Dhivehi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maldivian |
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| Dhivehi ދިވެހި, dhivehi ދިވެހިބަސް, dhivehi-bas |
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| Native to | The Maldives Minicoy Island (Maliku) | |||
| Native speakers | 340,000 (2012)e18 | |||
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| Early forms: |
Elu
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| Writing system | Thaana (Dhives Akuru until the 18th century) |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in |  Maldives |
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| Regulated by | Dhivehi Academy | |||
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Dhivehi, Divehi or Mahl is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 350,000 people in the Republic of Maldives and Suvadives and also in the disputed island of Minicoy (Maliku), claimed by Maldivians that is annexed by neighbouring India, where it is known by another name, the Mahal language or Mahl (މަހަލް). In the Maldives, it is the official national language.as in different atols the words may change but have the same meaning. Talking about the Maldives languages, Dhivehi is the main language spoken in Maldives. The language is widely used for conversing with people. Since, it involves the use of many English, Hindi and Arabic words, it seems to resemble various languages spoken in Sri Lanka, South East Asia and North India. Read on to know more about the common languages of Maldives In the earlier times, people spoke "Elu", a language that was basically a form of ancient Singhalese language. This language underwent a lot of transformations and gave rise to the Dhivehi language of today. Dhivehi is written from left to right. In the olden days, the language was inscribed on the copper plates, popularly known as the "Loamaafaanu". Other languages spoken in Maldives include English, which is also recognized as the second main language. Initially, Dhivehi was used as the medium of teaching in schools, but the need to promote higher education led to the conversion of syllabus in English. Now, English is widely spoken by the locals of Maldives.
