Abstract

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON IDIOMS IN ENGLISH AND SINHALA LANGUAGES

This paper focuses on a comparative study of cultural idioms in English and Sinhala languages.
Idioms are metaphorical and figurative. People can express their feelings colorfully and accurately
by using idioms. Even strong emotions can be expressed in a ‘soft’ manner by idioms. Furthermore,
idioms are reflection of the particular culture. Idioms indicate certain societal, religious, values and
beliefs. Therefore idioms emerge from the intersection of language and culture. Idioms can be
categorized into idioms of food and beverages, clothes, sports, religion, literature, customs, rituals
and mannerism which are parts of culture. Idioms are specific to both language and culture.
Cultural idioms express the values of the nation to which they belong. Although individuals’
effective use of language skills depends on vocabulary, language becomes an effective method of
communication only with its idiomatic usage. Use of idiomatic language helps individuals to
integrate culturally. The Research Problem and Objective of this study is to find how English
and Sinhala cultures effect idiomatic usage in each language. Significance of the Study is that
the researcher expect that the results of this paper would be beneficial for other educators and
researchers in this field. The researcher also includes useful information such as list of idioms etc.

Key words: Comparative study, Cultural idioms, metaphorical, figurative, literature, rituals,

Абстрактный

СРАВНИТЕЛЬНОЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ИДИОМ В АНГЛИЙСКОМ И

СИНГАЛЬСКОМ ЯЗЫКАХ

Это исследование посвящено сравнительному изучению культурных идиом в английском и

сингальском языках. . Идиомы бывают метафорическими и переносными. Люди могут
красочно и точно выражать свои чувства, используя идиомы. Поэтому сильные эмоции
прекрасно выражаются идиомами. Кроме того, идиомы являются отражением конкретной
культуры. Идиомы указывают на определенные социальные, религиозные ценности и
убеждения. Таким образом, язык и культура неразрывно связаны. Идиомы могут быть
разделены на идиомы, относящиеся к еде и напиткам, одежде, спорту, религии, литературе,
обычаям, ритуалам и манерам поведения, которые являются частями культуры. Существуют
культурные идиомы, специфичные для каждой нации, а также культуры, специфичные для
каждой нации. Культурные идиомы выражают ценности нации, к которой они принадлежат.
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Хотя эффективное использование людьми языковых навыков зависит от словарного запаса,
язык становится эффективным методом общения только при его идиоматическом
использовании. Использование идиоматического языка помогает людям интегрироваться в
культуру. Исследовательская проблема и цель данного исследования состоит в том, чтобы
выяснить, как английская и сингальская культуры влияют на различные типы
идиоматического употребления. Важность исследования заключается в том, что
исследователь ожидает, что результаты этой статьи будут полезны для других
преподавателей и исследователей. Исследователь может включить полезную информацию,
такую как список идиом и т.д.

Ключевые слова: Сравнительное исследование, культурные идиомы, метафорическое,

образное, литература, ритуалы, религия

1. Introduction

This paper focuses on a comparative study of idioms in English and Sinhala languages to find
how culture shapes idioms.

Language is a part of culture. Therefore, idioms mirror a particular culture. In this study, the focus
is on English idioms which reflects English culture and Sinhala idioms which mirror Sinhala
culture.

Figure 1-Relationship between Language, Culture and idioms

2. Literature Review
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Cultural Aspect of idioms

slangs, colloquialism, idioms and proverbs originated from culture (Smith, 2011).

Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871 said that culture is "that complex
whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, language, custom, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." (Polmar education,2023).

culture is at the heart of communication. (Yagiz and Izadpanah, 2013)

Sinhala language

Sinhala belongs to the Indic group of the Indo-European family of languages and is also described
as an Indo-Aryan language

The prototype of the Sinhala language is said to have been brought to Sri Lanka by a group of
emigrants led by a princeling named Vijaya from north India around the 6th century BC.

Paranavithana and Nicholas in the book ‘Concise History of Ceylon’, have identified by the 3 rd
century CE, use of language which has been termed as ‘Old Sinhalese’.

By about 1250 the literary language had attained a form from which it has varied little since,
although the modern spoken language differs considerably from it.This divergence between the
literary and spoken discourse may arise because of the political vicissitudes experience by Sri
Lanka from the 11 century onwards. Literary activities were confines to the small group of people
in monastery whereas the spoken language developed on its own.

English language

On the other hand English language developed from the old English phase of the 5 th to 7 th
centuries AD with the progressive convergence of the written and spoken languages. According to
Sinusoid in 2021, a classification of the stages of development of the English language identifies
three consecutive periods;

1) The Anglo – Saxon and Old English phase, in which some Germanic peoples invaded and
settled down in England in the period 5th – 7th centuries AD, bringing with them a language which
evolved into Old English.

2) The Middle – English phase commencing with the Norman conquest of 1066.

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3) The modern English phase commencing from around the 16th century and continuing to the
present day.

In the very first period, Old English was achieving a written form and literacy increased at least
among the elite sections of society because of the activities of the Christian missionaries who
commenced work in England at the tail end of the 6th century.

One feature of the English language which is of central importance is that it has developed
organically through many vicissitudes and political upheavals.

For an instance, the Viking invasions took place in the period 8 – 10th centuries AD, and led to the
establishment of an area ruled by them – the ‘Danelaw’, in northeastern England. However, as one
analyst has pointed out,

“The linguistic stamp of the Danelaw can still be observed in England today, as the Viking invaders
infused Old English with new loanwords taken from their Old Norse languages …

The importation of Scandinavian words also made the Old English language more flexible, because
these words often supplemented words that already existed in Old English instead of completely
replacing them. This gave Old English a host of synonyms and doublets that allowed different
words to be used to express slightly different ideas. Old English also absorbed syntax and
grammatical structure from Old Norse, a testament to the language’s fluidity, even at this early
stage in its development.”

The Norman conquest of 1066 also did not impede the development of the English language. That
was a change of ruling elites only, but beneath that, the development of the English language took
place and it is in 1387 that we see the first significant literary work in English by Chaucer. The
English language had by then evolved from ‘Old English’ to ‘Middle English’.

By the 17th century English was evolving into Modern English.

As the writer we have earlier quoted has stated,

“At this time, English began to be regarded for its potential as a language of literature. No writer
took greater advantage of the incredible flexibility and richness of the English language than
Shakespeare.

By 1640, there were over 20,000 titles available in English, more than there had ever been. As
printed works produced by London printers began to spread across the country, local London
spelling conventions gradually began to supplant local variations.

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The first steps toward standardization only began with the invention of the printing press in the
15th century and the gradual spread of written works (and thus, literacy) throughout England.”

3. Data collection

Primary data

Both Sinhala and English idioms were collected by having one to one casual interviews with native
speakers of English and Sinhala as primary data.

Secondary Data

The data gathered through mobile app, books, journals, blogs and internet are used as secondary
data in this research. Most of the English idioms are collected through the mobile app of “English
idioms and phrases” which contain 250 idioms.

4. Methodology

This study is a corpus-based study. 250 highly frequent idioms from both Sinhala and English are
used. We analyze idioms as follows,

1 Sinhala equivalents for English idioms (Table 1)

2 Possible direct translations from English to Sinhala (Table 2)

3 Sinhala idioms which do not have English equivalents (Table 3)

4 Idioms which refer to English manners and practices (Table 4)

5 English food and beverages-based idioms (Table 5)

6 Idioms based on food in Sri Lanka (Table 6)

7 Idioms from English literature (Table 7)

8 Idioms originating from the Bible (Table 8)

9 Idioms based on Buddhism (Table 9)

5. Data Analysis

Table 1-Sinhala equivalents for English idioms

Sinhala Meaning English Meaning Special Remarks

idiom equivalent
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Kaju kanna Kaju (cashew) Piece of something Cake is a popular food in
wage Kanna (eat) cake easily done western culture while
Wage (like) cashew is very common in
Like eating Sri Lanka
cashew
Mora Mora (big round It’s raining Heavy Sinhala idiom come up with
soorana fruit) cat and sustain the imagery of fruit (mora)
wassa Sooorana dogs downpour while English idiom come
(scratch) up with the imagery of
Wassa (rain) animals
Heavy Rain
which also
unexpected
brings mora
fruits
Anu Anu nawaya (99) Narrow A narrow
nawayen Beruna (saved) Shave escape from
beruna or
avoidance
of a
situation,
often an
unfavorable
or
dangerous
one
Andara Andara (there is Double gibberish: Connotation of Tamil
demala no meaning for Dutch language. Tamils are an
this word in ethnic group who coexist in
Sinhala) Sri Lanka and their
Demala (Tamil) language is Tamil.
Apabransha Eastern classical Everything referring to
language is Greek to an
me expression
that is
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 difficult to
understand
for the
sayer. It is
commonly
used for
complex or
imprecise
expression.
Atha deema Atha (hand) Helping Assistance Both idioms
Deema (give) hand with a task, Remark about the helping
or a person hand metaphorically
who
provides
such
assistance.
Ahase tharu Ahase(in the Killing To spend Counting stars in the sky is
ganinawa sky) time time doing way to kill time.
Tharu (stars) something
Ganinawa while one is
(counting ) waiting.
Anthima Anthima (last) The last The final This is a direct translation
thurumbuwa Thurumbuwa triumph and utmost but the word
(triumph) action “thurumbuwa”, a borrowed
which leads word from Dutch. This has
to apositive happened as part of Sri
outcome Lanka was a Dutch colony.
Moreover, card games are
western oriented games.
Kukula Kukula Coming Coming
athin (rooster)athin(ha with the very early
aragena nd) milk
Aragena(take)
Ira handa Ira(sun) Seen it all To have
dutu experienced
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 handa(moon) a lot of
Dutu(seen) things, or to
know about
a lot of
things, so
that you are
not shocked
or surprised
easily
Kokatath Kokatath (for Panacea A remedy
thylaya anything) for all ills for all
Thylaya(oil) difficulties
Ulpandam Ul(sharp) Support to Helping to
denawa Pandam(torch) the hilt the
Denawa (give) maximum
extent
possible or
as fully as
possible.
Saayama Saayama Loose your Losing the
giya (dye)giya(gone) gloss high regard
which you
were held
in.
Upasaka Upasaka (person To be Having or
balala who follow sil) Holier than showing the
balala (cat) thou annoying
attitude of
people who
believe that
they are
morally
better than
everyone

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 else.
Kenda Kenda (tiny Making Exaggerate
kanda string) kanda mountain the
kireema (mountain) out of the importance
kireema (doing) molehill of
something
trivial.
Thelen kaaa Thelen (oil)kaaa Living a A lifestyle
Kiren atha (ate)Kiren (with Champaign involving
sedeema milk) atha life style the
sedeema enjoyment
(washing hands) of luxuries
and
expensive
pleasures.
Mulu Mulu To the last To stake
sesathama (all)sesathama(c penny one’s entire
ultural item like possession.
spear)
Kasu Kusu kusuwa Hush hush Whispering
kusuwa (sound of
whispering )
Kunu Kunu Dirt cheap Buy things
kolleta (garbage )kolleta for a very
(snatching cheap price
forcefully) which is not
fair.
Ispillak Ispillak papillak Dot the Be ultra
papillak (additional parts “I”s and meticulous
naara which add to the cross the and precise
letters) naara “t”s
(without
missing)

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It is a surprise to find Sinhala equivalents for English idioms though cultures are completely
different from one to another.

It is easy to see how Sinhala and English idioms shape according to culture. For instance, Ispillak
papillak (additional parts which add to the letters) naara (without missing) unique to Sinhala
language and the structure of the alphabet. On the other hand in English Dot the “I”s and cross the
“t”s. express the nature of English alphabet. But both idioms express the same core meaning with
slight differences; in English it means to pay a great deal of attention to the details of something
especially when you are trying to complete a task. But in Sinhala we use the phrase in the context
of elaborating a story or retell with each and every detail.

Another example is thelen kaa Kiren atha sedeema Thelen (oil) kaaa (ate)Kiren (with milk) atha
sedeema (washing hands). In this case milk and oil symbolized prosperity. On the other hand, in
English it says Living a Champaign life style. Champagne is a sparkling wine originated and
produced in the Champagne wine region of France and it became associated with royalty in the 17
th
,18 th, and 19th centuries and is a luxury beverage. The intended meaning of the both idioms are a
lifestyle filled with luxurious and expensive thigs.

Table 2-Possible direct translations from English to Sinhala

Sinhala Idiom Meaning English Idiom Meaning

Handa illa Handa (moon) Cry for the moon To ask for something that is very
adeema Illa (request) difficult or impossible to get.
Adeema (cry)
Nawa eliyak Nawa(new) New light
eliyak(light) To perceive, regard, or
understand someone or
something in a new, typically
more positive way.
Lanuwak kaala Lanuwak(rope) Sallow the dead rope Fell for somebody’s trick
kaala(ate)
Ath pa abanda Ath (hands) pa Bound hand and foot To not be able to act freely or do
thaba (legs) abanda what you want because
thaba (tie) something prevents you

Diva deke Diva (tongue) deke Double tongued Deceitful or hypocritical in

miniha (two) miniha speech

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 (man)
Kalukade Kalu (Black) Black market An illegal traffic or trade in
Kade (tiny shop) officially controlled or scarce
commodities.
Yaka nagala Yaka(devil) Get the devil into you Furious
Nagala (raised)
Wata uda Wata (fence) On the fence Not able to decide one way or
siteema Uda (on) another
Siteema (stay)
On the fence
Mada gaseema Mada (mud) Sling mud Disgracing
Gaseema(hit)
Hit with mud
Bora diye Bora diye (muddy Fishing in trouble Try to take advantage of a
maalu alleema water) maalu water confused situation.
alleema (fishing)
Kala nithiya Kala (jungle) Law of the jungle A situation in which people do
nithiya (law) whatever they want to or
whatever is necessary to survive
or succeed.
Sudu hunu Sudu hunu (white White wash Whitewashing is the act of
gaama wash) gaama glossing over or covering up
vices, crimes or scandals or
exonerating by means of a
perfunctory investigation or
biased presentation of data with
the intention to improve one's
reputation.
Kara Langata Kara(neck) Up to the neck Deeply involved in or affected
ereema Langata (near) by something.
ereema (engulf)
Sudu aliyek Sudu(white) White elephant a possession entailing great
aliyek(elephant) expense out of proportion to its
usefulness or value to the owner

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Tharu penuna Tharu (stars ) Saw stars You are totally astounded by
penuna (saw) something done or said.
Golubeli Golubeli (snail’s) Snail pace Very slowly
gamana gamana(travel)
Pora kukula Pora (fight) Fighting cock An aggressive person.
kukula(rooster)

Above idioms are direct translations such as cry for moon (Sanda illa andeema), on the fence (wata
uda siteema) etc. The researcher assumed that this can happen because Sri Lanka was a colony of
Great Britain from 1796 to 1948. Due to the language contact English idioms can be directly
translated to Sinhala.

Table 3-Sinhala idioms which do not have English equivalents

Idioms Meaning Definition

Ihe malak pipila Ihe(head) malak(flower) Extreme happiness
pipila(bloomed)
Blooming flower in the head
Wathure giya Wathure(water) giya(gone) Wasted
Panata panamen Panata(life) panamen (like a life) Very friendly
Ahasa polawa gatalamin Ahasa(sky) polawa(ground) Deep thinking
gatalamin(tie)
Pin gona Pin (merits Person who is dependent
Gona (bull) upon others
Wale wal nathiwa Wale (creeper) wal nathiwa(no) Great economic hardship
Hatata hate Hatata hate (60 for 60) Speedy
Gonata andala Gonata (bull) andala (dress as a To make a fool of
Ange maalu natanawa Ange maalu (flesh of the body) Furious
Natanawa(dancing)
Angili ganimin siteema Angili (fingers) Waiting impatiently
ganimin siteema (counting)
counting fingers
Diven diva gagena Diven diva (tongue) gagena Being too friendly
Touching tongue to tongue
Sudu loonu podi kireema Sudu loonu (garlic) We listen to lie knowing it

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 podi kireema (mash) is a lie
mash garlic
Paduratath nokiya yama Paduratath (mat) Leaving without saying
Nokiya yama anything even to the closest
Leaving without informing the mat ones
on which one sleeps
Deviyange haal kawila Deviyangegod’s) haal(rise) kawila Ill behaving as if gone mad
wage wage (like eaten)
Like has eaten God’s rice
Amu kawila Amu (kind of a grainwhich must be Bewildered and act
cooked in particular method, if not it irrationally
makes you tipsy) kawila (eaten)
Like eaten amu
Athamaaruwak Atha (hand Getting a loan
Maruwak (exchange)
Iha nikata bala Iha(head) Judge a person by observing
Nikata (chin) the nature of the man
Bala (see)
Looking at the head and chin
Sikuratama Sikuratama (for a certainty) To be sure/certain
Hari hatharas widihata Hari (exact) hatharas (square) Perfect
widihata (way)
An exact square
Badata gahanawa Badata (stomach) Destroying the income
Gahanawa (hitting) source of a person
Hitting to the stomach
Eka paine kamathi Eka (one) Like something without
Paine (foot) doubts
Kamathi (like)
Like by one foot
Hubas biya Hubas (anthill) biya (fear) Unreasonable fear
Fear for anthill
Hora gal ahulanawa Hora (fake) Prepared to do something
Gal (stone) secretly

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 Ahulanawa (picking)
Picking fake stones
Ibagathe yaama Ibagathe(wandering) yaama (going) Wandering without purpose
Kanen ringuwa Kanen (through ear) ringuwa Cheating
(creeping)
Creeping through the ear
Athabulak se daneema Athabulak se (Indian Gooseberry in Know everything
the palm)
Daneema (knowing)
Mune dali gaawa Mune (face) Disgracing
Dali (soot)
Gaawa (apply)
Apply soot in the face
Angen kiri deweema Angen (from horn) Doing an impossible thing
kiri deweema ( milking)
milking from the horn
Wawul watha Wawu l(bat) Take the side of whoever
Watha (way) wins
Way of the bat
hanamity Hana (jutes) Ultra conservative
Mity (a collection)
Ibi pihatu seweema Ibi (turtle) pihatu (feathers ) Try to do impossible thing
seweema (finding )

This chart brings out Sinhala idioms without English equivalents because these idioms are unique
to Sinhala culture. As an example, Deviyange haal kawila wage Deviyange god’s) haal (rice)
kawila wage (like eaten) ‘As if eaten God’s rice’ is used in the context of ill behaving like gone
mad. Usually in Sri Lanka the best things like best fruits, food, the very first share of the harvest is
offered to God, and if somebody eats such thing before offering to the God, people believe that
person will be cursed. “Deva Daane” or offerings for god is a common practice in Sri Lanka.
Therefore, such idiom was originated based on the culture. Another instance is Pin gona Pin
(merits) Gona (bull) which mean the bull who is about to be slaughtered has been rescued by giving
money for the sake of pin “merits” for next life which will bring good karma. It is believed that
resecuring animals who are about to be slaughtered is a kind of “abhaya daanaya deema” one of the

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basic practices in Buddhism and as a result people may live long. Most of the time these types of
bulls will give freely to needy people who will treat this bull dearly. Since this bull is given freely it
is used to refer a person who is dependent upon others. These customs, rituals, practices are
common in Sinhala culture but not in English culture. That’s why the researcher could not find
equivalents.

Some examples from English culture with reference to good manners and practices. Following
examples were taken from the website Learn English today in 2023

Table 4 - Idioms which refer to English manners and practices

Idioms which refer to English manners and practices

Idiom Meaning Example

black tie event A black-tie event "I need to know if it's going to be a
is a formal event at casual get-together or a black-tie event."
which men are
required to wear a
dinner jacket, or
tuxedo, and a
black bow tie.

To say that "The President was greeted with much

someone is bowing bowing and scraping."
bow and scrape
and scraping
means that they are
being excessively
polite or
subservient.

the done thing The correct way to "Wearing jeans to play golf is not the
behave in a done thing in this club. "
particular social
situation is called

15
 the done thing.

excuse/pardon my The expression "He's a bloody nuisance, if you'll excuse

French excuse/pardon my my French."
French is used as
an apology for
using crude or
offensive
language.

Gatecrash If someone "We need volunteers to keep an eye out

gatecrashes, they for gatecrashers tonight."
attend a private
social event
without being
invited.

mind/watch your The expression "Your grandfather won't tolerate

language mind/watch your rudeness, so mind your language when
language is used to we go to visit him!"
warn someone to
be careful what
they say so as not
to upset or offend
anyone.

mind your Ps and If you tell someone "Politeness is very important to my

Qs to mind their Ps grandparents, so mind your Ps and Qs."
and Qs, you are
advising them to
be careful about
how they behave
and what they say.

overstep the mark If you overstep the "Jenny is angry with her son. He
mark, you go too overstepped the mark when he called his
far and upset grandfather an 'old fool'."
someone by saying
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 something or
behaving in a way
that is
unacceptable.

speak out of turn If someone speaks "At the first meeting I was afraid of
out of turn, either speaking out of turn."
they intervene at
the wrong moment
or they say
something tactless
or inappropriate.

stand on ceremony When people stand "We'd be delighted to come and see you
on ceremony, they but please don't stand on ceremony."
behave in a very
formal way.

strike a false note If you strike a false "He struck a false note when he arrived
note, you do at the cocktail party wearing old jeans."
something wrong,
unsuitable or
inappropriate.

time-honoured A custom that is "Guests were greeted by shaking hands

practice universally according to a time-honored practice."
respected, or a
traditional way of
doing something,
is called a time-
honoured practice.

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(learn English today, 2023)

Good manners, politeness and social etiquettes are extremely significant elements of English
culture. Above idioms show the impact of culture on idioms.

Various food reflects the culture. Food is unique from culture to culture. Bread and butter, bacon,
pie, cake, champagne and beer are common food and beverages in western culture, specially in
English culture.

Here are some food related idioms which is taken from ECenglish.com in2023

Table 5- English Food and beverages-based idioms

Food and beverages-based idioms

Idiom Meaning
A piece of cake When something is a piece of cake it is very
easy to do.

Bread and butter Things which are bread and butter are the basic
income you need to survive e.g. food. It is also
used to describe the job or activity that
provides you with the money you need to live.

Bring home the bacon Like the idiom above, this also means to earn
money to live.

Cheap as chips When something is as cheap as chips it is very

cheap.(Potato Chips)

Finger in every pie
Have one's own cake and eat it
When someone has a finger in every pie they
are involved in many activities and have a lot
of influence or power.
To want more than you can handle or deserve;
to try to have two incompatible things: you
cannot eat the cake and still have it.

Champagne taste on a beer budget If someone has a champagne taste on a beer

budget, it means that they like expensive things
18
 but they can’t afford it.

(EC English.com , 2023)

Table 6-idioms based on food in Sri Lanka

Idiom Literal meaning Intended meaning

Eka haliye bath kaa aya Eka (one) haliye (pot) bath kaa People who live close and
(ate) aya (people) together
Kaju kanna wage Kaju (cashew) kanna (ate) wage Easy to do something
(like)
Amu kavila Amu(amu grain) kavila (eaten) Go wild
Lunu ambul athiwa Lunu (salt) ambu l(sour athiwa Harshly scolding
baninawa (with) baninawa (scolding)
Dali pihiyen kiri kaama Dali pihiyen (razor) kiri (curd) Doing a risky thing
kaama (eating)
Kiri ithirila Kiri (milk) ithirila (over flow) Prosperous
Lunu nathi hodda wage Lunu (salt) nathi (without) hodda Imperfect
(broth) wage(like)

In Sri Lanka there is a great food variety but few idioms were originated based on food and
beverages.

Idioms from English literature

Your dictionary .com presents following idioms which originated from famous poems, plays or
novels.

Table 7- Idioms from English literature

Idiom Meaning Origin Author

Break the ice this phrase is used to refer to The Taming of

relieving tension or getting to know the Shrew.

19
 someone better, usually by making
small talk

Wear my heart upon my Today, people use this phrase to Othello

sleeve mean that they are showing their
real feelings about something

Set my teeth on edge Today the phrase is used to express Henry IV, Part 1,
distaste for something, particularly
annoyance, and also discomfort,
like the noise of nails dragging on a
chalkboard.

There's method in my Even though your action seems Hamlet

Shakespeare
madness random, you have a purpose to
them

The world is my oyster This phrase says the world is full of The Merry Falstaff
possibilities and you can do Wives Of
anything. Windsor

Pot calling the kettle This phrase suggests that one Don Quixote Cervantes
black shouldn't accuse or criticize
another of something they're also
guilty of.

Love is blind Loving someone makes you unable The Canterbury Chaucer
to see their faults Tales

Mad as a hatter completely insane; crazy Alice’s Lewis

Adventures in Carroll
Wonderland

Literature is one of the cultural heritages. English literature has gifted thousands of idioms to the
language.

When we compare Sinhala idioms it is hard to find idioms which originated from literary texts but
according to the researcher’s observation, Sinhala idioms evolved from oral tradition instead of
written texts. The researcher conducted an interview with a field expert and he pointed out there is
a huge gap between Sinhala written discourse and spoken discourse. Even there are two different
20
grammars for each because of the written tradition has its own characteristics. Moreover, most of
old literature was based on Buddhism. So religious texts like Ama wathura, Lo wada sangarawa,
Buthsarana,Saddharma Rathnawaliya, Saddharmalankaraya and Jathaka katha have their own
written tradition. But writers like reverend Dharmmasena who wrote Saddharma Rathnawaliya has
used many proverbs and idioms from colloquial discourse and he has tried to change the written
tradition. Therefore, most of the idioms originated in colloquial spoken discourse but not vice
versa.

Idioms from religion

Improve your English.com present following idioms by referring the King James version of the
bible. (KJV) , English standard version (ESV) and new international version.

Table 8- idioms originated from the Bible

Idiom Meaning Biblical scripture

Bite the dust To be humiliated Psalms 72:9 “They that dwell

in the wilderness shall bow
before him; and his enemies
shall lick the dust.” (KJV)

Broken heart You are in great sorrow Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is nigh
and despair due to some unto them that are of a broken
incident or occurrence. heart; and saveth such as be of
a contrite spirit” (KJV)

By the skin of your teeth If you do something by the Job 19:20 “My bone cleaveth
skin of your teeth, you only to my skin and to my flesh, and
just succeed in the face of I am escaped with the skin of
lot of difficulties. my teeth.” (KJV)

Can a leopard change his This means a person can’t Jeremiah 13:23 “Can the
spots? change their essential Ethiopian change his skin, or
nature – especially when the leopard his spots? then may
they have an inherently ye also do good, that are
negative quality accustomed to do evil.” (KJV)

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A drop in the bucket A drop in the bucket is a Isaiah 40:15 “Behold, the
small, inadequate quantity, nations are as a drop of a
Or a drop in the ocean.
or an insignificant bucket, and are counted as the
contribution towards a small dust of the balance:
larger problem. behold, he takes up the isles as
fine dust”(ESV)

Fly in the ointment A fly in the ointment is a Ecclesiastes 10:1 “Dead flies
drawback or a detrimental make the perfumer’s ointment
factor give off a stench; so a little
folly outweighs wisdom and
honor.”ESV)

Lamb to the slaughter This animal idiom from the Jeremiah 11:19 “I had been like
Bible comes from the days a gentle lamb led to the
when people would slaughter; I did not realize that
sacrifice animals. A lamb they had plotted against me,
would obediently follow, saying, “Let us destroy the tree
unaware of its impending and its fruit; let us cut him off
fate. from the land of the living, that
his name be remembered no
more.”(NIV)
So, when someone does
something innocently,
without realizing the danger
or catastrophe that lies
ahead, we might say they
do it like a lamb to the
slaughter

See eye to eye If two people or parties see Isaiah 52:8 “Thy watchmen
eye to eye, they are in shall lift up the voice; with the
agreement or have the same voice together shall they sing:
view on a matter for they shall see eye to eye,
when the LORD shall bring
again Zion.” (KJV)

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There’s nothing new under There’s nothing new under Ecclesiastes 1:9 “What has
the sun the sun is a way of saying been is what will be, and what
that everything has been has been done is what will be
seen before; there is done, and there is nothing new
nothing new or original under the sun.” (ESV)
these days

Blind leading the blind The blind leading the blind Matthew 15:13-14 “Let them
refers to a situation where alone: they be blind leaders of
people lacking in skill or the blind. And if the blind lead
knowledge are being led or the blind, both shall fall into
guided by others who are the ditch.” (KJV)
equally inept.

Cast the first stone The person to cast the first John 8:7 “And as they
stone is the it is something continued to ask him, he stood
impossible to do according up and said to them, “Let him
one’s own conscious who is without sin among you
be the first to throw a stone at
her.”” (ESV)

Go the extra mile To go the extra mile is to Matthew 5:41 “If anyone
do more or make a greater forces you to go one mile, go
effort than is expected of with them two miles.” (NIV)
you.

Good Samaritan A good Samaritan is Luke 10:30-37, the Parable of

someone who unselfishly the Good Samaritan.
and compassionately helps
23
 others in need, particularly
strangers whom his own
race or religious group
neglected.

Majority of English populace are Christians. The Bible is the religious text of Christians. There are
hundreds of biblical idioms.

Table 9 - Idioms based on Buddhism

Idiom Literal Meaning Religious concept Intended meaning

Ata Ata (8) Not knowing the pansil Illiterate
paha nodaneema Paha(5) nodaneema and atasil which are
( not knowing) basic precepts.

Amu apaya Amu (pure) apaya If you do bad deeds you Terrible place to live
(hell) may end up in hell in
next birth due to bad
karma
Upasaka balala Upasaka (follower of Upasaka is the Buddhist Person who pretends to
Buddhism) follower who accepted be a good person
Balala(cat) Lord Buddha, Dhamma
and Sanga
Baka thapas Baka (fake) thapas Thapas rakeema means Act as a self -governed
rakeema rakeema (live as a live as a hermit who good person
hermit) deviated from the crowd
and live in a peaceful
place like a forest all
alone.

Majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists. Thripitaka, Jathaka tales,Dhamma padaya, Pujawaliya are
some of the major Buddhist religious texts. But it is hard to find idioms which derived from these

24
texts. This again shows the small impact of literary traditions on Sinhala idioms. But there are a
few religious idioms which are used in spoken discourse as follows.

Sinhala and English flourishes with idioms. Idiom is a mirror of culture and clearly reflects cultural
features of a nation. Sometimes it is rather hard for language learners who do not belong to the
source culture to comprehend idioms, Therefore, it is important to learn idiom’s cultural
connotation such as geography, history, religion, customs, sports &entertainments, fables &
mythologies, literary works, etc. because they are parts of subcultures. (Wang, 2017)

6. Conclusion

This study shows that idioms are used in both Sinhala and English cultures but idioms are unique
unique to each culture. Therefore, translating idioms from English to Sinhala is a hard task. Some
idioms with cultural references are hard to define. Moreover, hidden meanings of idioms can be
acquired if it is the mother tongue. If it is a second language we can learn by using different
methods such as online games, mobile apps, by watching videos etc. Knowledge and usage of
idioms are really important in day today conversation.

There are Sinhala idioms with English equivalents but objects of the idioms are unique from culture
to culture. For an instance, “mulu sesathama” which mean all the things in possession equal to
“the last penny”. But sesatha is a Sinhala cultural item which can be translated as majestic
sunshade but is symbol of status, respect and authority which can be only seen in Sinhala culture.
But in English idiom “penny” is common object to English culture. Though these two idioms
convey the same hidden meaning the expressions are shaped by the culture.

It is easy to categorized English idioms into action, animals, appearance, body parts, comparisons,
food and drinks, sports, numbers etc. But it is hard to categorized Sinhala idioms.

A lot of English idioms are derived from the Bible which is the basic religious text. Sinhala culture
is nourished with Buddhism. Piruwana poth wahanse, Jathaka katha (Jathaka tales),Thripitakaya are
major religious texts in Buddhism. But it is hard to find Sinhala idioms which derived from
religious texts of Buddhism. Moreover, hundreds of English idioms are originated from famous
literary texts but in Sinhala it is hard to find the idioms from literary texts.

Idioms originate in different languages, and language and culture are also closely linked with each
other. This study shows the close link between idioms and the culture. As we have shown,
sometimes idioms may be received and translated from one language to another. However most
often idioms cannot be directly translated because the literal meaning often differs from the
25
figurative meaning which is unique to a particular culture. Idioms with cultural references are hard
to define in another language or translate to another language. Communicating effectively in
English requires knowledge and use of English idioms even though it is learnt as a second
language; knowledge and use of idioms are very important in day to day conversation.

7. Recommendation

In Sri Lanka under national curriculum Sinhala idioms are taught from grade 4 to grade 13 as the
mother tongue. On the other hand, teaching English idioms are not included in the national
curriculum. Since idioms are interconnected with culture it is better to teach idioms as part of
teaching English as a second language from beginner level to advanced level of English
proficiency. Idiomatic usage can be acquired through various methods apart from classroom
teaching, for instance reading, watching movies and videos (even music videos) and use of mobile
apps. Therefore students of English as a second language should be encouraged to use these
methods as well apart from formal classroom teaching. The most basic point, that language and
culture are linked should be a guiding principle in teaching of a second language.

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