#Sinhala Script

[languagexs]

Exploring the Richness of Sinhala: Sinhalese Language of Sri Lanka

Unveiling the Captivating World of the Sinhala Language The Sinhalese language is a linguistic gem with deep roots in Sri Lanka’s vibrant culture and history. With its melodious tones and ancient origins, this Indo-Aryan language has fascinated linguists and culture enthusiasts alike. This article explores the fascinating intricacies of the Sinhala language, exploring its development, its…

[timetravellingkitty]

if a random person saw hindi next to urdu they could definitely tell which is which and if that same person saw punjabi next to hindi they could probably tell the difference are there any scripts which look similar enough to confuse for each other?

I think the kannada and sinhala scripts look similar enough to be confused for each other

[hadleysmis]

Timeline of Les Misérables adaptations and more that I've mentioned in this account

Long post

1903: Su Manshu's translation. Les Mis becomes a vessel for political arguments in regards to the Qing Dynasty and the political climate of China.

1926: Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh makes a translation of Les Mis in Quốc-ngữ (modern Vietnamese script) and subsequently makes a political argument against the colonial mindset of France.

Hồ Biểu Chánh makes an adaptation of the novel within the same year and by doing so, used Les Mis as symbolic resistance against the French cultural aggression. It is titled Ngọn Cỏ Gió Đùa; a name which the Vietnamese population would call the story rather than the French title.

1927: Budnaseeb, the first Urdu translation, is written. It was heavily abridged, not making it past 300 pages.

1938: Kyojinndenn, an Edo and Meiji Restoration period retelling of Les Misérables, is made. June rebellion is replaced with the Seinan war. Marius' legacy was of the samurai. Hadley guesses that the overall message was anti-war. Since it is technically lost media, I cannot find much opinions surrounding the topic.

1950: Ezhai Padum Padu, a Tamil movie, is made. It majorly focuses on Javert and Jean Valjean's story. It is set during the Indian pre-independence era.

1955: Kundan, a Hindi movie, is made. This retelling of Les Mis is set before and during the Quit India Movement, with the June rebellion being replaced by the protests of the said movement. It uses real life footages of the protests, such as speeches, in the movie.

1956: Duppathage Dukha, a Sinhala movie, is made. Not much information can be found about it, but there is a debate about how some aspects of it were copied from Kundan.

1961: Jean Valjean, a Korean movie, is made. It is lost media, and I can't find any more information about it.

1967: Sefiller, a Turkish movie, is made. The impact was so strong that Turkish people are said to immediately think of Sefiller rather than the original novel by Victor Hugo.

1969: One of the Japanese translations, called Aa mujyou, is written. There's illustration, but it wouldn't be coloured in until 1978.

1972: Beedala Patlu, a Telugu movie, is made. I haven't talked much about this adaptation unfortunately. It is set during the Indian pre-independence era.

1973: Minamoto Tarou makes a gag manga of Les Misérables. It is full of slapstick humour despite it following many key events of the book, although there are major changes near the end. The series ran until 1974.

1974: Lebanon makes a series adapting Les Misérables. Apart from short translated scenes, I haven't gathered much information about it very unfortuantely.

1976: Anime retellings of fairytales and old stories are broadcasted. One of the stories includes Les Misérables. It largely focuses on the story of Jean Valjean and Cosette, and ends when the two successfully sneak into the convent.

1979: Jean Valjean monogatari is broadcasted. Within Les Mis fandom, people usually talk about the awkward animation more than anything else.

1984: A manga by Misaki Akira is published. It is very 80's manga-like and it isn't known to be too accurate to the characters from the original book.

1989: Vietnamese movie based on the Hồ Biểu Chánh's adaptation (1926) is made. The director comes back twenty odd years later to make a TV series from the same inspiration.

1996: Korean TV series is made. It is set in the late 80s. For political context, 1988 was the end of the series of military-authoritarian rule of South Korea. Hadley's only watched up to the first two episodes because the loading time is abysmal and he's lazy.

1998: A Japanese fighting game adaption called Arm Joe takes the world by storm. Or it could've. It uses characters from the novel, but does not retell a story. The name is a pun of the popular titles of 'aa mujyou' which Japan uses as an alternative to 'Les Misérables'.

2000-ish: A horror manga by Inuki Kanako is made. It focuses on Cosette's childhood, and finishes with a rushed ending to Cosette and Marius' ending, without Jean Valjean's return after his departure. I couldn't find the exact date of publication.

2006: A peking opera is made about the story of Les Misérables. Even though there is a full upload with subtitles in Chinese, I cannot read it, so I cannot tell you more details.

2007: Shoujo Cosette, focusing on the little girl's life, is broadcasted.

2013: Vietnamese TV show, adapting from Hồ Biểu Chánh's novel with the same director as the 1989's movie, is broadcasted. The Vietnamese population overall, akin to the reaction of the Turkish population with their own adaptation, prefers and thinks of Ngọn Cỏ Gió Đùa instead of the original novel.

Arai Takahiro takes three years, starting from 2013 until 2016, to write his passion project of Les Misérables. It is seen as one of the most faithful adaptation to date, along with iconic beast analogies which made the manga stand out from other various adaptations.

A performance is carried out by Chung Ying Theatre Company in Hong Kong.

Türkiye uses Do You Hear the People Sing in their Gezi Park protests. The protests were fighting for protecting Gezi Park and the public places, defending freedom of speech and right to assembly, banning the usage of chemical gas by state forces against protesters, the resignation of the Erdoğan's government, free media, and fair elections

2014: Manga classics (Hong Kong) is published. It is seen as a nice starting point for the general population to get to know of the story, most likely from Cosette's storyline, but I haven't heard much from within the fandom specifically. Unlike other manga, this is more easily acessible to an anglophone audience.

2015: An Urdu translation, not abridged, is finally published. It nears the 1900 pages mark. It is titled Mizraab. This was scene as a massive improvement from the original approx. 250 paged translation.

A Korean original musical soundtrack debuted. It's a bit pop-y and rock-y.

2016?: An erotica manga is published. It 'tells the story' of Fantine, and the main ship is her and Jean Valjean. I personally do not recommend it. Javert has long, luxurious hair though.

In order to encourage English literacy, a performance in English took place in Hong Kong, encouraging young students to come and watch and take pre-show and post-show lessons and briefings in order to understand the story and theatre storytelling better.

South Korea used Do You Hear the People Sing in a protest against the then-president Park Geun-hye, fighting to hold her accountable for favouritism/influence from non polical figure(s) in political subjects, corruption, and extortion (to Chaebols). The protest lasted until 2017.

South Korea publishes a children's adaptation of Les Misérables: Les Misérables for lower age students (Athena Publishing).

2017: A book with illustrations titled gū xīng lèi is published. Gū xīng lèi is a common title of Les Misérables in traditional Chinese/Cantonese (I don't know which one).

2018: An illustration book depicting Les Misérables characters as anthropomorphic animals is published. The front cover says it's a beginning half, but as of yet, there hasn't been the second part published. The story ends after Jean Valjean successfully runs away with Cosette from having saved her from slavery from the Thénardiers.

A Japanese audiobook titled 'Jean Valjean and Javert' is made. It gives Javert's backstory as a cruel, black and white inspector. It also focuses on Jean Valjean and Cosette's familial relationship.

2019: A TV movie called Owarinakitabiji is broadcasted. It replaces rebellious aspects of the public with natural disasters (earthquakes). The story focuses on Jean Valjean's storyline.

The first ever government-approved adaptation of the musical Les Misérables in performed in Tehran. There are many changes which makes this adaptation unique, reflecting the artistic state of theatre in Iran.

2020: A Thai-inspired fantasy retelling of Les Misérables, named 'A Wish in the Dark' is published.

2022: Sri Lanka uses the song Do You Hear the People Sing in the midst of mass protests called Aragalaya ('The Struggle'). The protests criticised the mismanagement of the government in regards to the economic sector and the following crisis, severe inflation, daily blackouts, shortage of fuel and domestic gas and other essential goods. They also called to end the nepotism of the president's family.

Japan performs mijimenaru hitobito, a stage adaption of Les Misérables.

A Korean company publishes children's retelling of Les Misérables as a book with coloured illustrations.

A Korea company publishes another illustration book. It is short and concise, overwhelmingly focusing on Jean Valjean's storyline, with the June rebellion only taking the space of one page.

2023: Mandarin play, in joint collaboration with the Chinese and French government, takes place. It runs until January of 2024. Its aim was to be as accurate as they could be to the book, including reciting excerpts in French. It is also an original musical.

A manga based largely on Les Misérables movie starring Liam Neeson is made by Team Banmikasu.

2024: A ballet performance by the Momoko Tani Ballet production takes place.

A manga titled 'Dear friends of L'Heure Bleu' debuted. It focuses on Enjolras' storyline, and begins with him recruiting people for the cause, on his way of forming what becomes to be Les Amis de l'ABC.

The End

I'm sure I've missed out on a lot of things in general, but also within my account itself lmao.

Okay bye!

[covenawhite66]

1. Ge’ez Script

Ge’ez language is now generally only used as a liturgical language for Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Ge’ez script is used in Amharic, Tigrinya, Bilen, etc.

The Ge’ez script is an alphasyllabic writing system. The syllabary today has 26 consonantal letters with several forms vowel are diacritic marks fused to the letter.

2. Quipu

Incan Empire quipus were recording devices made from string. They were used to record mainly numerical data, such as taxes, census numbers, and calendrical information

These data were recorded onto the string in a series of knots of different types, each denoting different numbers.

3. Tengwar

J.R.R Tolkien writing systems created by J.R.R Tolkien an avid linguist who added his expertise in the field to his creative works of fiction.

One of several writing systems for the languages used in Middle Earth.

4. Rongorongo

Found on Rapa Nui AKA Easter Island. Rongorongo is a series of glyphs about which we know virtually nothing.

5. Sinhala Script

Used by the Sri Lankans to write the Sinhalese language, as well as the holy languages of Pali and Sanskrit, the Sinhala script is easily one of the most beautiful scripts in the world. It is used by the 16 million Sinhala speakers of Sri Lanka.

The Sinhala script is a syllabary and is written from left to right.

6. Classical Mongolian Script

This writing system enjoyed prominence throughout Mongolia for over 700 years until it was supplanted by the Cyrillic script, a result of being within the Soviet sphere of influence.

Invented by a Uyghur scribe by the name of Tata-Tongoone. Classical Mongolian of the few systems to be written vertically and left to right instead of right to left.

7. Nüshu

Used in Jiangyong County in Hunan Province in Southern China. Because of strict laws of patriarchal Confucianism that forbade women from doing many things.Women invented a writing system that they could claim as their own and as a way of rebelling against the patriarchal system

Nüshu was born and was used for writing personal diaries and letters between close female friends. It has 600 to 700 symbols represent a phonetic syllable.

[commandtower-solring-go]

I can't read Sinhala script but i'm confident this goes off

[mx-poth]

Glyphs in scripts/languages that represent "nya" /ɲa/ Ge'ez: ኛ Brahmic: 𑀜 Burmese: ည Grantha: 𑌞 Gujarati: ઞ Devanagari: ञ Kannada: ಞ Hangul: 냐 Lao: ຍັ Malayalam: ഞ Thaana: ޏަ Oriya: ଞ Punjabi & Sindhi (gurmukhi): ਞ Sindhi (perso-arabic): ڃَ Sindhi (khudabadi): 𑋅 Sinhala: ඦ Tamil: ஞ Telugu: ఞ Tibetan: ཉ

[lokuhapuarachchi]

Sinhala and International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day, observed annually on 21 February, celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity while promoting the preservation and promotion of mother tongues worldwide. This day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 and commemorated since 2000, serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made to protect native languages, notably the Bengali language movement in Bangladesh on 21 February 1952.

The significance of International Mother Language Day lies in its recognition of the importance of linguistic diversity and multilingualism. It honors those who fought for their mother tongues, highlighting the Bengali movement's impact on Sri Lanka's political landscape.

The introduction of the Sinhala Only Act (Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956) on 5 June 1956 replaced English with Sinhala as Sri Lanka's sole official language. Spearheaded by Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, this policy aimed to promote Sinhala and assert Sinhala cultural dominance. However, it marginalized the Tamil-speaking minority, contributing to ethnic tensions and the Sri Lankan Civil War.

While globalization challenges narrow socio-political attitudes like "Sinhala only," it does not diminish the imperative to preserve mother tongues. UNESCO's list of endangered languages underscores the importance of safeguarding linguistic diversity, including Sinhala.

Sinhala, spoken by approximately 16 million worldwide, holds deep cultural and historical significance. Its evolution, influenced by various factors, has yielded a rich literary tradition. The Sinhala script, comprising 58 basic letters, represents consonant-vowel combinations, with additional diacritics altering pronunciation.

Education in one's mother tongue, such as Sinhala, fosters effective learning and cultural preservation. Language also plays a pivotal role in communication, identity formation, and access to opportunities. Promoting multilingualism and linguistic tolerance enhances cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

Efforts to save Sinhala require collective action, including language education, bilingualism promotion, cultural festivals, media support, community engagement, and digital initiatives. Advocacy for language rights and documentation of linguistic heritage are essential steps toward preserving Sinhala for future generations.

By embracing these strategies, individuals and communities can ensure the vitality and relevance of the Sinhala language in Sri Lanka and beyond.

story by / Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi

[dugaodna]

do you have any geoguessr tips by any chance ..... i've always wanted to try and get better at it but it feels very daunting 🧍..............................

honestly literally you only get better through practice unfortunately so i heard theres a free version (another website, i forgot what its called, probably look up 'geoguessr free version') but other than that its best to learn the indicators on signs. for language, work out the signifiers of each language. stuff like letters they use more than in others of the same script (e.g. ъ in bulgarian is used far more often than in other slavic languages) is really useful in europe especially where scripts don't vary as much. after that look out for top-level domain names. .za (south africa) is one that catches people out. but yeah scripts is paramount, especially in southern and southeast asia, learning to tell apart your gujurati and your sinhala is really important. in spanish speaking countries im still finding my footing but you get differences based on currency symbols at petrol stations for example and also from the landscape (you can tell costa rica apart from patagonia). theres probably more stuff like what font and colour they use on the road signs (like how singapore has a distinctive font) but unfortunately the best way to learn is to keep doing them to pick up a Vibe for each country/region first before starting on some rainbolt shit. actually thinking about it you can just go onto google maps and drop in random countries/cities to feel out what is indicative of that area vs. others that are in the same region/speak the same language

[lanzhans]

IT WOULD BE SO NICE IF I COULD FOCUS FULLY ON MANDARIN THO LMAOOO i Will become fluent one day. anyway though what r languages you know/would like to learn?? love u love talking to you!!!!

IF U CAN U SHOULD FOCUS ON MANDARIN!!! rooting for u ily. i think i listed a lot of them in the previous ask but this is a more complete list (of every language that has ever struck my fancy: sindhi, punjabi, balochi, bengali, urdu (i can speak it bc hindi and urdu are spoken basically the same but the script is so hard!), gujurati, marathi, tamil, malayalam, telugu, kannada, nepali, sinhala, korean (i can read the script!), japanese, mandarin, cantonese, thai, khmer, french, italian, spanish (i want to learn how to speak it fast i think it's so cool how spanish speakers speak it so so fast

[pockyyasii]

not the sinhala script 😭

girl are you okay? you’ve been consuming so much media lately that you haven’t allowed yourself to feel one single human emotion for months

[ebelal56-blog]

5 Surprising Ways South and Southeast Asia SHAPED Language Evolution!

Today, let’s dive into the fascinating world of the Indo-Iranian language family, a branch of the larger Indo-European family that has shaped the linguistic landscape of South Asia and even touched parts of Southeast Asia. So, grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let’s explore this linguistic adventure together! First up, we have the Indo-Aryan languages. If you’ve ever traveled through India or even just watched a Bollywood movie, you’ve likely encountered these languages. They’re the largest and most widely spoken group within the Indo-Iranian family, and their story is one of migration, cultural expansion, and trade. Now, let’s talk about the Prakrit languages. These are the Middle Indo-Aryan languages that flourished in ancient and medieval India. Among them, Pali holds a special place, particularly for those interested in Buddhism. It’s the language of the Buddhist scriptures, and its simplicity and clarity have made it an essential part of spiritual study. Imagine monks in ancient monasteries, reciting texts in Pali, preserving wisdom that would transcend generations. Fast forward to today, and we have a plethora of modern Indo-Aryan languages. Hindi, for instance, is spoken by millions across India. It’s not just a language; it’s a cultural phenomenon. With its many dialects, including Hindustani, which serves as the basis for both Hindi and Urdu, it’s a vibrant expression of the diverse Indian identity. And speaking of Urdu, it’s fascinating how it shares roots with Hindi yet takes on a unique flavor with its Perso-Arabic script and influences from Persian and Arabic. It’s a beautiful example of how languages can evolve and adapt, reflecting the cultural exchanges that have taken place over centuries. Then there’s Bengali, the melodic language of Bangladesh and West Bengal, and Punjabi, with its rich traditions and scripts like Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi. Each language tells its own story, enriched by the history and culture of its speakers. Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, and even Sinhala in Sri Lanka—all of these languages contribute to the vibrant linguistic mosaic of South Asia.

[eccentricachiever]

100 ways to say I love you ❤

Isn't it beautiful?

Kannada: ನಾನು ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ (Nānu ninnannu prītisuttiddēne)

Spanish: Te amo

French: Je t'aime

Italian: Ti amo

German: Ich liebe dich

Portuguese: Eu te amo

Dutch: Ik hou van jou

Russian: Я тебя люблю (Ya tebya lyublyu)

Chinese (Mandarin): 我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ)

Japanese: 愛してる (Aishiteru)

Korean: 사랑해 (Saranghae)

Arabic: أحبك (Uḥibbuka / Uḥibbuki)

Hindi: मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ (Main tumse pyaar karta hoon) [for males] / मैं तुमसे प्यार करती हूँ (Main tumse pyaar karti hoon) [for females]

Greek: Σ' αγαπώ (S'agapo)

Turkish: Seni seviyorum

Swedish: Jag älskar dig

Danish: Jeg elsker dig

Finnish: Rakastan sinua

Norwegian: Jeg elsker deg

Icelandic: Ég elska tig

Polish: Kocham cię

Czech: Miluji tě

Slovak: Ľúbim ťa

Hungarian: Szeretlek

Romanian: Te iubesc

Bulgarian: Обичам те (Obicham te)

Serbian: Волим те (Volim te)

Croatian: Volim te

Bosnian: Volim te

Albanian: Te dua

Lithuanian: Aš tave myliu

Latvian: Es tevi miilu

Estonian: Ma armastan sind

Georgian: მიყვარხარ (Miqvarxar)

Armenian: Սիրում եմ քեզ (Sirum yem k'ez)

Azerbaijani: Mən səni sevirəm

Uzbek: Men seni sevaman

Kazakh: Мен сені сүйемін (Men seni süyemin)

Tajik: Ман туро дӯст медорам (Man turo dust medoram)

Punjabi: ਮੈਂ ਤੂੰਹਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ (Maiṁ tūn'hūnū pi'āra karadā hāṁ)

Bengali: আমি তোমায় ভালোবাসি (Āmi tōmāẏ bhālōbāsi)

Tamil: நான் உன்னை காதலிக்கிறேன் (Nāṉ uṉṉai kātalikkiṟēṉ)

Telugu: నేను నిన్ను ప్రేమిస్తున్నాను (Nēnu ninnu prēmistunnānu)

Marathi: मी तुझ्यावर प्रेम करतो (Mī tujhyāvar prēma karatō)

Gujarati: હું તને પ્રેમ કરું છું (Huṁ tanē prēma karuṁ chuṁ)

Malayalam: ഞാൻ നിന്നെ സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നു (Ñān ninne snēhikkunnu)

Swahili: Nakupenda

Somali: Waan ku jeclahay

Amharic: እወድሻለሁ (Iwädïšalehu)

Hebrew: אני אוהב אותך (Ani ohev otach) [to a female] / אני אוהבת אותך (Ani ohevet otcha) [to a male]

Thai: ฉันรักเธอ (Chǎn rạk khuṇ)

Vietnamese: Anh yêu em / Em yêu anh

Malay/Indonesian: Saya cinta padamu

Filipino (Tagalog): Mahal kita

Lao: ຮັກທ່ານ (Hak than)

Khmer: ខ្ញុំស្រឡាញ់អ្នក (Khnhom​ sralanh​ anak)

Nepali: म तिमीलाई माया गर्छु (Ma timīlā'ī māyā garchu)

Sinhala: මට ඔයා ආදරෙයි (Maṭa oyā ādarayi)

Mongolian: Би чамд хайртай (Bi chamd khairtai)

Burmese: ငါတို့မင်းကိုချစ်တယ် (Nga to ming ko chit tal)

Telugu: నేను నిన్ను ప్రేమిస్తున్నాను (Nēnu ninnu prēmistunnānu)

Uzbek: Men seni sevaman

Kurdish (Kurmanji): Hez dikim te

Persian (Farsi): دوستت دارم (Doosetaan daaram)

Hindi (Urdu script): میں تم سے محبت کرتا ہوں (Main tumse mohabbat karta hoon)

Welsh: ‘I garu di

Basque: Maite zaitut

Catalan: T'estimo

Galician: Quérote

Quechua: Kuyayki

Maori: Aroha ahau ki a koe

Hawaiian: Aloha wau ia’oe

Samoan: Uo te alofa ia te oe

Tahitian: Ua here vau ia oe

Tongan: Ofa atu

Hawaiian: Aloha wau ia’oe

Fijian: Au domoni iko

Malagasy: Tiako ianao

Xhosa: Ndiyakuthanda

Zulu: Ngiyakuthanda

Sesotho: Kea u rata

Shona: Ndinokuda

Hausa: Ina son ku

Yoruba: Mo nifẹ rẹ

Igbo: A hụrụ m gị n’anya

Maori: Aroha ahau ki a koe

Filipino (Tagalog): Mahal kita

Sesotho: Kea u rata

Latvian: Es tevi miilu

[hydralisk98]

60090+ posts, 1370+ followers and counting!

Damn, what a successful blog I got here, TYSM! But yeah, it really must be time for me to start making something more useful & interesting on here than reblogs and braindumps... Don't mind if I suggest some topics and ask for your opinions? I know it is the N'th time I write it down but let's be real, thus far the little feedback I gotten has always been insightful and very often well appreciated so yk... ASK.

Edutainment topics?

Kate -> QOwnNotes -> Vim -> Emacs

Ava Booksword (Shoshone Austrian synthetic woman), Kate Ker (Shoshone Burgundian human woman), Tano Bronzespear (Shoshone Paiute Woman)... = Nil Blackhand;

Progressives (GLOSS guide to empowerment and constructive change)

Analyses of tech history (from unit record equipment to ASI)

Customizing Tcl/Tk theming...

Libreware 'Znd Guides

Copyleft Vanguard (relations with public domain & permissive licenses too)

Learn Markdown, Argdown and XML

Chronology of the web by XHTML...

Making a HTML5 MediaRich Infinite Canvas

Mistress of Argdown with Kate

GLOSS philosophy in a nutshell...

Harmony, Geocenter & Syndicalism (ideological explainer)

Ocean of Clades (ecology, spirituality & theologies explainer)

Cooperatives, Communes, Unions & Syndicates (economical explainer)

Machines, Humans and other Sophonts... (linguistics & sapience rights explainer)

Enjoying the WorldWideWeb with WASM, WebGPU...

Low-level assembly, machine code & hardware layers

Optimization Guide

Forbidden World of LISP

Cladograms as Filesystems

DIS "Nucleus" as microkernel

Perseus as networking suite

Maskoch as scripting & programming language

Blackhand as hypervisor & IPC

Communion as theme-able desktop environment

Sidestream Avenues of Technology (DEC, Symbolics, FSF)

Odysee+PeerTube, Mastodon, Lemmy, Sourcehut, Nextcloud, Neocities... Landchad.net;

Let's imagine a single video shall we?

"Hyaaaaah peers! My pseudonym is Blackhand, welcome to the 16^12 Angora, the video compendium to inspire your special topic threads. Today, we will be looking forth on how to construct (or reconstruct) yourself back in here with this life scripting narrated guide. I will go over the present-day major Civilizations, Religions & Clades to make sure you are well informed about this very reality's features and choose what fits you best from such. Let's go!"

```Harmony-Geocenter-Syndicalism political / ideological scale```

Pohakantenna (Shoshones, Blackfoot, Dene, Hurons); Angakkunngurniq (Inuit); Druidism / Al-Asnam (Aremorici); Chalcedonian Ba'hai / Gnosticism / Arianism (Austria, Portugal, Brazil); Hussitism (Poland, Moravia, Slovakia, Georgia); Calvinism (Scotland, Burgundy); Chaldeanism (Assyria, Morocco, Cree, Sumer, Babylon); Tala-e-Fonua (Samoa, Sami, Canton, Czechia, Korea); Daoism / Jainism (Chola / Sinhala, Vietnam); Zoroastrianism (Iran, Minoans, Mycenae, Hittites); Ibadiyya [Bantu + Ibadi Islam*] (Angola, Sweden); Canaanism (Carthage, Netherlands); “Kushite” Pesedjet (Nubia, Songhay); Intiism (Incas, Coast Salish, Levant); Tzolk'in (Mayas, Tatar / Crimea, Lithuania);

Humans, Androids (Instruments, Robots, Droids, Synthetics), et cetera...

[mi4017pinipasamarasinghe]

Script

 Baddegama Script

Team members: 

-Semini

-Shiza

-Pinipa

-Thesandu

Hi guys, My name is Semini and today we will be doing a comparative analysis of novel vs film. I am joined here with Shiza, Pinipa, and Thesandu. the film that we chose is Baddegama. Baddegama(also known as village in the jungle is an english novel written by Leonard Woolfe and readapted into a sinhala version by the famous Sri Lankan Director Lester James Peiris. What we’ll be discussing in the film includes

Sem- Author vs Director

Themes

Hierarchy and Gazes

Mise en scene

Cinematography

Shiza- Author vs Director

Leonard Woolf, born in England on November 25, 1880, arrived in Sri Lanka in 1904 as a public servant and by 1908 was working as a government agent in Hambantota. Inspired by his stay in Sri Lanka, he returned to England in 1911 and wrote his most famous piece, The Village in the Jungle in 1913.

Lester James Peiris, a well-known Sri Lankan cinema director, screenwriter, and producer, was born in Sri Lanka on April 5, 1919. Despite not having a strong interest in movies at first, he went on to direct more than 28 well regarded movies and gained recognition as a director. He released Baddegama in 1980.

SIMILARITIES:

Both the novel and the film are set in a rural village that show the struggles and harsh realities that people at the time faced.

Both the novel and the film explore the impact of British colonialism. Although not direct, it is evident in both, that hierarchies are drastically present, not just outside the village but within it too.

DIFFERENCES:

Leonard Woolf, a British colonial officer, reflects what Edward W Said refers to as Orientalism, the West's perception of the East as exotic and backward, when he portrays the Sri Lankans in the novel, the Village in the Jungle as helpless and imprisoned by nature and superstition. 

Lester James Peries, presents a more genuine and respectful portrayal of village life in Baddegama in the film. Shifting from Woolf's exotic picture, he presents the villagers as multifaceted individuals with unique talents, eliminating the Orientalist clichés that Said assesses.

In addition to the above statements, the two varied views of the author and the director may also have been influenced by the fact that they were in two different eras of Ceylon and Sri Lanka. 

Woolf was a pre-colonial Sri Lankan, who published his novel during the era and Peiris was a post-colonial Sri Lankan, who released his film after the British Colonial era and Sri Lanka’s independence.

Shiza- Themes 

REPRESENTATION AND PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN

The novel portrays village life from a British colonial perspective, depicting women as oppressed and confined to traditional roles. In contrast, the film offers a more nuanced local view, subtly highlighting both the strengths and struggles of the women through its visuals.

For example: Hinni Hami's determination to fight back and her efforts to manage her family are put to the test when the village doctor, Vedarala, tries to pursue her, causing trouble for her household.

Additionally, the depiction of the male gaze in the novel reflects a highly sexist perspective. In the novel, Punchi Manika is described as feeling both excited and scared as she is being engulfed, whereas in the film, she appears terrified and is shown resisting Babun's actions.

HUMANS BEING REFFERED TO AS ANIMALS:

In the narrative, the villagers are portrayed as animals: women are portrayed as devoted dogs, Arachchi as a jackal or wolf, and Silindu as a water buffalo. The British system is portrayed as cunning hunters. The film shows Hinni hami’s tragedy and Silindu’s sudden bravery despite consequences, all from the viewpoint of the village in the jungle. 

This contrast implies that only characters who are viewed as backward are shown as animals, while other characters are portrayed as regular people.

 

Sem- Hierarchy and gazes

Hierarchy is present in many parts of Baddegama, and there are several types of hierarchy which includes, 

Whites vs locals 

Being a country under British rule at the time, the white’s had a power dynamic over the locals of the country. The subtle rules of the people of Baddegama were evident through something as simple as one’s clothing. By imposing their rules onto the locals, they got a sense of superiority which was infiltrating the norms of the locals. In contrast to this, the local man often dressed in clothes with relation to the environment around him and the work that he had to do, focusing less on how he appears and more on. practicality. The book is subtle with mentioning descriptions of how they dressed while the movie has gone into great detail about their looks which I believe the director did to mention the effect of the British rule more upfront as the book only gave monologues or text describing it.

Oppressor vs oppressed (referencing the white man’s burden)

The oppressor vs oppressed references the relationship between the white man and the locals, and an example of this is the White man's burden by Rudyard Kipling, which I found interesting as he was a brown person himself. The poem talks about the heavy burden of the white man to take care of the lesser educated brown man and this is evident with how the author speaks of the villagers, claiming they act like animals while this is how their society functions.

The Baddegama village system

Even amongst the villagers, there was a certain hierarchical system. The village headman had his position due to him being the only one in the village who could write his name, this also shows an influence of white culture as back in those times, writing was not a priority for their everyday work life.

Gazes 

The novel gaze vs film gaze (point of view of the author & director)

The novel delves into the lives of these characters much more, giving thorough descriptions on their thoughts, struggles amongst other things, while the film focuses more on visual storytelling due to certain limitations in movie production. This can be seen with how descriptive the novel gets while the film is limited to only visualization. There is a depth of character for Silindu as we see his conflicting emotions and his emotional growth as a person throughout the book, specifically towards his daughters, whilst the film did not have any sign of having change as a person and had not mentioned how Silindu had abused his wife and that was the most likely reason she passed.

Thesandu- Cinematography

 For cinematography, both novels and movies depict a perspective of observing characters through the jungle. But the novel describes the characters in a way that overlooks animals from a high place and a distance throughout. Observing from a human or even divine perspective only reinforces the animality of the character

（Insert the story arc）

However, the movie cleverly uses mise en scenes to peek into the corners of the jungle while saving costs and facing technological limitations of the times, successfully creating a world where the audience can peer like wild beasts in the forest. Make movies more effective in enhancing the humanity of characters and even understanding the beastly nature of empathetic characters. For example, Silindu and our audience saw the water buffalo from a distance from a different perspective. Silindu's vivid expression expressed thinking and rationality, allowing the audience to better understand the later animalistic outburst of Silindu killing Arachni.

The same animalistic moments in movies have not been completely abandoned, but rather appear more targeted in scenes such as Babun's oppression of Punchi Manika, Silindu's fear of Vedalala's curse, the juxtaposition of deer and HinniHami's death scenes, and the killing of Arachni, which are filled with darkness between people. At this moment, the jungle was as dark, lush, and terrifying as in the novel.

The village is a symbol of an old civilization, and in the novel, the village has disappeared. Although there are still various terrifying beasts at the beginning of the movie, the director's portrayal of the jungle is not without sunshine, and the villages have not disappeared. This symbolizes the independence of the Sri Lankan government and the fact that civilization has not fallen. Pinipa will use more symbolism to explain.

Pini- Symbolism 

(In cinematography, symbolism plays a crucial role in storytelling. In a dried, desolate environment, symbols like skulls and skeletons, represents the deathfullness.

The plants and trees, like thorny grasses and cacti, symbolize resilience, thriving in the drought-stricken environment in it.

Book has widely described the environment, people and the props.. 

In the book Leonard Woolf has described the humans as skinny and unhealthy people. 

Both the book and film use symbolism effectively. The film incorporates visual elements like bones and skulls to represent death and fear while the book itself describes from words. And the book describes everything in detail too. 

The film also features both innocent and carnivorous animals, hinting at the villagers' inner reality. These animals reflect the struggle between vulnerability and survival within the harsh environment they endure. 

The villagers, blinded by myths of evil spirits, believe the devil resides in trees. To symbolize this, Sri Lankan devil masks are hung on trees, reflecting the culture. 

Since cultivating is the villagers' main livelihood, they have use axe and hoe in the movie.. To make the farm they fire the forest down. In sinhala we say hen gini thiyanava. And they have represent that too in  the film to make it realistic. 

To highlight the gap between different social classes, cultures and job positions the film cleverly uses various elements like clothing , props and backgrounds. 

Poor villagers have their own house with mud and cocunut roof while the arachchi who has a position in the village has a brick house with ulu roof it self. Also his house is painted in white. Which only the richest people can do back then. 

Book haven’t described either how their clothes look or houses look like. It has only been mentioned that the arachchi ( village headman ) was the only man who has knowledge at least to write his name. 

In the cinema itself is a brown and white cinema. Hence it’s the beginning of color cinema. It has fewer colors. 

There's not much to discuss regarding lighting, as the entire film is shot in daylight, relying on natural light. This choice enhances the realism and emphasizes the harshness of the environment.

[demigod-of-the-agni]

I hope op doesn't mind but I ran out of tags so I'm adding all my thoughts here. Be sure to read everything op has to say because they make WONDERFUL points!!

LANGUAGE + Additional Thoughts

Gentle reminders that not everyone in India (particularly South Indians) will know Hindi or Marathi right off the bat. It'll mostly be any of the major Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) or the minor languages (Gondi, Brahui, Tulu, etc.) South Indians will pick up Hindi, however, if they move to northern states for education and work opportunities, so yes, op is right: people WILL know 2-3 languages, if not more! Indian schools also teach English, so yes, Indian people know quite a few languages.

(Also, fun fact: if you know one Dravidian language, it's super easy to learn another. A Tamil-speaking person can converse with a Kannada-speaker and they will both roughly understand what the other is talking about. I'm thinking this can also be applied to Indo-Arayan languages (Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Sinhala*, etc.)

(*Note that Sinhala is confined to Sri Lanka despite it being an Indo-Aryan language, so I don't think it will work well with languages from Northern India.)

The most common script for Indo-Aryan languages (I'm pretty sure) is Devanagari as well as some regional offshoots; for Dravidian languages, the most have their own scripts and few are intertwined with one another.

NOTE: Remember that MARATHI is the main language of Mumbai/Mumbattan and its state Maharashtra. ATSV didn't get that quite clear and instead used Hindi onomatopoeia. Don't repeat ATSV's mistake; use Marathi for people who call Mumbattan home.

CULTURE + Additional Thoughts

Cultures

If you're looking to write a really really culturally diverse Mumbattan (evident in some scenes; they used Tamil onomatopoeia in the first ATSV teaser) write about characters who hail from different parts of India! They could have moved, or maybe their ancestors did! I touched upon this too in another post, but the point is: I want to see all these cultures blend and complement each other!

Give me a person from Manipur! A guy from Andhra Pradesh! A girl from Telangana! An enby from Goa! Everywhere and anywhere! Go as far as bringing in people from neighbouring countries: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka. I want to see how all these culturally distinct aspects of India interact with one another in a place like Mumbattan.

Here's a lovely interactive map from Wikipedia that you can use to pick out Indian states.

Religion and Belief Systems

But also, as op said, another gentle reminder as an Indian: stay away from the caste system. It is abhorrently complex, and even I don't know the full specifics of the concepts. It's shitty at best and horrific at worst, and it fucks you over whether you want it to or not. It's just best to avoid it altogether.

Good introductory articles to the caste system can be found on ABC, Pew Research and The Conversation.

If you really want to have a character align to a belief system, leave it at religion. Very vaguely, if I might add. It might inform on certain things that a character might/might not do, but don't make it their defining trait.

Because despite all these cultures and beliefs coexisting.. India still bites itself in the ass and is fucking inconsiderate and downright oppressive at the extremes. It will do more harm than good if you wander into that rabbit hole.

If you write because you want to expose the kind of nonsense that goes on culturally, sure, go for it, but be Very Careful and Very Respectful about it. Don't even Think about tackling a heavy issue such as this. Ignorance and lack of understanding only serve to strengthen stereotypes and perpetuate the insanity that continues to go on in India, decades after the caste system was "outlawed"; either have the wisdom to go about it carefully and go above and beyond with research, or don't interact with it at all.

Clothing

But YEAH GOLDEN BIRD INDIA LET'S GO! We had style back in the day, and we still do. People dressing "extravagantly" is actually common place. People can afford that stuff. The "rags the poor wear" are more likely to be just be a kurta or salwar kameez or churidar or veshti/lungi or anything else, really. It's whatever they can afford locally. op is right for saying that India shouldn't be considered as a "poor nation with rags for clothes" we are developing. that does not make Indians all dirty and filthy and no-rupees-in-our-wallets poor.

Again it's a complicated subject. You'll find that it (surprise!) is intrinsically linked with the caste system. Most injustices are tied to that piece of work.

Also, as a side note, I believe people might be confusing "rags" for the clothes people might wear when doing physical work? Like farmland work? Where the men might only wear a turban and veshti or nothing but a loincloth, and the women wear thin saris and drapes? Are they poor people because they couldn't afford better clothing for farm work? No, that's the type of clothing you can wear during a whole day's work at the farm in the fuckin sun at +27C/+80F weather. They're not poor, they're trying to keep themselves from dying of hyperthermia.

Okay, that's all from me

Sorry for going a little crazy, op, hope you don't mind <3

A culture post for the girlie pops (and non-girlie pops) looking to write Pavitr Prabhakar accurately.

(P.s- I’m Indian and live in India and have been to Mumbai multiple times so shhh- )

(P.s.s- all i know about the spider verse comes from the movies so I’ll be focusing more on the Indian aspect.)

So in honour of atsv coming on Netflix-

FOOD- Pavitr live in Mumbai (mumbattan) so he probability of him eating “butter chicken or naan” (traditionally north Indian dishes) on a daily basis is almost nonexistent. (This is not to say he won’t have them occasionally but much of what people think is indian food comes from stereotypical North Indian food, pavitr lives in South Indian)

Popular food of Mumbai includes- vada pav(street food), panipuri(another street food), pav bhaji (not a street food), bhelpuri and sevpuri( you guessed it a street food) and for more every-day food- we have dal-roti or dal-chawal etc

SCHOOL- In india we don’t have middle school or high school, we have grades.

We also have public and private schools (and unlike the USA, private school is not for the uber rich, middle-class families typically send their kids to private school and government(or public) schools are basically free or really cheap). Thus, Pavitr probably studies at a private school.

Keeping that in mind, Students from grade 1-12 study in one building and students actually sit in the same class while the teachers move from class to class. There is also something called school boards but for all our sakes, he studies in a school that follows CBSE guidelines. Now according to google, he’s around 15-16 so he’s in 10th or 11th depending on the school he goes to.

We have these really important exams called the “board exams” ( we just call them ‘boards’) And they are given twice by the students once in the 10th grade and once in the 12th grade and these are like really really important, kinda think of them as psats or sats(lmk if anyone wants to know more about boards) and if he’s in 10th he’ll be giving the boards in May.

After which he’ll pick a stream (medical, non-medical, commerce or failure) that he’s gonna study in 11th. There is a lot of emphasis on studies in India ( if you get good marks in 10th it’s considered that you’re good or ‘set’ for life but thats kinda bs) and it’s really competitive, students often go to tuition (think of them as an after-school school) for hours after school. Maths and science tuitions are the most common.

Uniforms (a half-sleeve shirt with a tie and pants or knee length shorts for guys) are also mandatory and are strictly regulated along with hair and nails. (Two braid or plaits for girls with below the shoulder hair and typically short hair for guys that have to be oiled) so im assuming that he gets called out a lotttttt about his hair, and teachers are constantly on his ass about cutting it which I think is funny af. The school timings are typically from 8-3 and tuitions are typically from 4-7.

It would also be super-cute if his aunt massaged his hair with oil (it’s considered an act of service and something people do to show their love)

10th grade especially is really really stressful in india and if home-boy cries himself to sleep every night I wouldn’t be surprised. So make him supppeeerrrr strrreeeessssed.

Name- Pavitr “Prabhakar” is a Hindu( a religion of sorts) name.

It’s derived from the Sanskrit word “prabhākara” which means “light maker” (from prabhā 'light' + -kara 'causing'), an epithet of the sun. So to those saying he’s a sunshine boy, his surname means light maker (do with that what you will).

Now, for his first name “Pavitr” however there is no exact meaning as, the name is most probably derived from Pavit ; maybe Pavitra(a typical girl’s name) if you’re pushing it. The meaning of Pavit is Love or A lovely and pious individual.

So his name roughly translates to lovely sunshine boy.

Transport- Now i know that he’s spider-man but when he’s not, the most common way to travel in Mumbai is by an automobile (also called auto or auto-riksha).

One of these things ^^ and these ‘go by the meter’ (you basically pay for the distance you have covered and a meter calculates this.) these things are everywhere. You call for one of these by raising your hand and an auto stops in front of you and you ask if they will take you to the place you wanna go to (“bhaiya, _____ lekar chalo ge?”)

There can only be 3 people max on one auto (not including children) as per local government policies.

Another common way to travel is by the subway or local trains. ( and contrary to popular beliefs they are not filled to the brim with people). Cars are not that common as there is a lot of traffic. Like a lot.

Language- Most indians speak at least 2-3 languages- English, Hindi and a local language or two. Since they’re in Mumbai Pavitr probably speaks Marathi. Some people also know Sanskrit (but that’s not that common nowadays).

Also spider in hindi is makri (makdhi?) so i think it would be super funny if people called him makri (makdhi?) man.

People in India also curse a lot (not in English though) and the more people get angry the stronger accent the becomes.

Housing- housing in Mumbai is super expensive, and most people live in flats or apartments rather than houses, Mumbai is considered to be one of the most expensive places to own a home in the world just because of the sheer number of people there.

All flats in mumbai have air- conditioning units in them because it. is. so. humid and winter lasts for a month or two in comparison.

Culture- Mumbai is kind of regarded as one of the culture hubs of India, a lot of up and coming artists along with famous superstars live in Mumbai. There are a lot of exhibitions, shows and whatnot happening all the time.

Mumbai is also more progressive then the rest of India and pride parades do happen here but there is still a lot of stigma around it

Teens typically wear jeans, shorts and graphic tees rather than kurtas or salwar-kamez (traditional clothing) .

Traditional clothing is typically worn on festivals such as holi( the festival of colour( some people wear white suits and kurtas)) or Mumbai’s most celebrated festival- “Ganesh Chaturti” (which is a religious festival religious festival to honour the Lord Ganesha.

Sports- cricket is the most watched sport in India a lot of kids play it on the streets or in parks and gardens, and its an India vs Pakistan match is an event in which everyone in the family (some even invite friends over) sits around the living room t.v and yells at the tv.

Mumbai is a city in which time stops for no one, and people are super busy, but they are also kind especially in a city that never stops.

India is also not a country that lives in rags we used to be called sone ki chidiya (or bird made of gold) before the British Invasion so please for the love of god don’t write everyone living in slums and poverty. The national currency is rupees

Religion and caste - is a very touchy subject in India and you should probably research a lot or stay clear of it but Gayatri’s father is Sikh or at least punjabi so I’m assuming she is too. ( if she’s from Punjab or its surrounding area, then she probably speaks punjabi or her father definitely does).

But something all Indian munde(boys) are taught to do is to touch their elders feet to show ask for respect.

Anyways here is a not very brief overview on mumbai and pavitr , let me know if you have any questions or if something isn’t really clear, English isn’t my first language so I apologise for the errors.

Please feel free to ask me anything ill do my best to answer back. : D

if you use any information in a fic or something please tag me i would love to read it.

[languageramblings]

This is a pretty cool comparison of the scripts used in a number of Indo-Aryan languages! 

Source: The Indo-Aryan Languages (George Cardona and Dhanesh Jain, 2003)