Department Activities
Guest Lecture-13th November, 2023.
Guest Lecture-26th September, 2023.
Guest Lecture-14th September, 2023.
English Literary Event-7th July, 2023.
The Department of Linguistics and English organized a literary event titled “Writers in Conversation” on the 7th of July 2023 at the Library Auditorium of the University of Jaffna.
The following writers (some of whom are academics as well) read from their creative work and engaged in a conversation with one another:
- Ayathurai Santhan: novelist, poet, short story writer. Author of “The Whirlwind”, “Rails Run Parallel”, & “Every Journey Ends”.
- Shashikala Assella: Head/English, University of Kelaniya. Poet, and author of “(In)Consequential Musings” & co-author of “Shakespearewallis”, a transnational collection of poems.
- Tinaz Amit: poet, and author of “Anarva”, a poetry collection. Co-founder of the New Ink Forum for new Sri Lankan writing.
- Vihanga Perera: poet and novelist. Author of “Epistles Elegies Imitations” and “Bodies in Art”. Visiting lecturer in English at the Univerity of Sri Jayewardenepura.
The readings were followed by an open discussion during which the audience posed questions to the writers and engaged in a conversation with them. Undergraduates, GCE AL students who are taking English as a subject, academics and aficionados of literature were present at the event. On the 7th and 8th of July 2023, Dr. Shashikala Assella and Dr. Vihanga Perera also taught segments of the Level III undergraduate course ‘South Asian Writings in English’ offered by the Department of Linguistics & English. Dr. Vihanga Perera conducted a session on the Sri Lankan literary texts included in the GCE A/L curriculum for the benefit of the students who are taking English as a subject.
International Mother Language Day-21st February, 2023.
Fun Fiesta-13th January, 2023.
Guest Lecture By Ms.Sivamohan Sumathy (University of Peradeniya)-25th August, 2022.
International Mother Tongue day Lecture by Prof.Ayesha Kidwai
A Reading and Discussion with Anuk Arudpragasam
An Online Discussion of Tea: A concoction of Dissonance
A Online Discussion of Leaving-22 November, 2021
An Online Discussion of
Leaving/ நீங்குதல்
Department of Linguistics & English
University of Jaffna
A Discussion of
Leaving/ நீங்குதல்
a collection of poems by Anar with English translations by Hari Rajaledchumy and Fran Lock
Speakers:
Anar
(Poet)
Hari Rajaledchumy
(Artist/Writer)
Fran Lock
(Poet, editor, activist)
Ponni Arasu
(Feminist historian, researcher, Theatre practitioner and translator based in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka)
Moderator: Ms. Erandika de Silva
Lecturer (Probationary) in English Literature, Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna
Date: 22 November 2021 (Sri Lankan Time)
Time: 7 p.m. (Sri Lankan Time)
Zoom ID:
Password:
ALL ARE WELCOME
Online Book Lecture By Prof.Christina Davis-20 September, 2021
Department of Linguistics & English
University of Jaffna
The Struggle for a Multilingual Future: Youth and Education in Sri Lanka
An Online Book Lecture by
Prof. Christina Davis
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Western Illinois University, USA
Moderator: Prof. Subathini Ramesh
Professor in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna
Date: 20 September 2021 (Sri Lankan Time)
Time: 7 p.m. (Sri Lankan Time)
Zoom ID: 685 1207 0443
Password: g67jCmH&
Christina P. Davis is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Western Illinois University, USA. Her research concerns language and digital media practices, multilingual education, and ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and India. She is the author of The Struggle for a Multilingual Future: Youth and Education in Sri Lanka (Oxford University Press, 2020) and the co-editor of Language, Education, and Identity: Medium in South Asia (Routledge, 2022). Her recent articles appear in Signs and Society (2020), the International Journal of the Sociology of Language (2018), Anthropology & Education Quarterly (2015), and the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology (2012). She is the Book Review Editor of the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.
ALL ARE WELCOME
Online Book Lecture By Prof.Nandita Sharma-10 September, 2021
Home Rule: National Sovereignty and the Separation of Natives and Migrants
An Online Book Lecture by
Prof. Nandita Sharma
Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA
Moderator: Ms. Erandika de Silva
Lecturer (Probationary) in English Literature, Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna
Date: 10 September 2021 (Sri Lankan Time)
Time: 10 a.m. (Sri Lankan Time)
Zoom ID: 670 3275 6793
Password: APs7#n%2
Nandita Sharma is Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is an activist-scholar whose research is informed by the movements she is a part of, in particular No Borders movements and those struggling for a planetary commons. Nandita is the author of Home Economics: Nationalism and the Making of ‘Migrant Workers’ in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2006) and Home Rule: National Sovereignty and the Separation of Natives and Migrants (Duke University Press, 2020).
ALL ARE WELCOME
Awareness Seminar on G.C.E A/L English-10 April, 2021
The Department of Linguistics & English organized an outreach seminar to create awareness among school students about the subject English (Subject No: 73) which GCE AL students can take as one of the main subjects. The seminar was held on the 10th of April 2021 at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna. This seminar offered an opportunity to publicize the steps taken by the Department of Linguistics & English to provide academic support to the students who are taking English as a core subject at present.
Students, teachers and parents from Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts participated in this seminar.
Prof. Srisatkunarajah, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna, Dr. K. Suthakar, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Mr. Saminadan Wimal, the Head of the Department of Linguistics & English and Miss. Rathani Balasundaram, Assistant Director of Education (English – Northern Province) spoke at the event.
Dr (Mrs) V. M. S. Yoharatnam, Dr. M. Thiruvarangan and Ms. E de Silva, faculty who teach English Literature at the University of Jaffna, served as resource persons.
Many students who attended the seminar signed up for the seminar sessions on GCE AL English organized by the Department of Linguistics & English.
International Webinar on Computational Linguistics-10 November, 2020
The Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna in collaboration with the INFITT – International Forum for Information Technology in Tamil, organized a one-day International Webinar on the 10th of November 2020.
Theme of the Webinar: Tamil Computational Linguistics
Experts from the USA and Paris, France were invited as resource persons to speak on topics related to the theme of this International Webinar.
Dr. K. Suthakar, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts was present at the Webinar. He congratulated the Department of Linguistics & English on organizing this Webinar and wished the Webinar success.
Prof (Mrs). S. Ramesh (Professor in Linguistics, Dept. of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna) served as the coordinator of this webinar. The webinar began with Introductory Remarks by Mr. K. Sarvesvaran (Lecturer, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Jaffna. Prof. Appasamy Murugaiyan, (School of Advanced Studies (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes), Faculty of History and Philology, Paris University, France and Chairman of the Advisory Committee in INFITT) delivered his presentation on Tamil Corpus Linguistics.
Prof. Vasu Renganathan who is an academic attached to the Department of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA and Executive Member and Joint Treasurer of INFITT gave his talk on A Course in Computational Linguistics: Curriculum Design and Approaches.
More than 85 participants benefited from this Webinar. The students’ participation was very much appreciated. Students in their third and final years who are studying Linguistics and a few students from the Translation Studies program actively participated in this Webinar. The academic staff attached to the Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna and academics attached to the University of Kelaniya and University of Moratuwa and international scholars from some India, Germany, Paris, Sydney and the UK also attended this Webinar.
Mr. S. Wimal, the Head of the Dept. of Linguistics and English at the University of Jaffna Mr. S. Wimal proposed the vote of thanks and expressed his gratitude to all who worked hard towards making this Webinar a successful event.
Guest Lecture By Ms.Dilani Fernando (University of Kelaniya)-19 February, 2020
On the 19th of Februaru 2020, Ms. Dinali Fernando, Senior Lecturer in English attached to the Department of English at the University of Kelaniya delivered guest lecture on the theme “Exploring Attitudes to Sri Lankan English: Going beyond Survey Methods.”
BLOWHARDS:TEA/COFFEE-16 February, 2020
BLOWHARDS: TEA/COFFEE, a play written by Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke, winner of the Gratiaen Prize 2019, was staged at Kailasapathy Auditorium, University of Jaffna on the 16th of February 2020.
The performance was followed by a panel discussion featuring Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke, Vasuki Rajasingham, Ayathurai Santhan and Shyam Selvadurai.
The Gratiaen Trust organized this event in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna.
English Creative writing workshop on point of view-16 febrary, 2020
An creative writing workshop on point of view was conducted by renowned writer Shyam Selvadurai at the Physics Auditorium of the University of Jaffna on the 16th of February 2020. Nearly 20 participants from all over the island participated in this workshop.
The Gratiaen Trust organized this event in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics & English, University of Jaffna.
(Sunday Times (23 February 2020) carried a write-up on this workshop and the performance event held on the evening of the same day)
Awareness Seminar on G.C.E A/L English-12 January, 2020
The Department of Linguistics & English organized a seminar to create awareness among school students about the subject English (Subject No: 73) which GCE AL students may take as one of the main subjects. The seminar was held on the 12th of January 2020 at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna.
Students, teachers and parents from Jaffna, Kilinochi and Trincomalee districts participated in this seminar.
Miss. Rathani Balasundaram, Provincial Director of Education (English – Northern Province), was present at the seminar and gave a talk.
At the end of the seminar, it was decided that the Department of Linguistics & English would conduct academic seminars on GCE AL English on a regular basis for the benefit of the students who are taking this subject.
Reshaping Reality-19 December, 2020
Storytelling and Hip Hop with Yalini Dream and Jendog Lonewolf
Training workshop on Lexicography-13 December, 2019
The Department of Linguistics & English organized a training workshop on Lexicography on the 13th of December 2019 in the Library Auditorium of the University of Jaffna. Prof. P. Mathaiyan, former Editor of the Tamil Lexcion Revision Project at the University of Madras, India facilitated this workshop. Undergraduates who are studying Linguistics at the University of Jaffna and academics attached to the Department of Linguistics & English participated in the workshop.
Prof.Suseendrarajah Memorial Lecture-12 December, 2019.
The Department of Linguistics & English organized a lecture in memory of the late Prof. S. Suseendrarajah who served as Chair Professor in Linguistics and Head of the Department of Linguistics & English at the University of Jaffna. The memorial lecture was held on the 12th of December 2019 in the Library Auditorium of the University of Jaffna.
Prof. P. Mathaiyan, former Editor of the Tamil Lexcion Revision Project at the University of Madras, India, delivered the memorial lecture on the theme “Perasiriyar S. Suseendrarajavin Aayvukalin Akarathiyiyal Pangalippu” (The Contribution of Prof. Suseendrarajah’s Research to Lexicography).
Academics of the University of Jaffna, students, academic colleagues and family members of the late Prof. Suseendrarajah and members of the larger public attended this event.
