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Centuries of cultural amalgamation and the influences of various ethnic groups have led to the emergence of a mixed culture that incorporates the characteristic features of every race. Maldives language, a principal aspect of its culture, is colored by the various ethnic races that inhabit the island. The chief language of Maldives is the Maldivian Dhivehi.
The first settlers in Maldives were the Dravidians who had migrated from the southern part of India. They were replaced by the people from Sri Lanka who spoke Dhivehi and subsequently Dhivehi became one of the chief languages of Maldives. Maldives language also includes English which is used and spoken by the people at the government level.
A dialect of the Sinhala, Maldivian Dhivehi is a part of the family of Indo-European languages. It came from Elu, a primitive form of the Sinhalese which is the Sri Lankan language. Maldivian Dhivehi has a number of words that are borrowed from Arabic, Hindi and Tamil. A singular trait of Maldivian Dhivehi is that the numbers from one to twelve have been derived from Sinhalese while those after twelve have been taken from Hindi. The names of the days also are derived from both Sinhalese and Hindi while the names of the people have Arabic origin.
Maldivian language, Dhivehi is spoken widely by people throughout the islands and the atolls. However there are subtle differences in the dialect of the people of different regions within the country. Thaana is the traditional script of the major language in Maldives, the Maldivian Dhivehi. Maldives languages therefore are Maldivian Dhivehi and English which is used for official purposes. Maldives language play a crucial role in the cultural as well as social aspects of Maldives.
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