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- Title
Survival of the Minority Kristang Language in Malaysia.
- Authors
Ali, Haja Mohideen Bin Mohamed; Mohideen, Shamimah
- Abstract
Kristang, also known as the Malaccan Portuguese Creole, has a strong influence of Portuguese, together with the Malay language which is the dominant local language in Malaysia and the Malay-speaking region in Southeast Asia. This Creole is spoken by a microscopic minority of Catholic Christians who are descendants of Portuguese colonizers and Asian settlers in Malacca. Malacca was once a historically renowned state and empire which was coveted by major European powers. The Dutch followed the Portuguese and the last were the British. Because of the very small number of Kristang community members (1200) in the present Portuguese Settlement assigned to them by the authorities, the Kristang language is clearly a language struggling to survive. Its vocabulary is largely Portuguese-based, with a substantial contribution from the Malay language. It has also borrowed from the languages of other colonial European powers. Their vocabulary also includes some loan words from Chinese and Indian languages. This minority language may yet be maintained with the fervent effort of the few thousand remaining Kristang speakers and the Malaysian government, particularly the state government of Melaka (or Malacca). Kristang is a legacy and heritage left by the faraway Portuguese to Malaysian history. It would be tragic and unfortunate if this heritage is lost, to Malaysians in general and the tiny Portuguese community in Malaysia, in particular.
- Subjects
MALAYSIA; KRISTANG language; LINGUISTIC minorities; MALAYAN languages; LANGUAGE &; languages
- Publication
Language in India, 2008, Vol 8, Issue 7, p1
- ISSN
1930-2940
- Publication type
Article