THE MECHANISM OF LANGUAGE DEATH: A REFLECTION TO OUR LOCAL LANGUAGE Neng Syifa Masnoneh STAI Daarussalaam Sukabumi, Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia Email: [email protected] Abstract A lingua franca is important for a multilingual country. For this reason, Bahasa Indonesia is designed as a lingua franca for more than 700 local languages in Indonesia to unite people from different social and cultural backgrounds. During colonialism era, Bahasa Indonesia seemed successful in creating a sense of identity as Indonesians. However, the domination of Bahasa Indonesia tends to replace Sundanese, particularly in children. Sundanese seems poorly transferred to young generation. This paper proposes a research toward the mechanism of language death as a reflection for Sundanese language which undergoes shifting; a process that may lead to language death. Keywords: language death, lingua franca, local language. A. INTRODUCTION (Siregar, 2017). The total number of extinct languages gathered from these Indonesia is rich in language two news is eighteen. They are Hoti, diversity. The country ranks second in Hukumina, Hulung, Serua, Te’un, the list of multilingual country. It has Palumata, Loun, Moksela, Naka’ela, approximately more than 700 Nila, Ternateno, Ibu, Saponi, Mapia, languages. According to Ethnologue, Kayeli, Piru, Tandia and Mawes. Since Indonesia is a home for 719 languages. every language is a unique collection of Of 719 languages, 707 are living, while knowledge of the world based on the 12 are extinct. Of these 707 living perception of its speakers, it means that languages, 18 are institutional, 73 are Indonesia has an abundant wealth. The developing, 188 are vigorous, 347 are in loss of a language means the loss of a trouble, and 81 are dying (Eberhard et heritage, an archieve of human al., 2019). Regarding the extinct intelligence and history, and its unique languages in Indonesia, data from speakers’ description of the world. In Ethnologue is different with that from other word, every language extinction recent news in Republika.com also kills its culture. Once it has been (Republika, 2015) and Liputan6.com 80 |Jurnal Makna Volume 4, No. 1 Maret 2019 extinct, there is no way to turn it back to Languages are dynamic. Like living status. Therefore, Indonesian living organism, they live, evolve and people should be aware of their own die. The history of first language of wealth and preserve their language. human being is obscure, but language Indonesia has 347 languages that are in evolution has become an interesting trouble and 81 are dying, meaning that subject for many linguists. Language in the next generations they might be on evolution, as Mufwene explains, the list of extinct languages unless there includes changes in structural and is an effort to document and revitalize pragmatic aspects of languages, also in them. their vitality (Mufwene, 2018, p. 73). Although there are hundreds of Through the study of language endangered languages in Indonesia, the evolution, linguists trace back the origin country still has languages with large of a language and study the reasons of speaker populations. However, the trend language changes, as we can see in of language shifting from local Collinge’s thorough explanation about language to Indonesian and English is language evolution (Collinge, 1990, p. rising among younger generation as 473-496). shown by some research (Cohn and The evolution of languages can be Ravindranath, 2014; Puspahaty, 2017). one of causes for the birth of new ones. Codeswitching and codemixing seem to Language birth refers to a protracted be common today. Based on this process, spanning several generations, phenomenon, the mechanism of in which a variety of language, language death is discussed in the structurally different from its ancestor, following as a lesson for Sundanese emerges. Language birth cannot be langaguage that seems poorly predicted, and the stage of the birth has transferred to younger generation. no point in time. The separateness is recognized by a cumulative accretion of different features from its ancestor language. Likewise, language death B. LANGUAGE BIRTH AND refers to prolonged change of state, in THE MECHANISM OF which there is community – level loss LANGUAGE DEATH of competence in a language. The 81 |Jurnal Makna Volume 4, No. 1 Maret 2019 process of language death is not sudden, are Hoti, Hukumina, Hulung, Serua, meaning that it does not affect all Te’un, Palumata, Loun, Moksela, speakers at the same time nor to the Naka’ela, Nila, Ternateno, Ibu, Saponi same extent. A language is declared as a and Mapia (Masnoneh, 2017, p.54). In dead language when there are no native addition, Kayeli, Piru, Tandia and speakers left, or when there is only one Mawes are also in the list of extinct speaker left, with no member of the languages in this country (Siregar and younger generation speak it, though the Ezry, 2017). language may still live in a recorded, Some factors are responsible for such as in writing, sound, or vidio language extinction, and they are archieve (Crystal, 2000; Mufwene, interrelated to such an extent. Crystal 2004). (2000, p.70-76) explains that to see the However, languages can also die. cause of language death, we have to To name a few of extinct languages are know factors that put people in danger. Bithynian, Cilician, Pisidian, Phrygian, A language lives as long as the speakers Paphlagonian, Etruscan, Sumerian, live. Therefore, any direct threats to the Elamite, and Hittite. These are dead safety of the life of a community can languages that the records can be found cause a language to be endangered, or in various forms, such as in inscriptions, extinct. The threats can be natural clay tablets, or documents. The exact disasters, famine, diseases, and wars. number of ancient dead languages, that For example, in 1918, the speakers of had no records, is obscure (Crystal, Paulohi language – a language that once 2000, p 68-69). Although the list may was spoken in Central Maluku, not be complete, we can easily find the Indonesia - experienced earthquake and list of new dead languages around the tsunami that killed many of its speakers world from websites such as Wikipedia (Tondo, 2009, p. 288). According to and linguistlist. The most recent dead Ethnologue, the population of its languages recorded are Mandan, speakers in 1984 was 50 speakers. Wichita, Gugu Thaypan, and Nuchatlaht Today, in 2018, the status of the dialect of Nuu-chah-nulth which died in language is nearly extinct. An example 2016 along with the death of the last of language death due to natural speakers. Dead languages In Indonesia disasters was due to a 7.1 Richter 82 |Jurnal Makna Volume 4, No. 1 Maret 2019 earthquake off the coast of E. Saundaun intermarriage. This factors have nothing Province, Papua New Guinea on July to do with the safety of the life of the 1998. The earthquake destroyed four people. They live well and still inhabit villages: Sissano, Warupu, Arop, and their traditional territory, but their Malol that killed over 2.200 people and language is declining from generation to displaced over 10.000 people. 30% of generation and eventually disappears, the Arop and Warupu villagers were replaced by other language (Crystal, killed, while the survivors moved to 2000, 2003; Mufwene, 2005; Phillipson, other place. The problem is, each 1992; Tondo, 2009). Cultural villages has distinct linguistic assimilation is responsible for many characteristics. According to language dissapearance. It is often Ethnologue in 1996 before the followed by a heavy language contact earthquake, the population of these four that triggers deep borrowing, language villages was already small: Sissano had shift, and language death (Myers- only 4,776 based on 1990 census; Malol Scotton, 1992, p. 31-58). In cultural had 3.330; Arop had 1.700 based on assimilation, there is often a dominant census in 1981; and Warupu had 1.602 culture bringing a dominant language in 1983. Because of the earthquake, that finally outlasts and kills the their languages were threatened by a indigeous language, but we cannot shap decline of their speakers (Crystal, blame a single factor. Speakers’ 2000, p 71). Although I have not find negative attitude toward their own the current status of these languages in language and language policy made by 2018, we can predict that these government also contribute to its languages are in endangered list if they endangerement leading to its death are not extinct yet. (Azhar, 2011, p.52-56). The change of Second, the cause of language ecological environment also contributes death comes from the change in to language extinction on lexical level people’s culture as the product of (Simanjuntak, 2017, p.490-502). cultural assimilation through In this context, Ibrahim (2011) colonization - such as in America, explains thoroughly the triggers for Australia and New Zealand-, language death that can be summarized globalization, urbanization, and into three main reasons. The first is the 83 |Jurnal Makna Volume 4, No. 1 Maret 2019 language choice of a multicultural Sultanate, Ibu was pressed by Ternate community. When most people choose language. In that time, Ternate language to use a language other than their own was lingua franca for people in North language in their daily life Maluku, and served as a royal language. communication, the mother tongue will For Ibu speakers, Ternate language was gradually lose its speaker and finally their second language. Due to its status comes to its death unless there is an as lingua franca and royal language, it effort to revitalize it. Like a living slowly but sure decreased the number of organism, the situation makes it difficult Ibu speakers in next generation. After to reproduce. Indonesian independence day, where This first reason is connected with Bahasa Indonesia becomes the national the second main reason, namely a language, the pressure came from pressure of a more powerful language Malay Ternate.