KUCHING: Studies on colloquial languages and dialects should be expanded across all states, involving diverse ethnicities and communities throughout Malaysia.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said that the use of the latest technologies and multidisciplinary approaches, such as Geographic Information System (GIS), can be employed by language researchers and the results of these studies should be published and widely disseminated.
“The study or education of colloquial languages and local dialects should also be incorporated into language courses in higher education institutions.
“This can be done in close cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT). educational programmes involving storytelling, poetry, and performing arts in colloquial languages can increase students’ appreciation of their linguistic heritage,” he said.
He said this in his speech when officiating at the National Colloquial Language Convention: Sustaining Community Language Capacity 2024 at Hotel Tenera, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor on Wednesday.
He hoped that the Malaysia National Archives would explore digitisation efforts for old texts, voice recordings, and important documents in colloquial languages, allowing this heritage to be stored in digital formats and easily accessed by future generations.
“This project can be supported by advanced scanning technologies and cloud-based databases for easy storage and retrieval,” he said.
Besides, he said that national modernisation would not be completed without the modernisation of language and language would remain strong as long as there are active users.
“The creation of new vocabulary in line with current developments will further strengthen a language. Therefore, fostering and innovating languages is necessary for their continued existence.
“In efforts to develop standard languages, I suggest that dialects and colloquial languages be further incorporated into dictionaries, especially rare local languages or dialects.
“This can enrich vocabulary and eventually become part of the national language, the official language, and the language of education,” he said.
For the record, National Colloquial Language Convention: Sustaining Community Language Capacity 2024 was organised by the National Archives of Malaysia, aimed to gather and document information about colloquial languages so that they remain preserved and can be referenced by future generations.
