Sinhala (sometimes referred by alternative spelling Singhalese), also known as Helabasa, is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, numbering about 15 million. Sinhala is also spoken by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about 3 million. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Sinhala is the official and national language of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, as "Ceylon", was conquered by the Portuguese in 1505, who were then followed by the Dutch, who introduced the Reformed Church, then came the British, who under the orientalist and civil servant William Tolfrey (1778?-1817) translated a Sinhalese language Bible by 1823. BFBS revision of the Sinhalese Bible occurred from 1895-1910.
