Language Shift in Sinhala-Speaking Families: Psychological and Social impacts on Children

Özet

This paper explores the psychological and social impacts of language shift within Sinhala-speaking families in Sri Lanka, particularly focusing on children raised with English as their first language whose family background remains Sinhala for generations. As English is increasingly linked with upward mobility, elite education, and global opportunity, more and more Sinhala-speaking urban families are investing in early exposure to English. But this development comes with the price of decreasing intergenerational communication with grandparents and other extended family members who speak Sinhala only. Using literature-based thematic analysis, this study investigates the influence of early language selection on emotional development, cultural identity, and family unity. Interference with communally shared linguistic schemata always results in sub-optimal emotional bonding, restricted access to ancestral narratives, and shortened participation in Sinhala-dominant social engagements. Early childhood between the ages of 0 and 5 years is the age of language development, emotion regulation, and socialization; disruption at this age based on language conflict may lead to cognitive dissonance and identity confusion. Cross-sectional research implies that English-first children may display cognitive skills and world view but also social alienation and affective distance with their native culture. Consequently, Sinhala-first children are to show closer family connections and cultural origins, albeit with English lagging. Systemic problems in early childhood education, including the absence of standardized preparation for Sri Lankan pre-school English-medium teachers, are also brought to light by the study as being likely to work against bilingual benefits in development. The article finishes by recommending bilingual education policy, intergenerational use of the language, and national institutions to ensure both linguistic expertise and cultural continuity. In balancing global fluency and cultural embeddedness, Sri Lanka can produce a generation that is not only competitive internationally but also well entrenched in family and national identity.