The year 1927 marked the beginning of a government-sponsored Sinhala dictionary project, which aimed to compile an etymological dictionary of Sinhala under the direction of the German Indologist, Professor Wilhelm Geiger. The linguistic endeavors of Dutch and British missionaries led to a variety of lexicographical works in Sinhala. The sixteenth century saw the initial impact of European colonial power on Sri Lanka, and the subsequent periods witnessed the compilation of dictionaries in the European tradition in Sri Lanka. The historical overview of ancient Sinhala lexicography provides a summary of oldest Sinhala lexicons ( nighaṇṭu), and the impact of Pali and Sanskrit lexicographical compilations on Sinhala. This chapter begins with an introduction to Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan and South Asian language spoken by the Sinhalese – the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka.
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