Shift or Maintenance? A Sociolinguistic Study of the Tetun Language amidst the Dynamics of Language Policy in Timor-Leste
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33323/l.v3i1.111Abstract
This study examines the dynamics of language shift and maintenance in Timor-Leste, focusing on the Tetun language. Tetun, as the co-official language alongside Portuguese, plays a key role in national identity and daily communication. However, challenges arise due to globalization, educational reforms, and the growing influence of Portuguese and English, especially among youth and in formal domains such as schools and public administration. Despite its official status, Tetun's vitality is increasingly questioned. This study aims to investigate how language policies, societal attitudes, and institutional practices affect the use and transmission of Tetun across generations. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study combines qualitative and quantitative data from surveys, interviews, and observations in educational and community contexts. Findings show that while Tetun remains strong in informal settings, it faces marginalization in formal domains due to the dominance of Portuguese and insufficient institutional support. The results highlight a mismatch between policy recognition and practical implementation. This study concludes that effective language maintenance requires culturally rooted and community-driven strategies. It contributes to the broader understanding of language policy in post-colonial multilingual societies and provides practical insights for sustaining indigenous languages like Tetun amid shifting sociolinguistic conditions
References
Ate, S. J., & Ndapa Lawa, D. M. (2022). Pemertahanan bahasa Tetun sebagai identitas masyarakat perbatasan di Kabupaten Belu Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur. Jurnal Ilmiah Masyarakat Multikultural, 5(2), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.37064/jimm.v5i2.1323
Cash, M. (2018). Language revitalisation in the Southern Plateau: A community-based approach. Indigenous Language Journal, 6(1), 45–62.
Crystal, D. (2000). Language death. Cambridge University Press.
Edwards, J. (1992). Sociopolitical aspects of language maintenance and loss: Towards a typology of minority language situations. In W. Fase, K. Jaspaert, & S. Kroon (Eds.), Maintenance and loss of minority languages (pp. 37–54). John Benjamins.
Fishman, J. A. (1991). Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages. Multilingual Matters.
Fishman, J. A. (1991). Reversing language shift: Theoretical and empirical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Multilingual Matters.
Fishman, J. A. (2001). Can threatened languages be saved? Reversing language shift, revisited: A 21st century perspective. Multilingual Matters.
Garvin, P. L., & Mathiot, M. (1968). The urbanization of the Guarani language: A problem in language and culture. In Fishman, J. A. (Ed.), Readings in the Sociology of Language (pp. 365–374). Mouton.
Giles, H., Bourhis, R. Y., & Taylor, D. M. (1977). Towards a theory of language in ethnic group relations. In H. Giles (Ed.), Language, ethnicity and intergroup relations (pp. 307–348). Academic Press.
Giles, H., Bourhis, R. Y., & Taylor, D. M. (1977). Towards a theory of language in ethnic group relations. In H. Giles (Ed.), Language, ethnicity and intergroup relations (pp. 307–348). Academic Press.
Hajek, J. (2006). Language planning and the sociolinguistic environment in East Timor: Colonial practice and changing language ecologies. Current Issues in Language Planning, 7(4), 361–378. https://doi.org/10.2167/cilp101.0
Hajek, J. (2006). Language planning and the sociolinguistic environment in East Timor: Colonial practice and changing language ecologies. Current Issues in Language Planning, 7(4), 400–418. https://doi.org/10.2167/cilp104.0
Hornberger, N. H. (2002). Multilingual language policies and the continua of biliteracy: An ecological approach. Language Policy, 1(1), 27–51. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014548611951
Kaplan, R. B., & Baldauf, R. B. (1997). Language Planning from Practice to Theory. Multilingual Matters.
Kaplan, R. B., & Baldauf, R. B. Jr. (1997). Language planning from practice to theory. Multilingual Matters.
Musliha, N., Ramlan, A., & Wahyuni, D. (2018). Sikap bahasa dalam pelestarian bahasa daerah. Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya (JBSP), 6(1), 24–34. https://doi.org/10.24815/jbsp.v6i1.10655
Quinn, H. (2010). East Timor’s language policy: The interplay of politics and pragmatics. In M. J. Clyne, M. Pauwels, & C. Bettoni (Eds.), Language and human rights in multilingual settings (pp. 151–169). Australian National University Press
Spolsky, B. (2004). Language policy. Cambridge University Press.
Taylor-Leech, K. (2008). Language choice as a marker of identity in East Timor. International Journal of Multilingualism, 5(1), 39–59. https://doi.org/10.2167/ijm082.0
Taylor-Leech, K. (2009). Language and identity in East Timor: The discourses of nation building. Language Problems and Language Planning, 33(2), 113–131. https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.33.2.01tay
Taylor-Leech, K. (2009). The language situation in Timor-Leste. Current Issues in Language Planning, 10(1), 1–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664200902801600
.
