via Malay Mail, 26 June 2023: The Mendriq Orang Asli community in Kelantan, Malaysia, is facing the risk of losing their ancestral language as younger generations increasingly prefer to use Bahasa Melayu, the national language, due to the influence of formal schooling and mixed marriages; language experts warn that without serious efforts to preserve the language, it could become extinct within 20 years, leading to the loss of an important national heritage.
The process leading to a language’s extinction is usually a slow one with the contributing factors being, among others, formal schooling where children are not required to use their native language as well as mixed marriages.
Kamarul Jelok, 55, who resides in Kg Kuala Lah, told Bernama the younger generation in his village is inclined to using Bahasa Melayu rather than their own mother tongue to communicate because the national language is the medium of instruction in school.
“I’ve no issues about our children speaking in Malay as it is our national language but I hope the government will not marginalise our (native) language. Efforts to preserve our Mendriq language need to be taken seriously,” he said.
