Professor K. N. O Dharmadasa is one of the pioneers of linguistics in Sri Lanka and scholar of international repute. He is Professor Emeritus, and the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka.
After graduating from the Peradeniya University, Professor K N O Dharmadasa joined the Peradeniya University as a temporary assistant lecturer and was an academic getting promoted as senior lecturer, associate professor, professor and senior professor until he retired in 2004. He obtained M.Phil. (Linguistics) from The University of York (England) in 1968 and Ph.D. (Sociology of Language) from Monash University (Australia) in 1979. During his career he has received many international awards such as Fellowship from the Japan Foundation for the Promotion of Science, Scholar in Residence Award (Fulbright-Hays)Fellowship, International Forum of US Studies (Univ. of Iowa) and Senior Fellowship, The School of Oriental and African Studies, The University of London.
He had written many books both in Sinhala and English on a variety of subjects and have been published locally and abroad.
He is also the chief editor of the Sinhala Encyclopedia. The Rajarata University of Sri Lanka honored him with the award of D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) in 2012.
28 окт 2024
