Language
It is perfectly possible to survive in Galle speaking only English. You will not be able to communicate with everyone, but you will be able to get most things done. Many people have lived in Galle for many years without learning Sinhala.
However, there are many advantages to knowing at least a little Sinhala:
- It is easier to find out things, especially about people.
- It will allow you to build better relationships with many of the people you deal with.
- You will look as though you know what you are about, making you less likely to be cheated and likely to buy things at lower process.
- For complex services (such as building) knowing Sinhala will give you a wide choice of people to hire, rather than relying on the narrow (and more expensive) pool of those who speak English.
Sinhala is not a difficult language to learn. It is an Indo-European language with straightforward grammar, and many words borrowed from English and Portuguese. Writing it would require learning its alphabet, but it is phonetic so spelling is easy. However speaking it is far more useful than being able to read or write Sinhala.
If you plan to live in Galle, or spend a lot of time here, it is work at least one member of your household learning the Sinhala.