kas in Sinhala, both meaning "itch".
• Changing the beginning of words, like yaṣṭi becoming doṣi in Dhivehi and yæṭi in Sinhala, both meaning "fishing rod".
• Creating new sounds from combinations of letters.
• Changing p to f, like panca becoming fas in Dhivehi and paha in Sinhala, both meaning "five".
• Changing certain letters to others in special ways.
• Changing vowels sounds before certain letters.
• Losing differences between some sounds in most dialects.

History

Main article: Old Dhivehi

The Dhivehi language has its earliest writings from the 12th and 13th centuries on copper plates called lōmāfānu. Even older writings on coral stone have been discovered, with the oldest dating back to between the 6th and 8th centuries.

Dhivehi is part of the Indo-Aryan language family and shares similarities with Sinhalese. It developed mostly on its own until the 12th century. Since the 16th century, it has been written using a special script called Thaana, which is written from right to left, much like Arabic.

Each year on April 14, the Maldives celebrates Dhivehi Language Day to honor the language and its writer Husain Salahuddin.

Geographic distribution

Maldivian is spoken in the Maldives and a variation of it in Minicoy.

Official status

Maldivian is the official language of the Maldives and a semi-official language in the union territory of Lakshadweep, India.

Dialects

The Maldivian language has many dialects because the islands are spread out over a large area. This caused differences in how words are pronounced and used to develop over time. The most different dialects are found in the southern islands, like Huvadhu, Fuvahmulah, and Addu. Other dialects are closer to the main dialect spoken in the capital, Malé.

• The Malé dialect is the main dialect and is based on the language spoken in Malé.
• The Maliku dialect is spoken in Minicoy (Maliku) in Lakshadweep, India. It has some older word forms and words from Malayalam.
• The Mulaku dialect is spoken on Fuvahmulah. It has special sounds and rules that make it unique.
• The Huvadhu dialect is spoken in the large Huvadhu atoll. It uses certain sounds more often and keeps older words from Sinhalese.
• The Addu dialect is different from the main dialect and was used as a common language in the past by people from southern islands.

Writing system

Main articles: Maldivian writing systems and Thaana

The Dhivehi language, also called Maldivian, has its own special way of writing. Long ago, people used a script called Dhives Akuru, which they wrote from left to right. But today, most people use a different script called Thaana, which is written from right to left.

Thaana is a special alphabet where letters for sounds come from old numbers. It uses marks to show vowels, just like Arabic does. This makes writing in Dhivehi unique compared to many other languages. Even though there are other ways to write Dhivehi, like using the Latin alphabet, Thaana is the main script used today.

Latin transliteration

Main article: Malé Latin

In the mid-1970s, the government of the Maldives introduced machines called telex for local administration. These machines could only use the Latin script, not the local Thaana script. So in 1976, the government approved a new way to write Dhivehi using Latin letters, called Dhivehi Latin. This was quickly used by offices, schools, and ships.

Later, in 1978, the Thaana script was brought back as the official script. But many people still use the Latin way from 1976 today.

Phonology

Main article: Maldivian phonology

The sounds in the Dhivehi language are similar to those in Dravidian languages. It has long and short vowels, different kinds of consonants, and single and double consonants. But unlike some other languages, it does not have certain special consonant sounds.

Grammar

Nouns in the Dhivehi language change based on whether they are human or not, if they are specific or general, and whether they are singular or plural. They can also show different roles in a sentence, like subject or object. However, human nouns have some limits on how they show these roles.

Dhivehi uses two ways to count numbers. Both are the same up to 30, but after that, they differ. One places the smaller number before the larger, like "one and thirty" for 31, while the other combines them, like "thirty + one." There is also a special way to count up to 60 based on twelves.

Verbs in Dhivehi can change to show if something is done actively, caused to happen, or happens by itself.

The order of words in Dhivehi sentences is more flexible than in English. Changing the order can sometimes show small differences in meaning, but often the meaning stays the same. For example, to say "Sell me fish" in a market, the words can be arranged in many ways without changing what is being said.

Levels of speech

The Dhivehi language has three special ways of talking that show respect. The highest level, called maaiy bas, was once used only for royalty but is now used to show great respect. The other two levels, reethi bas and aadhaige bas, are used in everyday conversations by most people.

Vocabulary

The Dhivehi language, also called Maldivian, has many words borrowed from other languages. After Islam arrived in South Asia, many words came from Persian and Arabic, especially for religious and legal ideas. For example, words like "prayer" and "fasting" have roots in these languages.

There are also words from French, such as a playful term meaning "tickle-tickle," and from Portuguese, reflecting a time when Portuguese rulers were in the area. Words from Urdu, Hindi, and English are also common, especially for new ideas and technology. Everyday items like "phone" and "radio" are often used just as they are in English.

Sample

Here is a sample of the Dhivehi language, showing Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations:

މާއްދާ 1 - ހުރިހާ އިންސާނުން ވެސް އުފަންވަނީ، ދަރަޖަ އާއި ޙައްޤު ތަކުގައި މިނިވަންކަމާއި ހަމަހަމަކަން ލިބިގެންވާ ބައެއްގެ ގޮތުގައެވެ. އެމީހުންނަށް ހެޔޮ ވިސްނުމާއި ހެޔޮ ބުއްދީގެ ބާރު ލިބިގެން ވެއެވެ. އަދި އެމީހުން އެކަކު އަނެކަކާ މެދު މުއާމަލާތް ކުރަންވާނީ އުޚުއްވަތްތެރި ކަމުގެ ރޫހެއް ގައެވެ.

This means: All human beings are born free and equal in ranking and rights. They are given the ability to think and understand, and should treat each other with kindness and respect.

Information technology

The Mahal Unit Press, started in 1984 on Minicoy Island, prints books and newspapers in the Maldivian language. It even publishes a newspaper called Lakshadweep Times in three languages: Maldivian, English, and Malayalam.

There are special computer fonts you can download for free that include the Thaana letters used in Maldivian writing. Some of these fonts are called FreeSerif and MPH 2B Damase.