The Bidayuh Language of Sarawak, Malaysia: Language Use and Proficiency

Su Hie, Ting and Teresa Wai See, Ong and Florence Gilliam, Kayad (2025) The Bidayuh Language of Sarawak, Malaysia: Language Use and Proficiency. In: Handbook on Endangered South Asian and Southeast Asian Languages. Springer Nature, Switzerland, pp. 365-381. ISBN 978-3-031-80751-0

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Abstract

Bidayuh is an indigenous group living in Sarawak, Malaysia. The Bidayuh language is currently not taught in schools but experimented as a medium of instruction in some kindergartens. Past studies have shown that factors such as rural– urban migration, intermarriage, and higher education are causing a shift away from the Bidayuh language. However, they are conducted on a small-scale and little is known about the language maintenance situation among its community. This chapter presents the findings of Bidayuh language use and proficiency in the community. Analysis of the questionnaire data from 467 Bidayuh respondents showed that only 72.2% spoke Bidayuh as their first language, indicating that many no longer learn/ speak it as first language. On a daily basis, 66.6% reported speaking it. Based on their parentage, 71.7% considered themselves as pure Bidayuh, 27.84% as half-Bidayuh, and 0.43% felt that they had lost most of their Bidayuh characteristics. The findings showed that the respondents have better ability in understanding a conversation in the Bidayuh language compared to speaking it. They have lower literacy in the Bidayuh language because it is a spoken language and thus, not many learn it through formal instruction. Additionally, the large regional variations in the Bidayuh varieties accentuate the problems of standardizing the Bidayuh language for instruction in schools. A comparison of the results for the youngest and oldest groups of respondents indicate that the Bidayuh language maintenance is difficult in the face of the importance of English for career, and perceptions of Sarawak Malay dialect, English and Iban as strong languages in Sarawak.

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