Senior Lecturer Dr Kapugollewe Anandakiththi Thero, the Head of the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, has authored a new academic book titled ‘Phonology and Morphology of Modern Marathi.’ The book was formally presented to Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, on Thursday, 02 April 2026, at the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

Marathi, a major Indo-Aryan language officially recognized by the Constitution of India, evolved from Maharashtri Apabhramsa around the tenth century AD and maintains close historical links with Prakrit and Sanskrit. Today, it is the principal language of Maharashtra and the mother tongue of nearly eighty million speakers.

In this pioneering study, Ven. Dr Kapugollewe Anandakiththi Thero offers a rare and rigorous analysis of the phonology and morphology of Marathi. At a time when comprehensive linguistic studies of Marathi remain limited, this book fills a significant scholarly gap and represents the first detailed contribution to the field by a Sri Lankan scholar.

Based on the author’s doctoral research conducted at the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute (Deemed University), Pune, and enriched by his deep immersion in Maharashtra, the book is divided into two main parts: Phonology and Morphology. The first part examines the sound system of Marathi, while the second analyses core grammatical categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, with particular attention to gender, number, and case.

The presentation of the book to the Vice-Chancellor marks another notable achievement by Dr Kapugollewe Anandakiththi Thero and highlights the ongoing commitment of the Department of Linguistics to academic research and publication.