Dhivehi
| Dhivehi ( ދިވެހިބަސް) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Spoken in |
Maldives , Minicoy Island ( India ) | |
| speaker | 300,000 | |
| Linguistic classification |
||
| Official status | ||
| Official language in |
 Maldives
|
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639 -1 |
dv |
|
| ISO 639 -2 |
div |
|
| ISO 639-3 |
div |
|
Dhivehi (also Divehi ; own nameދިވެހިބަސް divehibas ) is a language spoken by around 300,000 people in the Maldives , where it is also the official language , as well as on the island of Minicoy / Maliku, which is part of the Indian union territory of Lakshadweep . It has its own script called Thaana , which is written from right to left.
Dhivehi belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family and, like Sinhala , probably developed in the 5th century BC. From a Prakrit dialect in the west of the Indian subcontinent. Many languages have left traces in Dhivehi, more recently English in the Maldives and Minicoy, Arabic in the Maldives as well as Hindi and Malayalam in Minicoy / Maliku have influenced the vocabulary.
Dhivehi distinguishes several dialects with sometimes considerable differences in pronunciation and vocabulary; therefore, difficulties in understanding can arise between speakers of northern and southern dialects.
The Dhivehi of the Maldives distinguishes three levels of courtesy , which are used depending on the status group affiliation. The most polite form of address is used for members of the upper class and is now the common form on Maldivian television and radio. The second form is used to address the elderly, respected people and strangers, while the informal third form is used in everyday conversations.
The German word atoll is derived from Dhivehi atolhu .
literature
- Sonja Fritz: The Dhivehi Language. A Descriptive and Historical Grammar of Maldivian and Its Dialects. South Asia Institute, Heidelberg / Ergon Verlag, Würzburg 2002, 2 volumes (contributions to research on South Asia, 191). ISBN 3-89913-248-3 (English version of the habilitation thesis Descriptive Grammar of Maldivian (Dhivehi) and its dialects, taking into account the development of language history, Heidelberg 1997.)
Web links
- haveeru.com.mv - Maldivian online newspaper in Dhivehi with the option of font download (further down on the right)
- Ali Naafiz: A historical glimpse on the Dhivehi language . (German: A historical look at the Dhivehi)
- vom.gov.mv - Maldives radio program
Individual evidence
- ^ Fritz 2002, I, 10-11