Uniqbu Journal of Social Sciences (UJSS)

Volume 1 Nomor 2, Agustus 2020 Halaman 49–55

BURU LANGUAGE CONSERVATION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE MULOK LEARNING IN REGENCY

(Konservasi Bahasa Buru melalui Pembelajaran Mulok Berkelanjutan di Kabupaten Buru)

Varissca Utari Tuharea, Saidna Zulfiqar Bin-Tahir, Iin Sulastri Ode Ami, Abd Rahman Universitas Iqra Buru Jl. Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Basalamah, M.Si, Namlea, E-mail: [email protected]

(Diterima: 03 Agustus; Direvisi 04 Agustus; Disetujui: Agustus 2020)

Abstract The sad phenomenon regarding the current shift in the Buru regional language is a very dominant factor threatening the extinction of its people's identity. Of the total population of 132,100 people in Buru district, only about 14,000 know the , and only about 5,000 people are able and active in communicating using the Buru language. This study aims to examine the condition of regional dialects in , especially on the island of Buru, which has experienced a shift that has an impact on extinction, what are the factors that affect the destruction of the Buru regional language, and what are the first steps to prevent the extinction. This study applied a qualitative approach with phenomenology design to describe the phenomena that occur in connection with the shift in regional languages on the island of Buru. The results found that the language shift phenomenon and the threat of extinction of the Buru language in Buru district are increasing day by day due to the dominance of the and the development of information technology, and the lack of public and government awareness in preserving local languages as their identity. Keywords: Buru language, conservation, Mulok

Abstrak Penomena miris tentang pergeseran bahasa daerah Buru saat ini merupakan faktor yang sangat dominan mengancam punahnya identitas masyarakatnya. Dari jumlah penduduk kabupaten Buru sebanyak 132.100 jiwa, hanya sekitar 14.000 yang mengetahui bahasa Buru dan hanya sekitar 5.000 masyarakat yang mampu dan aktif berkomunikasi menggunakan bahasa Buru. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tentang kondisi bahasa- bahasa daerah di Indonesia khususnya di pulau Buru yang mengalami pergeseran yang berdampak pada kepunahan, apa saja faktor yang mempengaruhi kepunahan bahasa daerah Buru, dan bagamanakah langkah awal pencegahan kepunahan itu. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain phenomenology untuk mendiskripsikan phenomena yang terjadi berkaitan dengan pergeseran bahasa daerah di pulau Buru. disimpulkan bahwa penomena language shift dan ancaman kepunahan bahasa Buru di kabupaten Buru semakin hari semakin meningkat jumlahnya disebabkan oleh dominasi bahasa Indonesia dan perkembangan teknologi informasi, dan kurangnya kesadaran masyarakat dan pemerintah dalam melestarikan bahasa daerah sebagai identitas mereka. Kata kunci: Bahasa Buru, konservasi, Mulok

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INTRODUCTION and culture and modernization, especially Indonesia is a country that is known with the rapid development of the era of the as a country that has various ethnicities and industrial revolution 4.0, which reduced the cultures. This diversity also results in the use of regional languages in everyday life existence of regional language variants that and reduced the number of speakers of these exist in multiple regions in Indonesia languages. In addition, in : the (Hamied, 2012; Hoon, 2013). It is what language of the world (2005), it is stated that makes Indonesia more unique than other in Indonesia there are 742 languages, 737 of countries in the world as a pluralistic which are stated to be still exotic or still used identity. by speakers. Meanwhile, two languages act Language is the identity of a nation, as a mother tongue (mother tongue). as well as regional languages in Indonesia Meanwhile, the other three languages have (Wibawa, 2007). Although, in fact, local become extinct. Some of the extant languages are not the unifying language of languages are predicted to be on the verge of the government, like Indonesian collapse or threatened with extinction due to (Development, 2016). However, regional the decline in speakers because only a languages also play the same important role handful of native speakers, but some are as Indonesian itself (Primadesi, 2012; dominant. It cannot be denied that the Pontoh, 2013). For example, when we talk to influence of Indonesian as the national people from other indigenous and non- language in everyday life, especially those indigenous tribes in Indonesia. To be able to that are often used in officials (formal) speak well and harmoniously with them, we activities such as in the government and are required to master the local language education sector, frequently causes the they have so that the conversation will be frequency of use of regional languages to easy to understand and there will be a sense decrease. In addition, the condition of a of confidence when communicating with multi-ethnic Indonesian society with a them and also the meaning of the diversity of languages and cultures can result conversation being discussed can be in a shift in local languages. conveyed and understood well. This is Multi-ethnic community conditions following the definition of language itself as followed by inter-ethnic contact, including a meaningful sound system used for language contact, can lead to various communication by community groups linguistic phenomena, such as bilingualism (Kridalaksana, 1985). or even multilingualism and interculturalism As a means of communication that often occur in minority language groups between community groups, of course, (Bin Tahir, 2016 & 2017). This language regional languages also have an essential contact can also result in language shift, role as the identity of a diverse community even extinction, namely changes in a group (Sudarsana, 2017). This identity person's language choice for daily should be preserved and preserved for the communication, especially as a result of nation to avoid misidentify or identity-shift migration, acculturation, or language between them and the personalities of other change, namely changes in language nations or groups. throughout a period (Kridalaksana, 1993). Based on data from the Ministry of The phenomenon that occurs as Education and Culture (2017), there are 11 described above is a compelling reason to be languages out of 71 regional languages that studied by linguists because this have been declared extinct. Most of the phenomenon leads to a condition of language extinctions occurred in Papua. The language extinction because basically, the extinction was caused by a shift in language extinction of a language does not only have

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BURU LANGUAGE CONSERVATION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE MULOK LEARNING IN BURU REGENCY (Varissca Utari Tuharea, Saidna Zulfiqar Bin-Tahir, Iin Sulastri Ode Ami, Abd Rahman) an impact on the linguistic dimension but 3. What is the strategy for the also has an effect on the cultural dimensions conservation of Buru language of the language-speaking community from the threat of extinction? (Tondo, 2009; Sobarna, 2010). This is because through language, it is possible to know the people's perspective on something, METHOD and through language, it can also be seen as This article employed a qualitative the rules, traditions, and beliefs of an ethnic approach with phenomenology design to group (Dixon, 1997). describe the phenomena that have occurred The sad phenomenon regarding the related to the shift in regional languages on current shift in the regional language of Buru the island of Buru. The object of study in is a very dominant factor threatening the this article is the people of Buru Island in the extinction of the identity of its people (Bin- Namlea sub-district, totaling 21 informants Tahir, 2016). Of the total population of Buru who were observed and interviewed using a district of 132,100 people, only about 14,000 purposive technique with the criteria that the know the language of Buru, and only about participants observed and interviewed were 5,000 people are able and active to the original inhabitants of the island of Buru communicate using the Buru language who knew and mastered the Buru language. (BPS-Buru, 2018). This is, of course, caused The instrument used in this article is by various factors that must be investigated an observation and interview guide to and observed to find the right solution to explore the phenomenon of regional preserve and highlight regional cultural language shift in Buru district, which identities and assets. consists of the domain of the use of the Buru This article attempts to examine the language and the causes of the lack of use of condition of regional languages in Indonesia, the Buru language which can threaten the especially on the island of Buru, which has Buru language to extinction. The data experienced a shift that has an impact on collected were analyzed using a three-stage extinction, what are the factors that affect model consisting of data presentation, the disappearance of the Buru regional reduction, and verification or conclusion and language, and what are the first steps to presented descriptively. prevent the destruction. In addition, this article will also provide input to several RESULTS AND DISCUSSION related parties in the Buru Regency on how A language is an abstract tool used to to deal with regional language extinction communicate between individuals and through the nationalization of the local individuals, individuals with groups, or language itself, both formally and non- groups with groups within a society. formally and informally through policy and Language according to its own meaning in education regulations. Law No. 24 of 2009 that the language and Based on the background of the the state symbol are a means of unifying, the problem that has been described in the identity and form of the nation's existence introduction above, the problem formulation which is a symbol of the sovereignty and of this article can be formulated as follows: honor of the state as mandated in the 1945 1. What is the condition of the Buru constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. language in the Buru Regency? Besides, the meaning of regional languages 2. What are the factors that is emphasized in article 1, paragraph 5 of influence the shift in Buru the Law. Law No. 24 of 2009 that local language in Buru Regency? languages are the languages used from generation to generation by Indonesian 51

(UJSS) Vol. 1, No 2, Agustus 2020: 49–55 citizens in the regions and the territory of the office the Republic of Indonesia. 5 The use of - √ - The language of Buru as the regional Buru language and identity of the people of the language in island of Buru is currently only a symbol of the family regionalism and pride for its inhabitants. gathering This is evidenced by the reduction in 6 The use of - √ - speakers of the Buru regional language, of Buru which from a total population of 161,828, language in there are only 14,000 speakers of the Buru formal language (Jayanti et al., 2014). When ceremonials observing and interviewing respondents, the Source: Observation data analysis researcher never heard that either the (2019) respondent or the respondent and the people The table above shows that the use of around him used the local language Buru. the Buru language by 21 informants shows This can result in the extinction of the local that they have never used the Buru language language itself. in social interactions, both in the family Based on the results of observations environment, school/campus, office, except on the condition of the Buru regional during family gatherings and formal language by observing the user informants in occasions only. This shows the lack of use daily social interactions, both at the home, of the Buru language in daily environment, school/university, office, and communication, which can lead to its several conditions, it can be described as extinction. follows: The current condition shows that the Table 1: the Use of Buru Local regional language seems to be divided by its Language Condition own speakers, causing a shift in the regional N Domain Alway Som Never language of Buru to Malay-Ambonese o s etim language, which has an impact on its es extinction. Based on the results of interviews 1 The use of - - √ with several respondents (ZW, ISO, TS, and Buru KT) stated that they use Indonesian more language in often (both official and ) the home compared to the existing regional languages 2 The use of - - √ due to technological advances through Buru online media and soap operas that in broadcast on TV, that's what causes them to the social be more inclined to imitate and follow the environmen language of soap operas in their daily t interactions rather than using their own 3 The use of - - √ language. This phenomenon has led to the Buru neglect of the use of regional languages for language in so long and the shift of the Buru regional the language with other languages. school/univ Some respondents (YR, SZ, RB, AA, ersity and TS) stated that the shift in their regional 4 The use of - - √ languages was caused by the dominance of Buru the use of the national language, namely language in Indonesian, both in schools, recitation

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BURU LANGUAGE CONSERVATION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE MULOK LEARNING IN BURU REGENCY (Varissca Utari Tuharea, Saidna Zulfiqar Bin-Tahir, Iin Sulastri Ode Ami, Abd Rahman) places, campuses, even their interest in 5. Darwis (1985) states that the public and political dialogue which aired on social environment is plural TvOne and MetroTV. (ethnic). The task field is This is in accordance with the relatively unstable, and parents opinion of several experts who emphasize are of different ethnicities. the factors that influence the shift in regional Several factors mentioned above, if a languages. This extinction was caused by solution is not anticipated and immediately several factors, namely: sought, it will have an impact on the 1. Due to language interference that continued extinction of the Buru language occurred in a very long time and have an impact on the extinction of one frame, it resulted in language regional language in Indonesia. Therefore, shift and language extinction the effort that must be made to overcome (Widianto, 2015). this problem is to conserve the Buru 2. Due to the political factors. The language through Mulok learning in schools, policy on the use of the national institutions, and universities. This effort is language, which was previously carried out by 1) in the field of education, it known as the politics of the is necessary to add the Buru language as a national language, has more or Mulok subject in all schools in Buru district, less affected the marginalization starting from kindergarten, elementary, of regional languages (Budiono, junior high, high school levels. In addition, it 2009). can also be added to general basic courses at 3. Local languages are only used as universities on the island of Buru, namely the language of instruction in Iqra Buru University. 2) the active role of education as stated in Law No. parents in introducing regional languages in 20, 2003, article 33 paragraph 2, the family environment through early namely that regional languages recognition of regional languages in the can be used as the language of context of daily conversation. 3) speakers of instruction in the early stages of regional languages must maintain their education if it is needed in the loyalty and identity towards their regional delivery of specific knowledge languages. 4) choose a productive social and skills. environment that is actively speaking the 4. Grimes (2000) suggests that the local language. 5) there needs to be a high symptoms are a drastic decrease level of public awareness of the importance in the number of active speakers, of regional languages as an effort to preserve the reduced use of language, culture, and 6) there is a need for neglect and elimination of mother government policies in regulating and tongue by young speakers, efforts regulating the preservation of the Buru to maintain ethnic identity language in all sectors, especially in the without a mother tongue, fields of formal, non-formal and informal speakers of the last generation are education. no longer proficient in using their Basically, this conservation effort mother tongue, meaning that does not guarantee that it can solve the there is remaining passive problem accurately on the problem of the mastery (understanding without extinction of the regional language, but with speaking), examples of the the existence of conservation through this increasing extinction of the education, it can prevent its extinction, at dialects of one least on an ongoing basis for this problem. and code language. So that the Buru language on the island of 53

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