Regional language revitalization is a priority program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, which is being carried out through the Language Development and Fostering Agency.
"It is mandatory to implement the 17th episode of the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom in Learning) curriculum, namely the revitalization of regional languages. We do this so that the regional languages in South Sulawesi will not become extinct," head of the South Sulawesi Language Agency, Yani Prayono, said here on Friday.
The revitalization of regional languages in South Sulawesi is based on Model B, which has involved focusing on three majority languages—Bugis, Makassar, and Toraja, he explained.
The model is different from the Model A revitalization concept applied in West Java and East Java because in those regions, only one language, such as Javanese or Sundanese, is spoken, even though there are several dialects.
"In West Java, the Sundanese language (is spoken), and Javanese in East Java. On the contrary, in South Sulawesi, three majority languages ‘coexist, compete, and dominate each other,’" Prayono noted.
The implementation of Model B language revitalization in 2021 was set as a reference for improving the implementation in 2022.
"Let's preserve regional languages by developing them so that they can be adaptive to the changing times and continue to be a characteristic of our Indonesian-ness," Prayogo said.
South Sulawesi is among the 17 provinces that the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry will target under the local language revitalization program in 2023.
One way to maintain regional languages, especially the Bugis language, is through education and learning, which is closely linked to the curriculum, learning model, and language of instruction in schools, Professor of Linguistics at UIN Alauddin Makassar, Andi Sukri Syamsuri, said.
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Translator: Abdul K, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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