Language shift between generations: Regional-speaking parents raise Indonesian-speaking children in North Sumatra

Isda Pramuniati, Mahriyuni Mahriyuni, Tri Indri Hardini, Farida Hidayati

Abstract


Language shift typically occurs when languages come into contact with one or more languages perceived as more superior for social, cultural, and economic reasons. This sociolinguistic phenomenon appears to be common in Indonesia due to influences from powerful languages, namely Indonesian as the national language and Javanese as the largest ethnic language spoken in the midst of hundreds of weaker vernacular languages. This study examines the occurrence of a language shift in regions of the North Sumatra Province of Indonesia, namely among middle economic class communities, and it also explores the influence of parents on their children’s preferred use of regional languages or Indonesian. The data were obtained from four regions in North Sumatra targeted for regional language revitalization by the Balai Bahasa (Language Center) of Sumatera Utara Province in 2023, i.e., Malay, Asahan, Langkat, Labuhanbatu, and Tapanuli Tengah.  To collect the data, this study involved 40 parents and examined their views regarding education of their children in terms of language use at home. This study not only focuses on language shifts, but also examines the complexity of the problem, including efforts to preserve regional languages as heritage languages. This study found that there is a considerable impact of parental language use in daily communication on their children’s use of Indonesian for various reasons. It turns out that parents are willing to ensure that their children grow up in Indonesian even if it means "sacrificing" their regional language. They are content with the performance of their children at school when their children grow up in Indonesian. These findings suggest that revitalization needs to address families, especially parents, and promote the use of regional languages at home together with Indonesian to ensure intergenerational transmission without hindering educational aspirations.


Keywords


Language shift; Malay; parental attitudes; regional language; transmission process

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.66704

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