<Tr> <Th> Main foreign languages </Th> <Td> English </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Sign languages </Th> <Td> multiple sign languages </Td> </Tr> <P> Several languages are spoken in Sri Lanka within the Indo - European, Dravidian and Austronesian families . Sri Lanka accords official status to Sinhalese and Tamil . The languages spoken on the island nation are deeply influenced by the languages of neighbouring India, the Maldives and Malaysia . Arab settlers and the colonial powers of Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain have also influenced the development of modern languages in Sri Lanka . </P> <P> Ethnicity in Sri Lanka (2016) </P>

What is the main language of sri lanka