Editing Demographics of Sri Lanka (section)

==Languages==
{{main article|Languages of Sri Lanka}}

[[File:A road sign in Colombo - Katunayake Expressway, Sri Lanka.jpg|thumbnail|right|150px|A multi-lingual road sign]]
[[Sinhala language|Sinhala]], an [[Indo-Aryan language]], is the [[first language]] of [[Sinhalese people]]. Unlike [[Tamil language|Tamil]] Sinhala language is not found in India and is unique to Sri Lanka. 

[[Tamil language|Tamil]], a [[Dravidian language]], is the first language of native Sri Lankan Tamils. Tamil is also the first language of the majority of [[Sri Lankan Moors]] and the [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Indian Tamils]]  - according to the 2012 census 98% of Sri Lankan Moors could speak Tamil but only 59% could speak Sinhala.<ref name=lan2012>{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012 - Table A32 :Population aged 10 years and over, by ability to speak, ability to read and write main languages, ethnic group, sex and sector|url=http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/Pages/Activities/Reports/FinalReport/Population/Table%20A32.pdf|publisher=Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110454/http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/Pages/Activities/Reports/FinalReport/Population/Table%20A32.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-24}}</ref>

[[English language|English]] is fluently spoken by approximately 23.8%<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sri-lanka/ | title=Sri Lanka – language | access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> of the Sri Lanka's population, and widely used for official and commercial purposes.

Malays speak [[Sri Lanka Malay language|Sri Lanka Malay]], a [[Creole language]] mixing Sinhala, Tamil and [[Malay language|Malay]]. Many of the Burghers speak [[Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language|Sri Lankan Indo-Portuguese]] although its use has declined and the majority now speak Sinhala.<ref name=lan2012/> The Veddas speak [[Vedda language|Vedda]], a Creole language closely based on Sinhala. Use of [[English language|English]] has declined since independence, but it continues to be spoken by many in the middle and upper middle classes, particularly in [[Colombo]]. According to the 2012 census 24% of the population could speak English.<ref name=lan2012/> The government is seeking to reverse the decline in the use of English, mainly for economic but also for political reasons. According to the constitution Sinhala and Tamil are [[official language]]s whilst English is the link language.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chapter IV - Language|url=http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Chapter_04_Amd.html|work=[[Constitution of Sri Lanka]]|publisher=Policy Research & Information Unit, [[Presidential Secretariat (Sri Lanka)|Presidential Secretariat]], Sri Lanka|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030203101808/http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Chapter_04_Amd.html|archive-date=2003-02-03}}</ref>