Background Preservation of the Semai language

1 1 Introduction

1.1 Background

The languages of the Orang Asli in Malaysia are classified into two groups: Aslian and Proto-Malay. The Aslian languages form a branch of the Mon-Khmer language family and geographically range through most of the Malay Peninsula. Aslian is divided into three groups: Northern, Central, and Southern. The following languages make up the Central Aslian group: Semai, Temiar, Lanoh, Semnam, and Sabüm. 3 The target of this research is Semai, ISO code [sea], the Aslian language that has the largest number of speakers Lewis 2009. Figure 1. Aslian languages of Malaysia. 4 The speakers of Semai are located primarily in the Malaysian states of Perak and Pahang. Traditionally, these people were swidden agriculturists living in the dense jungle, often moving their places of residence as well as moving their gardens. The Semai do hunting and gathering as well to supplement their diets. In more recent years, some Semai have resettled near towns and taken jobs as laborers, resulting in a more sedentary lifestyle. 3 No Sabüm speakers have been located in many years; it is likely extinct. Historical documents indicate that Sabüm was quite close to Semnam Phillips, forthcoming. 4 This chart is derived from Phillips forthcoming. Mon-Khmer Aslian North Aslian Semnam Central Aslian South Aslian Jah Hut Semai Temiar Lanoh Figure 2. Approximate location of Semai on the Malay peninsula. The exact number of speakers is difficult to ascertain because many Semai continue to move about in the deeper forest areas, and some others have moved to towns. However, the total number of Semai speakers has recently been estimated at 42,383. 5

1.2 Preservation of the Semai language

Semai speakers are proud of their language and culture and have sought to preserve their language and culture despite interacting with other peoples for centuries. The importance of preserving indigenous languages has received much attention in recent years at the local, national, and even international level. The arguments for being involved in such preservation include the safeguarding of linguistic diversity, contributing to a knowledge base for language universals, and the belief that knowledge in and of itself is valuable. The languages of the Orang Asli in Malaysia should be considered a national treasure. For the Semai language to be preserved, it must be studied and documented. The Semai language has been studied by only a few researchers, and while some quality work has been done, 6 the Semai language remains largely undocumented. This project collected wordlists representative of many of the dialects of Semai. 7 The wordlists were compared linguistically in order to determine how similar the 5 According to population data for the year 2008 as provided by the JHEOA and displayed at the Orang Asli Museum in Gombak, Selangor. 6 For example, Gérard Diffloth spent many years studying the Semai language and has written a number of papers regarding some of his findings. 7 Diffloth 1977 has estimated there are more than forty dialects of Semai. various dialects are. In order to preserve a written record of the Semai dialects, copies of the compiled wordlists have been turned over to the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli as well as the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department. Ultimately, for the usage of Semai to be preserved, some form of standardization will need to take place so that important decisions, such as orthography, can be effectively made. One of the key questions regards determining the optimal dialect or dialects that allow adequate communication with all speakers of Semai. Identification, documentation, and systematic comparison of the Semai dialects are critical first steps for standardizing Semai.

1.3 The contribution of Semai to historical linguistics