Loan words in Sri Lankan Tamil came about mostly due contact between colonial powers and the native population.
Languages such as Tamil with centuries of literature and multi-cultural contact offer the chance to compare the various processes of lexical change.
Linguistic borrowings from European colonizers such as the Portuguese, English and the Dutch have also contributed to a unique vocabulary that is distinct from the colloquial usage of Tamil in the Indian mainland.
Furthermore, a form of Tamil spoken exclusively by Sri Lankan Moors has been strongly influenced by Arabic.
[5] Black July induced civil conflict has introduced number of English and international words to the native population.