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Save Our Language!

Oni wat otto doik kamang sina Dayak to?

I found this article and I didn't know if I should feel glad or sad. From one perception, having UNESCO make the initiative to save the Bidayuh language is pretty depressing. It's implying that we ourselves are not really doing a good enough job to save it. On the bright side, with UNESCO identifying that our language needs to be saved, it does show that the Bidayuh language is at a level worth saving and that it is better to start preserving it now before we lose it altogether.

I know for sure that the DBNA has started an initiative to create a Bidayuh pre-school. Here, the kids are  provided Bidayuh reading material and teachers who educate children in Bidayuh, with Malay and English a secondary language. So at least, there's tangible efforts being made by our own community. But I think we need to the extra mile on this issue, otherwise..we may be the last generation that even speak the language. Quite frightening when you think about it. Death of our mother tongue.
Dunging Gunggu - the one who created the Iban alphabet

In terms of linguistic preservation, I'm quite impressed with the Ibans actually. Just recently they had several people graduated from an Iban alphabet course in UiTM Samarahan. So now, not only will they preserve the verbal language but they proudly say that they have their written language. What is indeed interesting is that the alphabets were created in the age where the Iban was still using the purist form of their language and was yet to be assimilated with words from other languages. So there is indeed a huge value in the alphabet that was created and it was even more unique due to the fact that the alphabet was created by an Iban residing in this part of Borneo, and not the Indonesian part. That's something worth being proud of.

Unlike Iban, the Bidayuh language has to many degrees of separation. There's too many dialects and even sub-dialects to deal with. But, in my opinion, just save them all. Coz the downfall of the Bidayuh language is the variety of dialects themselves. If you are form Bau and then you go to Serian, like it or not you'd most probably choose to either speak in Malay or English with your Sadong counterpart. So that, in a way, gradually bridges the ability of the two Bidayuh communities to understand each others language to the fullest. 

My idea is simply to just have each dialect preserving their own language. DBNA should develop a system on how the preservation should be done. I mean why not? We're trying to save the language right? So just save all of them. Right? The question is, how?

That my fellow Bidayuh readers, is the responsibility for all of us.

Comments

  1. the_saint20 June 2012 at 15:21

    i dont think this matter should triggered the "warning alarm"... bidayuh language in whole is well KEPT.... that's it...

    but i doubt the originality... that one should be on DBNA main "tempoyak" agenda....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Benz21 June 2012 at 08:07

    I guess so, but its just bugs me to realize that even we don't speak the language in its pure form. It's always a mix-up. I know that even Malays mix-up their language in normal conversation, but at least the actual preservation of the language is there in both verbal and written form. They have literature and they have an education based on the language. I think that is something we should strive more to achieve. We don't have to have an actual set of alphabet, even if we were to use the ordinary alphabet in literature, its still okay. As long as the literature is in Bidayuh.

    ReplyDelete
  3. GlobalBidayuh26 April 2013 at 10:26

    i already successfully invented the Bidayuh Alphabet and its much more simpler than the dunging...i believe it will be easier to learn and remember...it has 25 letters altogether.....16 consonants and 9 vowels.....the vowels reflect the phonetic sound use in our language....i believe the dunging one is hard to remember and the symbol is quite complicated...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GlobalBidayuh26 April 2013 at 10:28

      the funny thing is the dunging ada swastika lagi....mesti this guy live masa era wwII....slalu tengok swastika....lol

      Delete

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