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 | |||
| Language family | ||||
| 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, also called Divehi or Mahl, is a special language. About 350,000 people speak it. Most speakers live in the island nation of Maldives. You can also find Dhivehi speakers on Minicoy Island. This island is part of India, where the language is known as Mahal. Dhivehi is the official national language of the Maldives.
Discovering Dhivehi
Dhivehi is the main language used for talking in the Maldives. It is an interesting language because it has words from many other languages. You might hear words from English, Hindi, and Arabic. This mix makes it sound a bit like languages from Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and North India. Even within the Maldives, words can change slightly between different islands. However, they still mean the same thing.
A Look at Dhivehi's History
Long ago, people in the Maldives spoke a language called "Elu." This was an old form of the Singhalese language. Over time, "Elu" changed a lot. These changes eventually led to the Dhivehi language we know today.
Dhivehi is written from left to right. In the past, people used to write Dhivehi on copper plates. These special plates were known as "Loamaafaanu." They help us understand how the language has grown over many years.
Dhivehi and Other Languages
Besides Dhivehi, English is also very important in the Maldives. It is recognized as the second main language. For a long time, Dhivehi was used to teach in schools. But to help students get better higher education, schools started using English. Now, many local people in the Maldives speak English well.
