Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu
This case study examined the extent of language shift across generations within a Foochow Chinese family in Sibu, a Foochow-dominant town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In specific, this study investigated language choice patterns within and across generations in the...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Final Year Project Report / IMRAD |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/8/HUNG%20YU%20LING.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848835984146300928 |
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| author | Hung,, Yu Ling. |
| author_facet | Hung,, Yu Ling. |
| author_sort | Hung,, Yu Ling. |
| building | UNIMAS Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This case study examined the extent of language shift across generations within a Foochow Chinese family in Sibu, a Foochow-dominant town in the
Malaysian state of Sarawak.
In specific, this study investigated
language choice patterns
within and across generations in the family domain, the speakers’ self-rated Foochow dialect proficiency, the reasons of the speakers’ language choice, and
the key factors of language shift
. This case study offered
insight into the actual
language situation of a majority Chinese ethnic group, based on interview data
from 30 participants in an extended Foochow Chinese family. In the context of Sibu, Foochow
Chinese is the largest group within the Chinese community. One would say that there is no possibility of language shift because of the majority Foochow Chinese and the prevalence of Foochow dialect in Sibu town.
Nevertheless, the results of the current study showed that there was strong
evidence of intergenerational language shift away from the ethnic language to the
standard language in this community. This intergenerational language shift
was accompanied by the decrease of Foochow dialect proficiency among the younger
generations. The result also revealed that the
intergenerational shift was because
of institutional and socio-
cultural factors in which government policy
was the most influential factor that caused the shift. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T06:16:33Z |
| format | Final Year Project Report / IMRAD |
| id | unimas-6734 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T06:16:33Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publisher | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | unimas-67342023-11-17T02:47:55Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/ Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu Hung,, Yu Ling. HT Communities. Classes. Races P Philology. Linguistics This case study examined the extent of language shift across generations within a Foochow Chinese family in Sibu, a Foochow-dominant town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In specific, this study investigated language choice patterns within and across generations in the family domain, the speakers’ self-rated Foochow dialect proficiency, the reasons of the speakers’ language choice, and the key factors of language shift . This case study offered insight into the actual language situation of a majority Chinese ethnic group, based on interview data from 30 participants in an extended Foochow Chinese family. In the context of Sibu, Foochow Chinese is the largest group within the Chinese community. One would say that there is no possibility of language shift because of the majority Foochow Chinese and the prevalence of Foochow dialect in Sibu town. Nevertheless, the results of the current study showed that there was strong evidence of intergenerational language shift away from the ethnic language to the standard language in this community. This intergenerational language shift was accompanied by the decrease of Foochow dialect proficiency among the younger generations. The result also revealed that the intergenerational shift was because of institutional and socio- cultural factors in which government policy was the most influential factor that caused the shift. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS 2007 Final Year Project Report / IMRAD NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/8/HUNG%20YU%20LING.pdf Hung,, Yu Ling. (2007) Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu. [Final Year Project Report / IMRAD] (Unpublished) |
| spellingShingle | HT Communities. Classes. Races P Philology. Linguistics Hung,, Yu Ling. Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title | Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title_full | Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title_fullStr | Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title_full_unstemmed | Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title_short | Language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in Sibu |
| title_sort | language shift in a majority ethnolinguistic speech community :a case study of a foochow chinese family in sibu |
| topic | HT Communities. Classes. Races P Philology. Linguistics |
| url | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6734/8/HUNG%20YU%20LING.pdf |