Many perceive living in a multilingual society as exotic, while some view it as a privilege or even a luxury. An article published by the New York Times mentions how bilinguals are perhaps better at analytic tasks. Would this imply that those who are trilingual or polyglots are smarter?
How do bilinguals/multilingual/polyglots cope? If the notion of universal grammar were true, there would be a lot of principles and parameters to be set to accommodate the different languages spoken. What more the ability and the spontaneity to code-switch in different linguistic domains! Could these be the bases for the assumption that bilinguals are better at analyzing? Like a chameleon sensitive to the color of the environment--perhaps this is what bilinguals are good at.
Setting those aside, growing up multilingual is not all happy and gay. It is rather strenuous to be constantly conscious of how one should be, pragmatically speaking, when using a particular linguistic code. On the macro-level, multilingual societies could actually instigate a transformation of the linguistic ecology to a less multilingual one, better known as language shift.
Language shift. If only people read about the history of the English language and how it waned and waxed (around the time when France was occupying the lil' isle), Sabahans would have been prepared for the linguistic 'catastrophe' bound to befall upon them. Managing a pluralistic society is straight-up difficult. Too many people to please.
The newly formed Malaysia, in 1963, had communities who were detached from each other. To promote nation-building, Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, was given national status. However, it's been more than four decades since this policy, or act, or constitution, was written. Why is there still animosity between ethnic groups? This is obvious with the recent promotion of 1Malaysia, where different ethnic groups are encouraged to identify themselves as being a 'Malaysian.'
The newly formed Malaysia, in 1963, had communities who were detached from each other. To promote nation-building, Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, was given national status. However, it's been more than four decades since this policy, or act, or constitution, was written. Why is there still animosity between ethnic groups? This is obvious with the recent promotion of 1Malaysia, where different ethnic groups are encouraged to identify themselves as being a 'Malaysian.'
Article 152 of the Federal Constitution provides that while the Malay language has been recognized as the national language, no person is prohibited from teaching his own mother tongue; every person has the right to use his own mother tongue for non-official purposes; and the Government has the right to preserve and sustain the use and study of mother tongue of any other ethnic minority communities.
Diglossic communities around the world have been experiencing a shift towards being a monolingual one. This is the same for Sabah. Though for the past two decades, efforts have been made to revitalize some of the ethnic languages, results seem to be gloomy. The Ministry of Education did recognize the addition of the Kadazandusun language as a subject for the primary curriculum in Sabah. This could have been too late though, since real language experts in Kadazandusun who are able to teach are a rarity. This could be likened to the situation of English in Malaysia. When Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaya, it was agreed that English would be eventually phased out. Only after English was completely phased out from official and educational uses did people realize how ridiculous that was. Till today, Malaysia is still struggling to up the level of English proficiency. Something that would be difficult, especially with such a rigorous campaign to promote 'Malaysian-ness,' so to say.
It's a pity that not all of us in my generation are able to proudly proclaim fluency in our 'mother tongue.' What's more saddening is that none of us are proactive enough to actually learn the language. Though research centers such as the Kadazandusun Language Foundation and the Borneo Research Council have been set up, the status of the native languages of Sabah continue to deteriorate. One interesting point that an article published from the Borneo Research Council Journal is that a lot of Sabahans have been taken out from their 'native element.' We are not in an environment which calls for specific linguistic knowledge. Progress has changed the linguistic ecology we are living in, in other words. Practicality is a part of moving forward, I believe. The question could be applied to these dying languages as well: are they worth saving?
The first and subsequent generations of Malaysia may or may not be emotionally stigmatized by this process. I know I am, especially when a dear friend of mine made me think of my role as an applied linguist and a teacher of English. What am I contributing to this whole linguistic process? Is my teaching of English hastening the imminent ending? Thinking of this feels like me rubbing salt into my eyes.
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