AN INSTITUTE OF LINGUISTICS WITH GREAT IMPORTANCE
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, officially presented as the Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia, is the primary agency charged with the responsibility for the development of Bahasa Malay in Malaysia. The Institute came into being through an Ordinance in 1959 with the power and authority to develop the national language in Malaysia. This Institute is housed in a high-rise building with more than thirty storeys, occupied entirely by the scholars and administrators and other supporting staff!
My knowledge in these matters is limited, but I sincerely believe that no other government in the world has extended such importance to the students, scholars and materials producers of linguistic and language learning materials! A Street is named after this Institute in Kuala Lumpur! And, above all, the Institute has not betrayed the trust placed in it by the government and people of Malaysia!
THE OBJECTIVES OF DEWAN BAHASA DAN PUSTAKA
The objectives of the Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia are as follows:
- To develop and enrich the national language in all fields including science and technology.
- To promote literary talent especially in the national language.
- To print or publish or assist in the printing or publication of books, magazines, pamphlets and other forms of literature in the national language as well as in other languages.
- To standardize the spelling and pronunciation of and to coin appropriate terminologies in the national language.
- To encourage the correct use of the national language.
- To encourage the extensive use of the national language for all purposes in accordance with the existing laws.
The motto of the Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia is sweeter than honey to all students of linguistics: LANGUAGE IS THE SOUL OF THE NATION!
THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE INSTITUTE
The Institute pledges to provide the following services:
- A Malay language Lexicon and Corpus Database for research and usage.
- Guidelines on spelling, pronunciation and grammar which are up-to-date and a language register which is definitive.
- Dictionaries and Encyclopedia which are comprehensive and up-to-date.
- Terminologies that are precise, suitable and concordant with the various fields of knowledge.
- Friendly and competent advisory service on the use of language and literary development.
- Literary works of quality.
- Infrastructure and environment that are dynamic and conducive to the production of literary works.
- Quality books and periodicals in the various fields of knowledge.
THE REASONS FOR SUCCESS
Meticulous planning based on wider participation of scholars and users of Bahasa Malay, extensive support of successive governments in Malaysia, and goal-oriented implementation appear to be the foundation on which the success of Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka, Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia, is built. The Institute has a number of departments and a wide range of activities, including language awareness campaigns. If the workers did not do their work sincerely, how could any organization ever be successful? So, ultimately, the success is based on the hardwork of the staff and faculty of the Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia!A PEEK INTO THE PROJECTS
Let me cite the works of two divisions or departments within the Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia as an illustration of the ongoing projects.
The Language Research Division aims to:
- Gather and record the different dialects as well as archaic Malay, ethnic languages, natural languages for the purpose of terminology formulation, lexicography and research work.
- Conduct research on grammar and discourse from the users' point of view, which is both diachronic and synchronic.
- Follow the history of the development of the Malay language through historical documents and recording of events where the Malay language is venerated through interviews given by language activists and renowned figures.
- Provides research infrastructure by creating text and lexical data bases on Malay language.
- Conduct joint venture research in the field of language computerization with local as well as foreign institutions.
The Terminology Division focuses on the coinage of technical and other terms. The Division report says that terms are linguistic symbols in the form of alphabets, words, or phrases which symbolize concepts or a specific object. The development of terminology in various fields of knowledge symbolizes the mental development of the users of the language. The report declares that terminology is the crowning glory of a nation's knowledge.
The goal of the Terminology Division is as follows:
- Collect, coin and increase the number of terms as well as to publish the terminology of various fields of knowledge in Malay, in line with the needs of the development of the nation.
- Establish a systematic terminology data base.
- Co-ordinate the usage of Malay terminology
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE INSTITUTE AND THE LANGUAGE POLICY?
By and large, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia has achieved a remarkable success. However, the changing educational scene in the country poses a threat to the further expansion of the domains of use for the Malay language. Globalization of market as well as education is bringing swift changes in the attitudes of the ruling classes in Malaysia.
Governments throughout the developing nations are faced with the problem of meeting the challenge posed by the release of market forces, and they all seem to meet this inevitable challenge through a policy of two-language formula, asking their nationals to not to give up their mother tongue education while acquiring a foreign language, especially English. People do recognize the need for the retention of their national and native languages, but are not motivated enough to continue to expand the domains of use for their languages. The growth of schools that offer education through English medium is stupendous in Malaysia as in India.
Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin paints a picture of these changes in an article "The Changing Language Policy in Malaysia: Facing New Challenges" in the Bulletin of Asia-Pacific Studies, No. xiv, August 2004, which is not encouraging: "The pertinent question is, if English pervades the world of communication technology, what would be the fate of Bahasa Malay? Linguistic imperialism supported by calls for globalization is a factor contributing to the diminishing value of Bahasa Malay." Serious thinkers like Professor Abdullah Hassan (an article of his appears in the current issue of Language in India) and others have already been consistently warning against the changes that take place in the Malaysian educational and linguistic scene.