Malay 'has potential to be a global language'
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Malay has the potential to become a world language spoken alongside English, Spanish and German, a Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) lecturer said on Monday.
According to Aini Hj Karim, Malay has expanded rapidly as a language spoken by over 250 million people as a national language in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore as well as by minorities in places such as Sri Lanka and Cocos Islands.
“Malay can be elevated to a higher status as a widely-spoken language in Asean, comparable to other major languages,” she said in her paper delivered at the Culture and Language Seminar on campus.
The lecturer believed that responsibility of advocating the Malay language belongs to native speakers, urging them to promote Malay through language planning.
If more native speakers use Malay, the language will become more important in Asean and the world.
“The issue now is whether or not we are willing to advocate Malay. It is up to us to promote the language,” Aini said.
Those involved in language and education system planning play a vital role in advocating Malay, she added.
However, “the Malay language and education system policies in Brunei differ to that of other Asean members whereby the Language and Literature Bureau comes under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, while the education system is handled by the Ministry of Education.
“Thus, the language policy entrusted to the Language and Literature Bureau is not in line with the education policy. The question is how do we streamline this scenario? Therein lies the problem,” the lecturer said.
The success of a country’s language policy is closely related to its education policy, where it is the official language or used as the main medium in schools.
“This is the challenge and reality that the Malay language in Brunei must face. Perhaps many in Brunei’s own society do not realise this,” she said, alluding to the growing popularity of English as a second language in the nation.
The all-day seminar, themed “Strengthening Ties Via Culture and Language”, took place at the Senate Room of the Chancellor Hall.
Conducted by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, in collaboration with the Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, the seminar served as a platform for members of both institutions to exchange knowledge pertaining to development of social sciences in the region.
Altogether 20 papers were presented, covering various topics on language, culture and arts as well as education.
