No abstract

Literature on Sri Lankan English, through reasonable deduction, states that deviations from Standard Sri Lankan English (SSLE) pronunciationis a feature of Sinhala dominancy in Sinhala/Other Variety Sri Lankan English (S/OVSLE) bilinguals or Tamil dominancy in Tamil/Other Variety Sri Lankan English (T/OVSLE) bilinguals. This study using standard statistical procedures collates the difference in the mean values of self-declared competence in First Language (L1) and Second Language (L2) across the four skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening with the difference in rate of usage of L1 and L2 in selected social and personal domains to calculate L1 dominancy in each bilingual participant (n= 185). Then the rate of occurrence of selected deviations from SSLE pronunciation in each participant is estimated. The correlation between the independent variable L1 dominancyand the dependent variable rate of occurrence of selected deviations from SSLE pronunciation in the populations is illustrated through scatter diagrams, calculation of the Pearson Correlation and the Coefficient of Determination. Statistical analysis shows that there is a medium 9% and a moderate 11% correlation between L1 dominancy and rate of occurrence of deviations from SSLE pronunciation in S/OVSLE and T/OVSLE bilinguals respectively.

The goal of this study is to investigate the needs of Sri Lankan students at Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) in learning and using English in maritime contexts. Derived from concepts of Task-based Needs Analysis this study compiled data on academic and professional contexts along with self-assessed receptive and productive skills in English of the respondents. The methodology consisted of a questionnaire and random interviews with 115 respondents across three strata: entry level Cadets and Ratings who are the target population; Experienced (M=15 years) seafarers who construct a contrastive population. All respondents were bilingual in Sinhala/Tamil and a variety of Sri Lankan English. The data analysis of self-assessed proficiency in English language skills specifies that the Cadets (M=4.2) outranked the experienced seafarers (M=3.0) and the Ratings (M=2.8). The findings across all three strata indicate that all seafarers consider all four language skills Very important for success in their field. Identifying the need for correct grammar the experienced seafarers with an Acceptable selfestimated level of grammar (M=3.07) stated that it is Usually required. It is interesting to note that Ratings who self-assessed their level of grammar as Poor (M=2.50) assumed that correct grammar was Never (M=1.47) required in their profession. All respondents unanimously considered Speaking; and Listening to users of other Englishes of the World as Very Important. This study offers further insights into making the teaching/learning process of Maritime English at CINEC beneficial for all stakeholders.

Sri Lanka is being promoted as a tourist destination and the port of Hambanthota is having visits from Passengers. The port of Hambanthota in Sri Lanka is on the busy main east-west sea route. It has become necessary to determine if a Passenger Cruise Ship can be berthed safely in differing monsoonal wind conditions. Before a ship is manoeuvred into a port in the real sense, simulator trials are necessary to be carried out to see if the ship can be manoeuvred safely in varying conditions with all available resources. Simulator trials have been recognized as a cost-effective way to determine the safe limitations and prevent mishaps. The CINEC simulator research team successfully created the simulator environment of the port of Hambanthota as a part of the research under AHEAD operations of the ministry of high education funded by the world bank. As per the analysis of the results of simulator trials, it has been concluded that the wind speed should be limited to 20 knots for safe berthing mainly due to the berthing tug power used.