Article published in:
Writing Systems: Past, present (… and future?)
Edited by Terry Joyce and Robert Crellin
[Written Language & Literacy 22:2] 2019
► pp. 280–306

Developing a unified orthography for Berawan

An endangered Bornean language

| Sunway University
| University Putra Malaysia

Berawan is a small ethnic community, numbering fewer than 4,000 members, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo Island. There are four language varieties; namely, Long Jegan (LJG), Batu Belah (BB), Long Teru (LTU) and Long Terawan (LTN). This paper describes the development of the preliminary unified Berawan orthography by the authors, in collaboration with representatives from three Berawan communities (BB, LTU and LJG). Smalley’s (1959, 1965) criteria for orthography development are discussed in relation to the authors’ stage framework for orthographic development, which has been adapted from Rempel (1995) within the context of developing the Berawan orthography and the orthographic decisions made by the Berawan. Two additional factors for orthography implementation are proposed. The first stresses the importance of adequate testing, which is essential for both obtaining objective measurements to inform decision making and establishing a well-designed and effective orthography. The second new factor emphasizes the importance of having sufficient time available to learn the developed orthography.

Keywords: endangered languages, unified orthography, Borneo, Austronesian, Berawan
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The Berawan language family
    • 1.2Background to orthography development for Berawan
    • 1.3Aims and objectives
  • 2.Conceptual framework
    • 2.1Design criteria
    • 2.2Implementation criteria
    • 2.3Development stages
  • 3.Results and discussion
    • 3.1Design criteria
      • 3.1.1Criterion 1: Maximum motivation for the learner
      • 3.1.2Criterion 2: Maximum representation of speech
      • 3.1.3Criterion 3: Maximum ease of learning
      • 3.1.4Criterion 4: Maximum transfer
      • 3.1.5Criterion 5: Maximum ease of reproduction
    • 3.2Implementation criteria
      • 3.2.1Adequate testing
      • 3.2.2Sufficient time
    • 3.3Development stages
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 30 March 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.00029.bur
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Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Burkhardt, Jürgen Martin , Jey Lingam Burkhardt & Ang Lay Hoon
2020. One Orthography, Four Lects: The Unified Berawan Orthography. Journal of Borneo-Kalimantan 6:1 Crossref logo

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