| Summary: | The present study reports the language vitality of Kensiu, an endangered Austroasitic language
spoken by less than 300 individuals in Kampung Orang Asli Lubuk Legong in the northern state
of Kedah, Malaysia. Following UNESCO’s language vitality assessment, this study aims to
explore three critical issues related to language vitality: (1) intergenerational language
transmissions; (2) language use; and (3) language attitude. Data were collected at the Kensiu
settlement through semi-structured interviews involving two male native speakers representing
younger and older generations of Kensiu. The data were analysed qualitatively using ATLAS-Ti
version 8 and were interpreted via assessment tools such as UNESCO’s language vitality
assessment and the Extended Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS). The results
reveal some evidence of intergenerational language transmission within the Kensiu community.
The language appears to be used in limited domains, such as ‘family’ and ‘friendship’, with the
High variety (Malay) being given more emphasis over the Low variety (Kensiu), though there is
a balanced relationship between diglossia and bilingualism. The gap in Sustainable Literacy is also
apparent in the literary resources related to the Kensiu language. With regard to language attitude,
there are some contrasting perspectives between older and younger generations, though both
participants generally agree about the identity of Kensiu speakers and the way they accommodate
other dominant languages in their daily life. The findings shed some light on the concepts of
intergenerational transmission, language use, and language attitude on the Kensiu language and
provide an avenue for further investigations involving endangered indigenous languages in
Malaysia.
|
|---|