“WE hear the voice of our mother’s mother,
Speaking in tongues we can no longer decipher,
The ghost of a language
Haunting only in the cold dark hall
Of museum archives.”
If you have been learning in a language that is your mother tongue in school, you are privileged. You take it for granted as a birth right, yet, it may be a luxury or an impossible dream for others.
In the recently published Routledge International Handbook of Language Education Policy in Asia (2022), Kirkpatrick and Liddicoat point out that many children in the region are taught in a language they do not understand because in Southeast Asia, ethnic minority languages are largely excluded from public education systems.
As debates on the use of children’s mother tongues as a medium of instruction, and the inclusion of the languages of indigenous and minority communities in education continue, this year’s International Mother Language Day (celebrated annually on Feb 21) theme is “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education”. This is very much in line with the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, Quality Education.
What is the situation in Sarawak, where an estimated 30 ethnic groups live, with their own languages and dialects? Unfortunately, the loss of many of these languages is imminent. According to Ethnologue, two languages are already extinct in Malaysia, 15 are dying and 101 are in danger. Dying with them, is our rich and colourful heritage.
In Malaysia, the teaching and learning of indigenous languages (except for Semai, Iban and Kadazandusun) are being left to NGOs and universities. We are fortunate to have groups that believe that our linguistic heritage is important for its cultural wealth, as is the case with Bidayuh.
The Bidayuh are the second largest indigenous group after the Iban in Sarawak. In 2006, the Bidayuh Language Development Project, supported by a three-year grant from the United Nation, was a success, with learning materials including dictionaries, being produced in five of the major Bidayuh dialects as well as the development of the mother-tongue based multilingual education initiative for preschools. However, the project is still struggling to keep alive with the Dayak Bidayuh National Association as its sole source of funding.
Without clear government policies on indigenous language education, there is little hope for public funding for such projects.
Policies play a crucial role in recognising the importance of all languages spoken in a country, and in the promotion and preservation of mother tongues. An effective policy can facilitate language planning and development, promote multilingualism and engage communities in language preservation efforts. It can assist in ensuring the continued use and transmission of mother tongues for future generations.
NGOs should not be the only ones involved in language revitalisation projects and programmes. Without support from the government, they can only accomplish so much.
At the moment, the spotlight on English in education continues, while indigenous and minority languages struggle to enter the debate on mother tongue and multilingual education. It is not impossible to imagine that one day they will only be available in archives and as distant memories of languages once spoken.
“We hear the words of our mother’s mother,
Spoken voices of our little children,
The spirit of a language
We thought would only live in memories,
Echoes in giant malls and small kopitiams.”
Hazelynn Rimbar, PhD candidate at the Faculty of Language and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@Thesundaily.com
