Rodiya is a dialect of the

Sinhalese language Sinhala ( ; Sinhala: , , ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first l ...

spoken by members of the

Rodiya Rodi or Rodiya (''lit., filth'') are an untouchable social group or caste amongst the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island count ...

community of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Speakers are considered to be low-

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

among the

Sinhalese people The Sinhalese people (), also known as the Sinhalese or Sinhala people, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They are the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, constituting about 75% of ...

. Examples of Rodiya words:Gunasekara, ''A comprehensive grammar of the Sinhalese language'' (1891), pag. 384 *dissenavā ''to come'' (Sinhala enavā) *dumana ''house'' (Sinhala geya, gedara) *galla ''mouth'' (Sinhala kaṭa) *gävā ''man'' (Sinhala minihā) *gävī ''woman'' (Sinhala gäänu) *miganavā ''to eat'' (Sinhala kanavā)

References

Sinhala language Languages of Sri Lanka {{SriLanka-stub