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The language of the Maldives is Dhivehi,
also written as "Dhivehi". It is related to an ancient form of
Sinhala, a Sri Lankan language, but also contains some Arabic,
Hindi and English words.
Historically speaking the early people spoke "Elu" a form of ancient Singhalese. The language had gone many transformations and the present day Dhivehi is written from left to right, probably to incorporate many Arabic words. Modern Thaana script was invented in the 16th century following the overthrow of Portuguese. The earliest Dhivehi is inscribed on copper plates known as the "Loamaafaanu". The script is written with letters and vowels separately on top or below the letters, depending on the sound.
Dhivehi is used equivocally in the administration of the country. Until the 1960s, Dhivehi was also the medium of teaching in al schools, but with the need for further education, Dhivehi medium syllabuses changed to English medium teaching. For this reason, English is widely understood, spoken and written by the locals.
English is widely spoken in Male', in the resorts, and by
educated people through out the country. English is also spoken
in Addu, the southernmost atoll, where the British employed many
of the islanders on the air base for 20 years. On other islands
especially outside the tourist zone, you'll be very lucky to
find an adult who speaks anything other than Dhivehi.
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