Regional Language Catastrophe

Based on a study conducted by Bromham and his colleagues (2022), without intervention, the tendency for language loss could triple within 40 years, with at least one language lost every month.

One of the interesting findings from the study entitled Global Predictors of Language Endangerment and the Future of Linguistic Diversity reveals that formal education (or more specifically higher average years of schooling) higher) can apparently contribute to the loss of language diversity.

These findings sparked critical discourse and became a trigger for (multi) language education policies, especially at the formal education level, to be immediately reformed.

Also read: Will regional languages ​​become extinct?

In line with this phenomenon, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated February 21 as International Mother Language Day. The theme for the 2024 celebration is multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning (multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning).

The controversy surrounding the theme in the education aspect seems to be intertwined with the Bromham et al. (2022) research that recommends the documentation of language, bilingual education programs, and various other community-based programs.

The celebration of International Mother Language Day should go hand in hand with awareness and real and continuous action preservation of mother tongue. So, it's not just a ceremonial fanfare with various webinars and seminars and uploading twibbon photos with just fancy captions and hashtags.

Unfortunately, based on the language vitality count by Ethnologue (2024), around 506 of the regional languages ​​in Indonesia are currently endangered or threatened with existence, and 14 regional languages ​​are now completely extinct. Red report card for the continuity of regional languages ​​in Indonesia.

Language shift

The fact that languages in Indonesia are competing with each other is evident. The contestation of three language domains (national, regional, and foreign) can be seen in the results of an investigation into Google Trends data from 2004 to 2024.

By entering the keywords "Indonesian", "English", and regional languages, for example "Javanese" or "Sundanese" (context-specific), it can be seen that English and Indonesian are much more dominant than regional languages, such as Javanese and Sundanese in terms of interest over time (level of interest over time). Apart from that, the supremacy and "imperialism" of the English language is allegedly the cause of the social phenomenon of Minglishness or Englishness (Anglicized) among the younger generation.

Modern families nowadays also tend to prefer using the Indonesian language as their daily communication and interaction language. In fact, many are starting to cultivate the use of foreign languages, especially English, at home. Both the national and foreign language domains are considered to have higher functionality than regional languages.

The existence of regional languages ​​these days seems to be just confetti or decoration for subjects in schools.

The primary factor that drives language shift is the influence of parents' language on their children's linguistic repertoire, which ultimately results in failure in the intergenerational transmission of regional languages. This was revealed by three researchers from the United States—Maya Ravindranath Abtahian, Abigail C Cohn, and Thomas Pepinsky (2016)—who studied modeling social factors in language shift with an Indonesian case study.

As a result, various local languages in Indonesia are now experiencing a reduction in their number of native speakers. For example, based on observation data on the Ethnologue website, the Javanese language, which is the largest regional language in Indonesia, has experienced a significant loss of speakers, from 84 million in 2018 to 68 million in 2022.

If a language as big as Javanese cannot avoid the risk of extinction, other regional languages with far fewer speakers will undoubtedly suffer even more severe consequences, namely extinction.

In addition, the existence of local languages lately seems to only be treated as confetti or decoration for school subjects. The lack of habituation in using local languages in the school environment - aside from at home and in the community - is one of the "driving factors" for the failure of preserving local languages in every province in the future.

Multilingual education

The policy of using mother tongue or regional languages as the language of instruction in selected subjects in schools needs to be promoted again. The use of mother tongue in schools provides at least six benefits, including accessibility to education, increased literacy and learning outcomes, accelerated foreign language learning performance, educational cost efficiency, increased student confidence, and active participation from the community as well as emphasizing cultural conservation (RTI International Report in Kemendikbudristek, 2021).

This effort should also be supported by qualified teacher capacity and the availability of innovative learning materials. One of the interesting initiatives from Language Agency is the development, production and dissemination of bilingual children's storybooks (a combination of regional and Indonesian languages). These books are provided free of charge through access on the official Language Center website for each province.

In the family environment, a special multilingual teaching curriculum should also be developed for children as part of the Family Language Policy (FLP) implementation. Moreover, the prevalence of inter-ethnic marriages is a risk factor for the loss of regional language speakers in the future, both from the side of the mother and father's regional languages.

This effort should also be supported by qualified teacher capacity and the availability of innovative learning materials.

This curriculum is as simple as dividing a language habituation schedule for days that have been agreed upon by parents (and children). Even though it may seem confusing for children, multilingualism turns out to have clear benefits scientifically, including protection against the possibility of cognitive decline when old or healthy aging, increasing intercultural understanding, and increasing opportunities for social interaction.

Meanwhile, in the community, the use of local languages in both formal and non-formal events needs to be emphasized. The linguistic landscape or the utilization of local languages in public spaces such as writing names or labels in local languages at stations, terminals, grocery stores, places of worship, and others, should also receive attention from the local government.

Apart from that, regular events with the theme Regional Language Response in the form of performances and cultural arts exhibitions in open areas as well as digital crowdsourcing can be a communal option in socializing local languages ​​across generations. .

Also read: Speaking Regional Languages ​​is Cool

In this way, mainstreaming Trigatra Bangun Bahasa is no longer just a slogan, but is applicable in everyday life and a catalyst for regional language catastrophe. That Indonesian is prioritized, regional languages ​​are preserved, and foreign languages ​​are mastered is an adequate national language policy.

This also serves as a reflection that contemporary global linguistic ecology is still possible to be championed. Eventually, the languages ​​that exist in the archipelago (national, regional, and foreign) will not "kill" each other and can coexist in the harmony of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.

Muzakki Bashori,Lecturer and Language Researcher, Semarang State University

Instagram: muzakkibashori