Matakuliah
Tahun
: G0362/Sociolingustics
: 2007
Language Maintenance and Revivals
Pertemuan 4
Learning Outcomes
Pada akhir pertemuan ini, diharapkan mahasiswa
akan mampu :
• Menerangkan faktor-faktor peyebab kematian suatu
bahasa
• Menyebutkan cara-cara untuk melestarikan suatu
bahasa
Bina Nusantara
Outline Materi
• Pelestarian Bahasa
• Penghidupan kembali suatu bahasa
Bina Nusantara
How can a language die?
• When there’s no more speakers of it
• This can be a result of a natural disaster, e.g. the whole
tribe wiped out by a volcano eruption, tsunami, or a war.
• Because of other language domination, the people
gradually use the dominant language.
Bina Nusantara
Examples
• Latin now has no native speakers. However, the
language is still being used in limited domains such as
church services, medical, and biology terms.
• Some of Aboriginal languages in Australia have
disappeared as their older native speakers have died,
and younger speakers turn to English.
Bina Nusantara
Language Maintenance
• How can a minority language be maintained?
– Families live close to one another
– Frequent contacts, e.g. family gathering
– Contact with homeland (e.g. frequent visit from
people from country of origin)
– In-group marriage
– Religious meetings or other activities using the
minority language
– Publication in minority language
– Schools
Bina Nusantara
Language Reversals
• There are examples of efforts to revive a language:
– In Israel, Hebrew –the language of rituals and
religious ceremonies—was chosen to be the national
language. So, the government make all necessary
arrangement to teach and make the people use it.
– In Wales, schools teach subjects in Welsh as well as
English to minimize the use of English by young
people.
Bina Nusantara
Conclusions
• A language can vanish when
– There is a disaster that wipes out all its speakers
– There is a gradual but continuous shift toward the
majority language
• The government and the community need to do every
effort to maintain a language
• Language reversal/revival can happen as exemplified by
Hebrew
Bina Nusantara