"We encourage parents to speak regional languages as their mother language at home to help our children comprehend the regional language," NTT Education and Culture Office Head Linus Lusi stated here, Thursday.
In response to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology's statement highlighting interracial marriages -- wherein parents decide to teach only the Indonesian language to their children -- as a reason for the decline of regional languages, he noted that the phenomenon also occurs in East Nusa Tenggara.
Some regional languages are threatened, as only parents and the elderly speak the language, the office head pointed out.
"For instance, in Kupang City, some students and youth, who belong to the Sabu and Rote communities, no longer speak their local language," Lusi stated.
He highlighted the importance of regional language preservation, as it forms the identity of the people in East Nusa Tenggara.
"I always speak in my local language when I stay home. Even my children understood and can converse (in the local language) while not sidelining their Indonesian and English language capabilities," Lusi stated.
While affirming that the inclusion of regional languages in the province's school curriculum is not urgent, the office head reiterated the provincial authority's support for regional authorities that adopt a local language as the language of instruction, such as in Sumba region.
The provincial office and Language Agency have conducted research to determine local languages in East Nusa Tenggara, he added.
Earlier, the ministry's Language Development and Fostering Agency official stated that additional steps will be taken to ensure the survival of regional languages
Language Agency Head E. Aminuddin Aziz emphasized the need for further measures to address the issue of local languages in Indonesia that have a low vitality level.
"We have identified 718 regional languages nationwide. In 2018, we lost 11 regional languages, while in 2021, we found that the vitality of regional languages is low," Aziz stated here, Monday (October 2).
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Translator: Kornelis Kaha, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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