Language vitality among the Orang Asli of Malaysia: the case of the Mah Meri on Telo’ Gunjeng (Carey Island, Selangor)

Abstract

After a general introduction to the aboriginals of Peninsular Malaysia, the so-called Orang Asli, this article introduces the ethnic group upon which the research focused: the Mah Meri, a Senoi group living in the state of Selangor, not far from Kuala Lumpur. The research is based on a survey on language use and attitudes carried out in four different Mah Meri villages on Carey Island. The results are then analysed in general terms and compared with those provided by similar research carried out among the Bidayuh, a Dayak ethnic group in Borneo, showing a rather high degree of vitality for the Mah Meri language, even though lower than in the case of the Bidayuh. In contrast, when the answers given by the younger speakers of the language are compared with those provided by older speakers, a pattern of slow but steady ongoing language shift clearly emerges. The article closes with some general considerations on the state of linguistic and cultural endangerment Orang Asli are facing, including further comparisons between the results of this research and those of another study conducted in a different Mah Meri village and some suggestions on possible revitalization strategies. The evidence seems to show a relatively high degree of endangerment for the languages spoken by the Orang Asli in general, and for the Mah Meri in particular.

Heritage Language Vitality among University Students in Malaysia

“…This means that as few as 56 students, that is a little less than one third of the total, may pass down one or more of their heritage languages to their children. However, based on the author's previous research (Coluzzi, 2010;Coluzzi et al, 2013Coluzzi et al, , 2017, it is most likely that only the respondents who end up marrying a partner speaking the same heritage language and/or living in areas where the heritage language is widely spoken may retain it. Considering the present high levels of mobility in the country, only a small part of these 56 students will probably keep intergenerational transmission going, which does not bode well for Malaysia's linguistic diversity.…”

“…Even though a similar survey carried out among youths in other parts of Malaysia or in other universities may provide different results, considering the overall situation of minority languages and dialects in Malaysia attested by previous research (for a summary, see Coluzzi, 2017), we may safely affirm that the vast majority of the heritage languages looked at in this research are more or less endangered. Some of these languages might show higher levels of ethnolinguistic vitality in some of the areas where they are still spoken by the majority of the local population (see for example Coluzzi et al, 2013Coluzzi et al, , 2017, or enjoy higher levels of prestige because of official status in other countries, copious literature, use in the mass media, etc. In addition, young people with lower levels of education residing outside urban areas may be retaining their heritage languages more than those who have decided to leave their villages or provincial towns and study at one of the national universities.…”

Realiti Daya Hidup Bahasa Bisaya Muslim Sebagai Etnik Minoriti di Sabah

“…Terdapat beberapa kajian tentang daya hidup bahasa pribumi di Malaysia (Yabit, 2019;Noriah & Nor Hasimah, 2012;Fatimah & Najib, 2017;Chong, Hendrikus & Collins, 2018;Coluzzi, Riget & Xiaomei, 2017;dan Noor Aina et al, 2019). Sebahagian daripada hasil kajian mereka dipetik dan dibandingkan dengan dapatan daya hidup bahasa etnik Bisaya Muslim di daerah Beaufort, Sabah.…”

“…Walaupun bahasa ibunda masih digunakan dan dihargai oleh masyarakat itu, generasi muda lebih cenderung menggunakan bahasa Melayu. Data ini meletakkan kedudukan bahasa Mah Meri sebagai bahasa yang terancam (Coluzzi, Riget & Xiaomei, 2017). Terdapat satu kajian tentang transmisi bahasa antara generasi dalam kalangan etnik Dusun Islam di Sabah.…”

Examining Language Development and Revitalisation Initiatives

“…Eberhard et al (2019) classify Bidayuh, particularly the three main varieties (Bidayuh-Bau, Bidayuh-Biatah, Bidayuh-Bukar-Sadong) as threatened. Based on previous research on the vitality of Bidayuh (see Coluzzi et al, 2013Coluzzi et al, , 2017Coluzzi, 2017), Coluzzi, Riget, and Kitade (2018) proposed it be *Affiliated to the Centre for Malaysian Indigenous Studies (CMIS), Universiti Malaya.…”