Publications

Publication details [#66917]

Ding, Seong Lin, Chong-Chieh Wu and Kim Leng Goh. 2019. In quest of a new identity? Language variation in Sabah. Lingua 227.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
Elsevier

Annotation

By drawing attention to the variations in the Hakka language in Malaysia, this study aims to use language variation as an analytical lens through which the changes in the linguistic dimensions can be viewed from a social perspective and interpreted as socially meaningful. Evidence indicates a change from various ancestral-oriented Hakka varieties towards a major region-oriented variety. The language variation observed also represents the pursuit of a collective language/identity at the expense of the ancestral language/identity. It therefore highlights the efforts (and struggles) of minority communities in countries where heritage languages are considered peripheral and marginalised.