LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT IN INDONESIA
ABSTRACT: In Indonesia,
language endangerment is primarily related to language shift. Data show that
the most important symptoms of language shift and of the vitality of a language
are number and quality of the domains in which it is used and transmitted. The
second crucial symptom of language endangerment is the loss of transmission
from one generation to the next. This is what is now being seen in many
communities across Indonesia where children are no longer acquiring their
parents’ language. There are two general endangerment scenarios that have
occurred in Indonesia. The first is the immigration scenario in which members
of another speech community from outside the area move in and due to economic
and political advantage essentially ‘take over’ a local speech community,
imposing their own language. The second is the emigration scenario in which
members of a local speech community temporarily migrate outside of the
community for education or work, and on returning bring the dominant language
from outside into the community. Finally, we can now find in many parts of
Indonesia that social changes including economic, educational and political
contexts, promote a shift from local to dominant language.
KEYWORDS: Language
endangerment, language shift, immigration and emigration scenarios, dominant
language
Author: Michael C. Ewing
Journal Code: jppendidikangg140142
