LANGUAGE SHIFT IN ARABIC LANGUAGE IN MEDAN.
ABSTRACT
Asmitazkirah, Registration Number : 8106111045. Language Shift in
Arabic Language in Medan. A thesis. Postgraduate School, English
Applied Linguistics Study Program. The state University of Medan.
2013.
This study deals with language shift in Arabic language in Medan. It
employs qualitative research design with a single case study to gain an
understanding on this study. It is conducted descriptively. This study aims
to (1) describe the factors influence Arabic language shift, (2) the patterns
of the language shift and (3) the reasons of language shift into Bahasa
Indonesia. The subjects were 25 persons (males and females) of Arabians
which are included in Arabic communities in Medan. They were divided
into two groups; second generation whose parents were immigrant from
Arab. The third generation is the descendants of the second generation.
The instruments were used in this study were questionnaire and interview.
The questionnaire were used to examine the factors influence Arabic
language shift and the language use in five domains in order to describe
the patterns of Arabic language shift. The interview was used to gain the
reasons of Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia. The theories of
Fasold, Fishman and Holmes are used in this study. The data were
analyzed by Miles and Hubberman’s data analysis. There are six factors
influence Arabic language shift in the second and the third generation of
Arabians in Medan namely; bilingualism, migration, economic and social
factors, political factors, demographic factors, and the last one is value and
attitude. But mostly is Bilingualism. The patterns of Arabic language shift
in Medan are 2nd generation is Bilingual in family domain and friendship
(Arabic communities) domain, for 3rd generation is dominantly
monolingual in all domains. The status of Bahasa Indonesia, social
success and Arabic language is not as a native language (3rd generation)
anymore are the reasons of Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
Analysis of data clearly indicates that Arabic language shift is done among
the second and third generation of Arabians in Medan.
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini merupakan kajian tentang pergeseran bahasa Arab di Medan.
Kajian ini menggunakan penelitian kualitatif dengan kajian single case
untuk mendapatkan pemahaman pada penelitian ini. Kajian ini dilakukan
secara deskriptif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) mendeskripsikan
faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab, (2)
menggambarkan pola - pola pergeseran bahasa Arab dan (3) mengetahui
alasan pergeseran bahasa Arab ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Subjek dari
penelitian ini adalah 25 orang Arab (pria dan wanita) yang termasuk dalam
komunitas Arab di Medan. Mereka dibagi atas 2 grup; generasi kedua,
dimana orang tuanya adalah imigran dari Arab. Generasi ketiga, yakni
keturunan dari generasi kedua. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian
ini adalah kuesioner dan interview. Kuesioner digunakan untuk mengkaji
faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab dan
penggunaan bahasa tersebut di dalam 5 domein agar dapat
mendeskripsikan pola – pola dari pergeseran bahasa Arab. Interview
digunakan untuk mendapatkan alasan – alasan dari pergeseran bahasa
Arab ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Teori – teori dari Fasold, Fishman dan
Holmes digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Data – data yang diperoleh,
dianalisa berdasarkan analisis dari Miles dan Hubberman. Ada 6 faktor
yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab pada generasi kedua dan
ketiga pada orang – orang Arab di Medan, yakni; kedwibahasaan, migrasi,
faktor ekonomi dan sosial, faktor politik, faktor demografis dan yang
terakhir adalah nilai dan sikap terhadap bahasa Arab. Tetapi faktor yang
paling mempengaruhi adalah kedwibahasaan. Pola – pola dari pergeseran
bahasa Arab di Medan adalah generasi kedua menggunakan dua bahasa
(bilingual) di dalam domein keluarga dan pertemanan (komunitas Arab),
sedangkan pada generasi ketiga menggunakan satu bahasa (monolingual)
di semua domein. Status dari bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa nasional,
sukses dalam bersosialisasi dan bahasa Arab bukan sebagai bahasa ibu lagi
(generasi ketiga) adalah alasan pergeseran bahasa Arab ke dalam bahasa
Indonesia. Kajian ini menunjukkan pergeseran bahasa Arab dilakukan oleh
generasi kedua dan ketiga oleh orang – orang Arab di Medan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the name of Allah SWT, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
As this thesis is completed, first of All the writer would like to
express gratitude to Allah SWT the Lord of the mankind, djinns, and all
that exists for the opportunity for her to complete the thesis. Peace upon
Muhammad SAW, the last of the prophets and upon his Messengers and
his families, his companions and whoever follows him with benevolence
until the Day of Resurrection. And also the persons mentioned below who
have given her invaluable help, support, suggestions, motivation,
encouragements during her study at the English Applied Linguistics Study
Program, Postgraduate School State University of Medan.
The writer would like to express her deepest thanks and endless
appreciations to her parents, abah (Abdullah Muhammad) and umi (Sofia
S. Ali), many thanks for their prayer and support and especially their
endless loves. Their praying will bring her into the best of her future,
Amin. And also to all my beloved families who always shower me with all
their loves and cares; sisters (Zikriah, Fitri, Nissa, Ivo, Dieta) and brothers
(Iis, Taufik, Ahmad Alamri, Ahmad Balatif, Ayet and Icai), and also to all
my Arabic relatives who supported me in making this thesis. May Allah
bless us all.
She also would like to deliver her plentiful appreciations and gratitude to
the first advisor Prof. Dr. Busmin Gurning, M.Pd, and the second advisor Dr. Sri
Minda Murni, M.S for their guidance, advices, comments, encouragement, and
also help given to the writer from the very beginning up to the end. Her
gratefulness also goes to them, as the Head and Secretary of the English Applied
Linguistics Study Program, for their suggestion and administrative assistance
during the process of conducting this study. Her truthfully gratefulness is also
given to Prof. Dr. H. Abdul Muin Sibuea, as the Director of Postgraduate School
Study Program of State University of Medan.
Furthermore, she also thanks to Prof. Tina Mariany Arifin, M.A, Ph.D.,
Dr. Eddy Setia, M.Ed, TESP. and Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M.Hum., for their
constructive comments and suggestions in enriching the quality of this thesis.
Last but not least, the writer also would like to thank to all of her beloved
friends in LTBI intake XIX; Nova, Aisyah, Nurlia, Eka, Elvi, Ira, Zikra, Ulfa,
Ufe, Meisa, Yuni, Canra, Mulki, Kak Khairiah, Enni, Bayu, Nasir, Bang Mulia,
Syafiq, and Ismed. Thanks for their support, prayer, encouragement, and for the
assistance in finishing her study. May Allah SWT consecrate to them. Amin.
Finally this thesis is still far from being perfect in spite of fact that the
writer has done her best in completing her work. For this reason, it is suggested
for other researchers to make further study related to this topic and subject.
Medan,
June 2013
The Writer
Asmitazkirah
Reg. Num. 8106111045
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................... xi
LIST OF APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1
The Background of The Study ............................................................... 1
1.2
The Problems of The Study .................................................................. 7
1.3
The Objectives of The Study ................................................................ 7
1.4
The Scope and Limitation of the Study ................................................ 7
1.5
The Significance of The Study ............................................................. 8
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1
Language Shift .................................................................................... 10
2.1.1 Dimension in Language Shift ............................................................. 13
2.2
Factors That Influence Language Shift ............................................... 14
2.2.1 Bilingualism ........................................................................................ 14
2.2.2 Migration ............................................................................................. 16
2.2.3 Economic and Social Factors ............................................................... 18
2.2.4 Political Factors .................................................................................. 19
2.2.5 Demographic Factors .......................................................................... 21
i
2.2.6 Attitudes and Values ........................................................................... 23
2.3
Pattern of Language Shift ................................................................... 25
2.4
Effect of Language Shift ..................................................................... 28
2.5
Reason for Language Shift .................................................................. 29
2.6
Arabic Language ................................................................................. 30
2.7
Arabic People in Medan ...................................................................... 32
2.8
Conceptual Framework ....................................................................... 35
2.9
Previous Related Studies ..................................................................... 36
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHOD
3.1
The Research design ........................................................................... 39
3.2
The Subject of The Study ................................................................... 39
3.3
The Instrument of Data Collection ..................................................... 40
3.4
The Technique of Data Collection ...................................................... 41
3.5
The Technique of Data Analysis ......................................................... 41
3.6
Triangulation ....................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
4.1
Data Analysis……………………………………………………….. 44
4.1.1 Factors That Influence Arabic Language Shift in Medan ………….. 44
4.1.1.1 Bilingualism ........................................................................................ 45
4.1.1.2 Migration ............................................................................................. 47
4.1.1.3 Social and Economic Factor ............................................................... 50
4.1.1.4 Political Factor .................................................................................... 53
4.1.1.5 Demographic Factor ........................................................................... 54
ii
4.1.1.6 Value and Attitude .............................................................................. 57
4.1.1.7 Arabic Language Competence ............................................................ 62
4.1.2
The Pattern of Arabic Language Shift in Medan ................................ 64
4.1.3
The Reason of Arabic Language Shift in Medan ................................ 66
4.2
Findings ............................................................................................... 69
4.3
Discussion ........................................................................................... 70
4.4.1
Factors That Influence Arabic Language Shift in the Second and the
Third Generation of Arabic Communities in Medan .......................... 70
4.4.2
Pattern of Arabic Language Shift in the Second and Third
Generation of Arabic Communities in Medan .................................... 74
4.4.3
Reasons of Arabic Language Shift into Bahasa Indonesia ................. 75
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
5.1
Conclusions ......................................................................................... 77
5.2
Suggestions ......................................................................................... 78
5.3
Implications ......................................................................................... 79
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 80
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 84
iii
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
2.1
Domain of Language Use ................................................................... 27
Table
4.1
Bilingualism of Arabic Language Shift in Medan .............................. 45
Table
4.2
Language Mastery and Favorite Language of Second Generation
Including Reasons ............................................................................... 46
Table
4.3
Language Mastery and Favorite Language of Third Generation
Including Reasons ............................................................................... 48
Table
4.4
Migration of Arabic Members in Medan ............................................ 49
Table
4.5
Learning Arabic Language Including Reasons ................................... 50
Table
4.6
Economic Factor that Influence Arabic Language shift in Medan ..... 52
Table
4.7
Social Factor in Arabic Communities in Medan ................................. 53
Table
4.8
Influence of Political Factor in Arabic Language Shift Shift in
Medan ................................................................................................. 54
Table
4.9
Influence of Demographic Factor in Arabic Language Shift in
Medan ................................................................................................. 55
Table
4.10
Influence of Media in Arabic Language Shift in Medan .................... 57
Table
4.11
Marriage Couple Selection (Expectant) Including Reasons ............... 58
Table
4.12
Influence of Value and Attitude in Arabic Language Shift in Medan 60
Table
4.13
Shifting into Bahasa Indonesia Because of Lack of Arabic Language
Speaking Competence ......................................................................... 65
Table
4.14
Language Use of Arabic Language in Medan Based on Domains ..... 66
Table
4.15
Reasons of Second Generation of Arabians into Bahasa
Indonesia ............................................................................................. 67
iv
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix
1
Kuesioner 1 .............................................................................. 84
Appendix
2
Kuesioner 2 ............................................................................. 92
Appendix
3
Interview ................................................................................. 93
Appendix
4
List of Respondents ................................................................. 94
Appendix
5
Table of Language Mastery and Favorite Language
Including Reasons ................................................................. 95
Appendix
6
Table of Learning Arabic Language and Place of Learning .... 96
Appendix
7
Table of Economic Factor ....................................................... 97
Appendix
8
Table of Social Factor ............................................................. 98
Appendix
9
Table of Marriage Couple Selections ..................................... 99
Appendix
10
Table of Language Use Based on Domains .......................... 100
Appendix
11
Pictures ................................................................................... 101
vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Language selections:
AL
Arabian Language
ALBI
Arabic Language and Bahasa Indonesia
BI
Bahasa Indonesia
Subjects of the research:
S1
Subject 1
S11
Subject 11
S2
Subject 2
S12
Subject 12
S3
Subject 3
S13
Subject 13
S4
Subject 4
S14
Subject 14
S5
Subject 5
S15
Subject 15
S6
Subject 6
S16
Subject 16
S7
Subject 7
S17
Subject 17
S8
Subject 8
S18
Subject 18
S9
Subject 9
S19
Subject 19
S10
Subject 10
S20
Subject 20
v
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of the Study
Language is an arbitrary and conventional system of vocal
symbols, produced only by human organs of speech, which can be
changed into written symbols and used as a means of thinking and feeling,
as well as understanding thought and feeling, in the context of
communication in a society. Obviously it is very essential for human being
and it distinguishes human from other creatures in the world. Language is
the human property and originated in man.
People use language as a means of thinking and feeling, as well as
a means of expressing thought and feeling in a society. There are millions
of languages used in the world. It is because language is a product of
culture, which means that different cultures may have different languages
or different dialects. It is also functioned to show their existence, identity
and culture in the society. In other words, a community's way of using
language is a part of the community's culture, is a way of displaying group
identity. Ways of speaking function not only to facilitate communication,
but also to identify the social position of the speaker. As Crystal (1997)
stated that people keep maintaining their language in order to create
cultural diversity, keep ethnic identity, enable social adaptability,
increasing security for the children psychologically, and increase the
linguistic sensitivity.
Indonesia is a multilingual country, language shifts potentially
happen. Language shift simply means that a community gives up a
language completely in favor of another one. For instance as Gunarwan
(2004:58) found that Lampung language is shifted because of Bahasa
Indonesia‟s pressure. Siregar (1998) also found that language shift
happens in bilingual youth generation society in Medan. This language
shift can be seen from the high intensity of the use of Bahasa Indonesia
among the dominant community.
Language shift is the process by which a speech community in a
contact situation gradually stops using one of its two languages in favor of
the other. In this case Arabic language is shifted into Bahasa Indonesia in
Arabic community in Medan. If the disfavored language is one that has as
its last speakers the members of the community in question, then the
language faces endangerment and eventually, language death.
The topic of language endangerment and death has recently
become an interest to linguists, after dire predictions of the large number
of languages that are anticipated to be lost in the next century, and work on
the topic has been accelerated (Grenoble & Whaley, 1996) as have efforts
to reverse the process of language shift. There are, however, very few
examples where language maintenance or language revitalization efforts
can be thought to have been completely successful. Once the process of
language shift has started and language loss is imminent, there is little
chance that the language will ever again be spoken as the first and primary
language of any community.
Language shift and language maintenance is similar to two sides of
coin which cannot be divided each other (Fasold, 1984: 213). They form a
collective result of choice. He said language shift simply means that a
community gives up a language completely in favor of another one.
Language shift is the progressive process whereby a speech community of
a language shifts to speak another language. It is in fact crucial for the
language survival.
Almost all minority groups who live in such multilingual
circumstance lack political and economic power; minority groups often
become bilingual in the dominant language for both instrumental and
psychological reasons. Even the speakers who are in the process of
shifting do not show the same degree of shift all at once in all of the
purposes or situations for which they use any language.
Further, from the stand of dominant group the presence of minority
groups can be an obstacle to communication and, more importantly, to
national integration, it may sound cynical but history supports the
comment of Laponce (1987: 198) that dominant groups tolerate minorities
“only on condition that they accept at least partial linguistic assimilation
(learn the dominant language) and keep their numbers small.”
Medan, the capital city of North Sumatera, is one of many cities in
Indonesia which has many kinds of different ethnics who live side by side.
The city has diverse communities, reflecting its history. The Mandailings
also live here in big numbers and working at the most strategic position in
government. In addition, there is a large ethnic Javanese community,
largely made up of the descendants of people transported from Java in the
last century to be employed as contract workers in various plantations in
North Sumatera.
Beside indigenous ethnics, there are several other minority ethnics
found in Medan, North Sumatera, such as Chinese, Indian, Arabian, etc.
This phenomenon happened because long time ago, Indonesian
archipelago was a place for trade transactions among merchants from
overseas including Europeans, Persians, Chinese, Indians, and Arabians,
they were getting involved for trade transaction in Malacca Strait
(Machmud, 1991). Malacca strait was connecting two large countries.
They are India and China especially in Sriwijaya dynasty (Mulana, 1977).
Those merchants finally settled in Indonesia and integrated to be
Indonesian people, including Arabian.
In Indonesia, Arabian people are associated with the spreading of
Islam in Indonesia. Arabian people are known as the pioneer in spreading
Islam, they came to Tanah Melayu in 7th century BC, or it is called as the
first year of Islam. They brought Islam voluntarily without any
organizations and institutions specified to support them.
The distance between Arabic land and Indonesia is very far
enough. It would take a long time to travel by ship at that time which
people used as a tool of transportation. And the weather also took an
important role for that time. Those merchants could not travel easily to
move back to their countries. Because all that matters, they decided to
establish family connections with the indigenous people by marriage. It
accelerated the assimilation process and also the process of spreading
Islam in Indonesia.
It happened year by year. Most of them married Arabic women
who have been born and lived in Indonesia for many years. It makes the
assimilation process developed fast. Some women were already bilinguals
and some were monolinguals. It makes the children must choose the
language while they talk to their mothers and fathers. Some of them still
use Arabic language to their children and some of them do not. If the
language is lost, it means the culture in which it lived is lost too.
The writer of this study observes this phenomenon clearly from her
experiences. Many of her relatives, friends, and members of Arabic
community in Medan do not use Arabic language anymore to their
children. The Arabic children speak in Bahasa Indonesia all the time, even
some of them cannot speak Arabic language anymore. When they are at
school domain, they choose a regular school for their children, instead of
Islamic dormitory schools which still use Arabic language in the school
area. A similar study has been done by Fathi (2006) which investigates
about the language shift of Arabic language among Arabic community in
Manchester, Britain. The study investigates language choice among
Arabic-English bilinguals in this community. Such a choice reflects the
status of Arabic maintenance/shift as a minority language in Manchester.
The shifting of Arabic language into Bahasa Indonesia is also
caused by the differences in social economic and political power. As what
Edwards stated in Hellinger & Pauwels (2007: 245), “Language decline is
often a reflection of relative social inequality”. Moreover he states that,
“language decline and shift are most often symptoms of contact between
groups of unequal political and economic power”. It means, the tendency
to shift Arabic language by Arabic community may also be caused by the
different points of view in treating their own language between speakers in
high economic power with the speakers with low economic power. People
with high economic power have more responsible of shifting the language
where they treat their own language less value than people with low
economic power.
As Thomas (2004:158) stated that how you talk, along with other
kinds of social codes such as how you dress or how you behave, is an
important way of displaying who you are; in other words, of indicating
your social identity. When Arabic people in Medan do not use their
language anymore, all their kinds of social codes are missing. It is very
dangerous if it happens to them.
Identity of a certain culture is showed through among others by
language use. Besides, cultural phenomena such as wedding ceremony,
artefacts, and arts are the signs of the identity of a certain culture and the
loss of small indigenous languages entails the loss of the knowledge
embedded in them – specifically the detailed knowledge and about local
ecosystems encoded in indigenous languages. The loss of a language may
do serious harm to the community‟s identity and culture, a view point
strongly articulated by Fishman, who proclaims that: „the destruction of a
language is the destruction of a rooted identity‟ (cited in Ferguson, 1996:
78).
Tjandrasasmita (2000: 23-28) stated that there are still few studies
which discuss about Arabic communities in Indonesia instead Arabic
people are part of cultural formation and directly involved on social –
economic activity in Indonesia (cited in Rabani & Artono, 2005: 114).
The researcher is one of the Arabic descendants in Medan. She
wants to figure out what makes Arabians in Medan do to maintain their
own language to preserve their own identity and existence in Medan. The
parents never speak Arabic language anymore to their children at home.
The writer also sees many of these children speak Bahasa Indonesia
among their community and social community as well. It is very important
to analyze the language shift in Arabic language to make a good planning.
Even though Arabic language is not one of the Indonesian vernacular
language, but it can also enrich more Indonesian culture since Arabians are
already there in Indonesia for ages. Nowadays Arabic is only learned by
the Islamic dormitories or Islamic schools in Medan, but not the Arabians
who are supposed to possess Arabic as their mother tongue. That is why
this subject is very interesting to be researched. And it is a very important
subject to study, so the Arabic people in Medan know how to make a
language planning of their own in the future.
Well cultural preservation is attached to linguistic preservation.
Lose a language, lose a culture. The writer adds a quotation from a linguist
Claude Hagège about what it means to lose a language:
„What we lose is essentially an enormous cultural
heritage, the way of expressing the relationship with
nature, with the world, between themselves in the
framework of their families, their kin people, it‟s also the
way they express their humour, their love, their life. It is
a testimony of human communities which is extremely
precious, because it expresses what other communities
than ours in the modern industrialized world are able to
express‟.
For linguists like Claude Hagège, languages are not simply a collection of
words. They are living, breathing organisms holding the connections and
associations that define a culture. When a language becomes extinct, the
culture in which it lived is lost too.
1.2 The Problems of the Study
Based on the background of the study, the problems of this study
are formulated as the following.
1. What factors that make language shift occurs in Arabic
community members in Medan?
2. What are the patterns of Arabic language shift in Arabic
community members in Medan?
3. Why does language shift occur in Arabic community members
in Medan?
1.3 The Objectives of the Study
In line with the problems, the objectives of the study are:
1) to find out what factors make language shift occurs in Arabic
community members in Medan.
2) to find out what are the patterns of Arabic language shift in
Arabic community members in Medan.
3) to find out why language shift occurs in Arabic community in
Medan.
1.4 The scope of the Study
The scope of this study was limited to certain members of Arabic
communities in Medan. In this case the Arabic community members in
Medan who live in several neighborhoods. Although in qualitative
research, the number of subjects is not concerned, it was limited for 25
persons, 13 females and 12 males. There is no specific reason to take that
numbers for the subjects. Since the Arabians are not in a large number, the
researcher is sure that the participants taken were sufficient to represent
the whole Arabians in Medan, North Sumatera. The locations were held in
the Arabic communities, Annady Al Islamy and Al Ichwany Al Arabia.
1.5 The Significance of the Study
Theoretically, the study is considered to enrich the theories of
language planning especially about Arabic language in Arabic community
in Medan, the factors influence Arabic language shift in Medan, the
pattern of language shift into Bahasa Indonesia and the reason of Arabic
language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
Practically, the results of the study are considered to contribute
information about language shift in Arabic language in the Arabic
community members in Medan for students, lecturers, researchers, and
also the government. Secondly, the teachers, students, and Arabians can
use it to support the reversing of the Arabic language shift in Medan.
Thirdly, the result of this study can be a previous knowledge for the next
researcher who has intended to gain a deep insight especially in Arabic
language in Arabic communities in Medan and generally in language
planning theories. The last, in this case Pusat Bahasa, hopefully the result
of this study helps them to make a well planned of language planning
particularly to keep maintaining the Arabic language, so the language is
not lost.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
5.1. Conclusions
The study which is concerned on Arabic language shift was aimed
to describe the factors influence Arabic language shift, the pattern of
language shift and reasons for shifting into Bahasa Indonesia. The use of
Bahasa Indonesia in the family domain is the crucial indication of Arabic
language shift, which is followed by the passive ability and none of Arabic
language users. Based on the analysis the conclusions are drawn as the
following.
1. In general, Arabic language shift in Medan are influenced by
bilingualism, migration, social and economic factor, political factor,
demographic factor, and value & attitude factor. Meanwhile for the
third generation, Bilingual factor is the most influence factor of
language shift since they are monolinguals. Only a few of them who
still use Arabic language in family domain.
2. The pattern of Arabic language shift happens through the shift of
Arabic language into Bahasa Indonesia in the second and third
generation of Arabians in Medan. The pattern of Arabic language shift
in the second generation of Arabian is they become bilingual; speak
well Arabic language and Bahasa Indonesia. They use both languages
in the family domain and sometime in friendship domain, in this case
in Arabic communities. They speak well both; Arabic language and
Bahasa Indonesia. And for the third generation, most of them use only
Bahasa Indonesia in family domain. They do not use Arabic language
in the family domain because they cannot speak the language anymore
and also because of their intercultural marriage. They only use Bahasa
Indonesia in their daily conversation and often to use it. The subjects
begin monolingual in Bahasa Indonesia in five domains.
3. There are two reasons that cause the Arabic language shift into Bahasa
Indonesia for the second generation. They are social success and the
status of Bahasa Indonesia. For the third generation, there are three
reasons that cause the Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
They are status of Bahasa Indonesia, social success and Bahasa
Indonesia is the native language of them. They tend to speak only
Bahasa Indonesia since their early age. The persons who can still speak
Arabic language are only for those who ever visit Arab land for a
certain moment.
5.2 Suggestions
Dealing with the findings of the research, some constructive ideas
are suggested as the following.
1. It is suggested that the third generation of Arabic people who inherited
Arabic language from the second generation should learn and speak
more Arabic language as their means of communication especially in
family domain to keep maintaining Arabic language in Medan.
2. It is suggested for the third generation to learn Arabic language and try
to use it in their daily conversation.
3. It is suggested that the Arabic language researchers should be more
concerned with the research of Arabic language since it is still very
rarely conducted.
4. It is suggested that linguists, teachers and students especially in Arabic
language linguists should write more books or references of Arabic
language to maintain the Arabic language.
5.3 Implications
From all descriptions above, it can be seen that Arabians are no
longer feel ashamed of being incompetence in speaking their own native
language. Arabic language which is the identity of their culture and ethnic
group could be lost if the members of the communities are not able to
speak the language anymore. In spite of that, they feel regret of their
incompetence in using their own native language, that is why most of them
still try to learn Arabic language in many ways. At least they still can mix
Arabic language with Bahasa Indonesia in one or two words in a sentence
that their bulid.
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Asmitazkirah, Registration Number : 8106111045. Language Shift in
Arabic Language in Medan. A thesis. Postgraduate School, English
Applied Linguistics Study Program. The state University of Medan.
2013.
This study deals with language shift in Arabic language in Medan. It
employs qualitative research design with a single case study to gain an
understanding on this study. It is conducted descriptively. This study aims
to (1) describe the factors influence Arabic language shift, (2) the patterns
of the language shift and (3) the reasons of language shift into Bahasa
Indonesia. The subjects were 25 persons (males and females) of Arabians
which are included in Arabic communities in Medan. They were divided
into two groups; second generation whose parents were immigrant from
Arab. The third generation is the descendants of the second generation.
The instruments were used in this study were questionnaire and interview.
The questionnaire were used to examine the factors influence Arabic
language shift and the language use in five domains in order to describe
the patterns of Arabic language shift. The interview was used to gain the
reasons of Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia. The theories of
Fasold, Fishman and Holmes are used in this study. The data were
analyzed by Miles and Hubberman’s data analysis. There are six factors
influence Arabic language shift in the second and the third generation of
Arabians in Medan namely; bilingualism, migration, economic and social
factors, political factors, demographic factors, and the last one is value and
attitude. But mostly is Bilingualism. The patterns of Arabic language shift
in Medan are 2nd generation is Bilingual in family domain and friendship
(Arabic communities) domain, for 3rd generation is dominantly
monolingual in all domains. The status of Bahasa Indonesia, social
success and Arabic language is not as a native language (3rd generation)
anymore are the reasons of Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
Analysis of data clearly indicates that Arabic language shift is done among
the second and third generation of Arabians in Medan.
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini merupakan kajian tentang pergeseran bahasa Arab di Medan.
Kajian ini menggunakan penelitian kualitatif dengan kajian single case
untuk mendapatkan pemahaman pada penelitian ini. Kajian ini dilakukan
secara deskriptif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) mendeskripsikan
faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab, (2)
menggambarkan pola - pola pergeseran bahasa Arab dan (3) mengetahui
alasan pergeseran bahasa Arab ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Subjek dari
penelitian ini adalah 25 orang Arab (pria dan wanita) yang termasuk dalam
komunitas Arab di Medan. Mereka dibagi atas 2 grup; generasi kedua,
dimana orang tuanya adalah imigran dari Arab. Generasi ketiga, yakni
keturunan dari generasi kedua. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian
ini adalah kuesioner dan interview. Kuesioner digunakan untuk mengkaji
faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab dan
penggunaan bahasa tersebut di dalam 5 domein agar dapat
mendeskripsikan pola – pola dari pergeseran bahasa Arab. Interview
digunakan untuk mendapatkan alasan – alasan dari pergeseran bahasa
Arab ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Teori – teori dari Fasold, Fishman dan
Holmes digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Data – data yang diperoleh,
dianalisa berdasarkan analisis dari Miles dan Hubberman. Ada 6 faktor
yang mempengaruhi pergeseran bahasa Arab pada generasi kedua dan
ketiga pada orang – orang Arab di Medan, yakni; kedwibahasaan, migrasi,
faktor ekonomi dan sosial, faktor politik, faktor demografis dan yang
terakhir adalah nilai dan sikap terhadap bahasa Arab. Tetapi faktor yang
paling mempengaruhi adalah kedwibahasaan. Pola – pola dari pergeseran
bahasa Arab di Medan adalah generasi kedua menggunakan dua bahasa
(bilingual) di dalam domein keluarga dan pertemanan (komunitas Arab),
sedangkan pada generasi ketiga menggunakan satu bahasa (monolingual)
di semua domein. Status dari bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa nasional,
sukses dalam bersosialisasi dan bahasa Arab bukan sebagai bahasa ibu lagi
(generasi ketiga) adalah alasan pergeseran bahasa Arab ke dalam bahasa
Indonesia. Kajian ini menunjukkan pergeseran bahasa Arab dilakukan oleh
generasi kedua dan ketiga oleh orang – orang Arab di Medan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the name of Allah SWT, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
As this thesis is completed, first of All the writer would like to
express gratitude to Allah SWT the Lord of the mankind, djinns, and all
that exists for the opportunity for her to complete the thesis. Peace upon
Muhammad SAW, the last of the prophets and upon his Messengers and
his families, his companions and whoever follows him with benevolence
until the Day of Resurrection. And also the persons mentioned below who
have given her invaluable help, support, suggestions, motivation,
encouragements during her study at the English Applied Linguistics Study
Program, Postgraduate School State University of Medan.
The writer would like to express her deepest thanks and endless
appreciations to her parents, abah (Abdullah Muhammad) and umi (Sofia
S. Ali), many thanks for their prayer and support and especially their
endless loves. Their praying will bring her into the best of her future,
Amin. And also to all my beloved families who always shower me with all
their loves and cares; sisters (Zikriah, Fitri, Nissa, Ivo, Dieta) and brothers
(Iis, Taufik, Ahmad Alamri, Ahmad Balatif, Ayet and Icai), and also to all
my Arabic relatives who supported me in making this thesis. May Allah
bless us all.
She also would like to deliver her plentiful appreciations and gratitude to
the first advisor Prof. Dr. Busmin Gurning, M.Pd, and the second advisor Dr. Sri
Minda Murni, M.S for their guidance, advices, comments, encouragement, and
also help given to the writer from the very beginning up to the end. Her
gratefulness also goes to them, as the Head and Secretary of the English Applied
Linguistics Study Program, for their suggestion and administrative assistance
during the process of conducting this study. Her truthfully gratefulness is also
given to Prof. Dr. H. Abdul Muin Sibuea, as the Director of Postgraduate School
Study Program of State University of Medan.
Furthermore, she also thanks to Prof. Tina Mariany Arifin, M.A, Ph.D.,
Dr. Eddy Setia, M.Ed, TESP. and Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M.Hum., for their
constructive comments and suggestions in enriching the quality of this thesis.
Last but not least, the writer also would like to thank to all of her beloved
friends in LTBI intake XIX; Nova, Aisyah, Nurlia, Eka, Elvi, Ira, Zikra, Ulfa,
Ufe, Meisa, Yuni, Canra, Mulki, Kak Khairiah, Enni, Bayu, Nasir, Bang Mulia,
Syafiq, and Ismed. Thanks for their support, prayer, encouragement, and for the
assistance in finishing her study. May Allah SWT consecrate to them. Amin.
Finally this thesis is still far from being perfect in spite of fact that the
writer has done her best in completing her work. For this reason, it is suggested
for other researchers to make further study related to this topic and subject.
Medan,
June 2013
The Writer
Asmitazkirah
Reg. Num. 8106111045
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................... xi
LIST OF APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1
The Background of The Study ............................................................... 1
1.2
The Problems of The Study .................................................................. 7
1.3
The Objectives of The Study ................................................................ 7
1.4
The Scope and Limitation of the Study ................................................ 7
1.5
The Significance of The Study ............................................................. 8
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1
Language Shift .................................................................................... 10
2.1.1 Dimension in Language Shift ............................................................. 13
2.2
Factors That Influence Language Shift ............................................... 14
2.2.1 Bilingualism ........................................................................................ 14
2.2.2 Migration ............................................................................................. 16
2.2.3 Economic and Social Factors ............................................................... 18
2.2.4 Political Factors .................................................................................. 19
2.2.5 Demographic Factors .......................................................................... 21
i
2.2.6 Attitudes and Values ........................................................................... 23
2.3
Pattern of Language Shift ................................................................... 25
2.4
Effect of Language Shift ..................................................................... 28
2.5
Reason for Language Shift .................................................................. 29
2.6
Arabic Language ................................................................................. 30
2.7
Arabic People in Medan ...................................................................... 32
2.8
Conceptual Framework ....................................................................... 35
2.9
Previous Related Studies ..................................................................... 36
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHOD
3.1
The Research design ........................................................................... 39
3.2
The Subject of The Study ................................................................... 39
3.3
The Instrument of Data Collection ..................................................... 40
3.4
The Technique of Data Collection ...................................................... 41
3.5
The Technique of Data Analysis ......................................................... 41
3.6
Triangulation ....................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
4.1
Data Analysis……………………………………………………….. 44
4.1.1 Factors That Influence Arabic Language Shift in Medan ………….. 44
4.1.1.1 Bilingualism ........................................................................................ 45
4.1.1.2 Migration ............................................................................................. 47
4.1.1.3 Social and Economic Factor ............................................................... 50
4.1.1.4 Political Factor .................................................................................... 53
4.1.1.5 Demographic Factor ........................................................................... 54
ii
4.1.1.6 Value and Attitude .............................................................................. 57
4.1.1.7 Arabic Language Competence ............................................................ 62
4.1.2
The Pattern of Arabic Language Shift in Medan ................................ 64
4.1.3
The Reason of Arabic Language Shift in Medan ................................ 66
4.2
Findings ............................................................................................... 69
4.3
Discussion ........................................................................................... 70
4.4.1
Factors That Influence Arabic Language Shift in the Second and the
Third Generation of Arabic Communities in Medan .......................... 70
4.4.2
Pattern of Arabic Language Shift in the Second and Third
Generation of Arabic Communities in Medan .................................... 74
4.4.3
Reasons of Arabic Language Shift into Bahasa Indonesia ................. 75
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
5.1
Conclusions ......................................................................................... 77
5.2
Suggestions ......................................................................................... 78
5.3
Implications ......................................................................................... 79
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 80
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 84
iii
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
2.1
Domain of Language Use ................................................................... 27
Table
4.1
Bilingualism of Arabic Language Shift in Medan .............................. 45
Table
4.2
Language Mastery and Favorite Language of Second Generation
Including Reasons ............................................................................... 46
Table
4.3
Language Mastery and Favorite Language of Third Generation
Including Reasons ............................................................................... 48
Table
4.4
Migration of Arabic Members in Medan ............................................ 49
Table
4.5
Learning Arabic Language Including Reasons ................................... 50
Table
4.6
Economic Factor that Influence Arabic Language shift in Medan ..... 52
Table
4.7
Social Factor in Arabic Communities in Medan ................................. 53
Table
4.8
Influence of Political Factor in Arabic Language Shift Shift in
Medan ................................................................................................. 54
Table
4.9
Influence of Demographic Factor in Arabic Language Shift in
Medan ................................................................................................. 55
Table
4.10
Influence of Media in Arabic Language Shift in Medan .................... 57
Table
4.11
Marriage Couple Selection (Expectant) Including Reasons ............... 58
Table
4.12
Influence of Value and Attitude in Arabic Language Shift in Medan 60
Table
4.13
Shifting into Bahasa Indonesia Because of Lack of Arabic Language
Speaking Competence ......................................................................... 65
Table
4.14
Language Use of Arabic Language in Medan Based on Domains ..... 66
Table
4.15
Reasons of Second Generation of Arabians into Bahasa
Indonesia ............................................................................................. 67
iv
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix
1
Kuesioner 1 .............................................................................. 84
Appendix
2
Kuesioner 2 ............................................................................. 92
Appendix
3
Interview ................................................................................. 93
Appendix
4
List of Respondents ................................................................. 94
Appendix
5
Table of Language Mastery and Favorite Language
Including Reasons ................................................................. 95
Appendix
6
Table of Learning Arabic Language and Place of Learning .... 96
Appendix
7
Table of Economic Factor ....................................................... 97
Appendix
8
Table of Social Factor ............................................................. 98
Appendix
9
Table of Marriage Couple Selections ..................................... 99
Appendix
10
Table of Language Use Based on Domains .......................... 100
Appendix
11
Pictures ................................................................................... 101
vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Language selections:
AL
Arabian Language
ALBI
Arabic Language and Bahasa Indonesia
BI
Bahasa Indonesia
Subjects of the research:
S1
Subject 1
S11
Subject 11
S2
Subject 2
S12
Subject 12
S3
Subject 3
S13
Subject 13
S4
Subject 4
S14
Subject 14
S5
Subject 5
S15
Subject 15
S6
Subject 6
S16
Subject 16
S7
Subject 7
S17
Subject 17
S8
Subject 8
S18
Subject 18
S9
Subject 9
S19
Subject 19
S10
Subject 10
S20
Subject 20
v
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of the Study
Language is an arbitrary and conventional system of vocal
symbols, produced only by human organs of speech, which can be
changed into written symbols and used as a means of thinking and feeling,
as well as understanding thought and feeling, in the context of
communication in a society. Obviously it is very essential for human being
and it distinguishes human from other creatures in the world. Language is
the human property and originated in man.
People use language as a means of thinking and feeling, as well as
a means of expressing thought and feeling in a society. There are millions
of languages used in the world. It is because language is a product of
culture, which means that different cultures may have different languages
or different dialects. It is also functioned to show their existence, identity
and culture in the society. In other words, a community's way of using
language is a part of the community's culture, is a way of displaying group
identity. Ways of speaking function not only to facilitate communication,
but also to identify the social position of the speaker. As Crystal (1997)
stated that people keep maintaining their language in order to create
cultural diversity, keep ethnic identity, enable social adaptability,
increasing security for the children psychologically, and increase the
linguistic sensitivity.
Indonesia is a multilingual country, language shifts potentially
happen. Language shift simply means that a community gives up a
language completely in favor of another one. For instance as Gunarwan
(2004:58) found that Lampung language is shifted because of Bahasa
Indonesia‟s pressure. Siregar (1998) also found that language shift
happens in bilingual youth generation society in Medan. This language
shift can be seen from the high intensity of the use of Bahasa Indonesia
among the dominant community.
Language shift is the process by which a speech community in a
contact situation gradually stops using one of its two languages in favor of
the other. In this case Arabic language is shifted into Bahasa Indonesia in
Arabic community in Medan. If the disfavored language is one that has as
its last speakers the members of the community in question, then the
language faces endangerment and eventually, language death.
The topic of language endangerment and death has recently
become an interest to linguists, after dire predictions of the large number
of languages that are anticipated to be lost in the next century, and work on
the topic has been accelerated (Grenoble & Whaley, 1996) as have efforts
to reverse the process of language shift. There are, however, very few
examples where language maintenance or language revitalization efforts
can be thought to have been completely successful. Once the process of
language shift has started and language loss is imminent, there is little
chance that the language will ever again be spoken as the first and primary
language of any community.
Language shift and language maintenance is similar to two sides of
coin which cannot be divided each other (Fasold, 1984: 213). They form a
collective result of choice. He said language shift simply means that a
community gives up a language completely in favor of another one.
Language shift is the progressive process whereby a speech community of
a language shifts to speak another language. It is in fact crucial for the
language survival.
Almost all minority groups who live in such multilingual
circumstance lack political and economic power; minority groups often
become bilingual in the dominant language for both instrumental and
psychological reasons. Even the speakers who are in the process of
shifting do not show the same degree of shift all at once in all of the
purposes or situations for which they use any language.
Further, from the stand of dominant group the presence of minority
groups can be an obstacle to communication and, more importantly, to
national integration, it may sound cynical but history supports the
comment of Laponce (1987: 198) that dominant groups tolerate minorities
“only on condition that they accept at least partial linguistic assimilation
(learn the dominant language) and keep their numbers small.”
Medan, the capital city of North Sumatera, is one of many cities in
Indonesia which has many kinds of different ethnics who live side by side.
The city has diverse communities, reflecting its history. The Mandailings
also live here in big numbers and working at the most strategic position in
government. In addition, there is a large ethnic Javanese community,
largely made up of the descendants of people transported from Java in the
last century to be employed as contract workers in various plantations in
North Sumatera.
Beside indigenous ethnics, there are several other minority ethnics
found in Medan, North Sumatera, such as Chinese, Indian, Arabian, etc.
This phenomenon happened because long time ago, Indonesian
archipelago was a place for trade transactions among merchants from
overseas including Europeans, Persians, Chinese, Indians, and Arabians,
they were getting involved for trade transaction in Malacca Strait
(Machmud, 1991). Malacca strait was connecting two large countries.
They are India and China especially in Sriwijaya dynasty (Mulana, 1977).
Those merchants finally settled in Indonesia and integrated to be
Indonesian people, including Arabian.
In Indonesia, Arabian people are associated with the spreading of
Islam in Indonesia. Arabian people are known as the pioneer in spreading
Islam, they came to Tanah Melayu in 7th century BC, or it is called as the
first year of Islam. They brought Islam voluntarily without any
organizations and institutions specified to support them.
The distance between Arabic land and Indonesia is very far
enough. It would take a long time to travel by ship at that time which
people used as a tool of transportation. And the weather also took an
important role for that time. Those merchants could not travel easily to
move back to their countries. Because all that matters, they decided to
establish family connections with the indigenous people by marriage. It
accelerated the assimilation process and also the process of spreading
Islam in Indonesia.
It happened year by year. Most of them married Arabic women
who have been born and lived in Indonesia for many years. It makes the
assimilation process developed fast. Some women were already bilinguals
and some were monolinguals. It makes the children must choose the
language while they talk to their mothers and fathers. Some of them still
use Arabic language to their children and some of them do not. If the
language is lost, it means the culture in which it lived is lost too.
The writer of this study observes this phenomenon clearly from her
experiences. Many of her relatives, friends, and members of Arabic
community in Medan do not use Arabic language anymore to their
children. The Arabic children speak in Bahasa Indonesia all the time, even
some of them cannot speak Arabic language anymore. When they are at
school domain, they choose a regular school for their children, instead of
Islamic dormitory schools which still use Arabic language in the school
area. A similar study has been done by Fathi (2006) which investigates
about the language shift of Arabic language among Arabic community in
Manchester, Britain. The study investigates language choice among
Arabic-English bilinguals in this community. Such a choice reflects the
status of Arabic maintenance/shift as a minority language in Manchester.
The shifting of Arabic language into Bahasa Indonesia is also
caused by the differences in social economic and political power. As what
Edwards stated in Hellinger & Pauwels (2007: 245), “Language decline is
often a reflection of relative social inequality”. Moreover he states that,
“language decline and shift are most often symptoms of contact between
groups of unequal political and economic power”. It means, the tendency
to shift Arabic language by Arabic community may also be caused by the
different points of view in treating their own language between speakers in
high economic power with the speakers with low economic power. People
with high economic power have more responsible of shifting the language
where they treat their own language less value than people with low
economic power.
As Thomas (2004:158) stated that how you talk, along with other
kinds of social codes such as how you dress or how you behave, is an
important way of displaying who you are; in other words, of indicating
your social identity. When Arabic people in Medan do not use their
language anymore, all their kinds of social codes are missing. It is very
dangerous if it happens to them.
Identity of a certain culture is showed through among others by
language use. Besides, cultural phenomena such as wedding ceremony,
artefacts, and arts are the signs of the identity of a certain culture and the
loss of small indigenous languages entails the loss of the knowledge
embedded in them – specifically the detailed knowledge and about local
ecosystems encoded in indigenous languages. The loss of a language may
do serious harm to the community‟s identity and culture, a view point
strongly articulated by Fishman, who proclaims that: „the destruction of a
language is the destruction of a rooted identity‟ (cited in Ferguson, 1996:
78).
Tjandrasasmita (2000: 23-28) stated that there are still few studies
which discuss about Arabic communities in Indonesia instead Arabic
people are part of cultural formation and directly involved on social –
economic activity in Indonesia (cited in Rabani & Artono, 2005: 114).
The researcher is one of the Arabic descendants in Medan. She
wants to figure out what makes Arabians in Medan do to maintain their
own language to preserve their own identity and existence in Medan. The
parents never speak Arabic language anymore to their children at home.
The writer also sees many of these children speak Bahasa Indonesia
among their community and social community as well. It is very important
to analyze the language shift in Arabic language to make a good planning.
Even though Arabic language is not one of the Indonesian vernacular
language, but it can also enrich more Indonesian culture since Arabians are
already there in Indonesia for ages. Nowadays Arabic is only learned by
the Islamic dormitories or Islamic schools in Medan, but not the Arabians
who are supposed to possess Arabic as their mother tongue. That is why
this subject is very interesting to be researched. And it is a very important
subject to study, so the Arabic people in Medan know how to make a
language planning of their own in the future.
Well cultural preservation is attached to linguistic preservation.
Lose a language, lose a culture. The writer adds a quotation from a linguist
Claude Hagège about what it means to lose a language:
„What we lose is essentially an enormous cultural
heritage, the way of expressing the relationship with
nature, with the world, between themselves in the
framework of their families, their kin people, it‟s also the
way they express their humour, their love, their life. It is
a testimony of human communities which is extremely
precious, because it expresses what other communities
than ours in the modern industrialized world are able to
express‟.
For linguists like Claude Hagège, languages are not simply a collection of
words. They are living, breathing organisms holding the connections and
associations that define a culture. When a language becomes extinct, the
culture in which it lived is lost too.
1.2 The Problems of the Study
Based on the background of the study, the problems of this study
are formulated as the following.
1. What factors that make language shift occurs in Arabic
community members in Medan?
2. What are the patterns of Arabic language shift in Arabic
community members in Medan?
3. Why does language shift occur in Arabic community members
in Medan?
1.3 The Objectives of the Study
In line with the problems, the objectives of the study are:
1) to find out what factors make language shift occurs in Arabic
community members in Medan.
2) to find out what are the patterns of Arabic language shift in
Arabic community members in Medan.
3) to find out why language shift occurs in Arabic community in
Medan.
1.4 The scope of the Study
The scope of this study was limited to certain members of Arabic
communities in Medan. In this case the Arabic community members in
Medan who live in several neighborhoods. Although in qualitative
research, the number of subjects is not concerned, it was limited for 25
persons, 13 females and 12 males. There is no specific reason to take that
numbers for the subjects. Since the Arabians are not in a large number, the
researcher is sure that the participants taken were sufficient to represent
the whole Arabians in Medan, North Sumatera. The locations were held in
the Arabic communities, Annady Al Islamy and Al Ichwany Al Arabia.
1.5 The Significance of the Study
Theoretically, the study is considered to enrich the theories of
language planning especially about Arabic language in Arabic community
in Medan, the factors influence Arabic language shift in Medan, the
pattern of language shift into Bahasa Indonesia and the reason of Arabic
language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
Practically, the results of the study are considered to contribute
information about language shift in Arabic language in the Arabic
community members in Medan for students, lecturers, researchers, and
also the government. Secondly, the teachers, students, and Arabians can
use it to support the reversing of the Arabic language shift in Medan.
Thirdly, the result of this study can be a previous knowledge for the next
researcher who has intended to gain a deep insight especially in Arabic
language in Arabic communities in Medan and generally in language
planning theories. The last, in this case Pusat Bahasa, hopefully the result
of this study helps them to make a well planned of language planning
particularly to keep maintaining the Arabic language, so the language is
not lost.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS, SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
5.1. Conclusions
The study which is concerned on Arabic language shift was aimed
to describe the factors influence Arabic language shift, the pattern of
language shift and reasons for shifting into Bahasa Indonesia. The use of
Bahasa Indonesia in the family domain is the crucial indication of Arabic
language shift, which is followed by the passive ability and none of Arabic
language users. Based on the analysis the conclusions are drawn as the
following.
1. In general, Arabic language shift in Medan are influenced by
bilingualism, migration, social and economic factor, political factor,
demographic factor, and value & attitude factor. Meanwhile for the
third generation, Bilingual factor is the most influence factor of
language shift since they are monolinguals. Only a few of them who
still use Arabic language in family domain.
2. The pattern of Arabic language shift happens through the shift of
Arabic language into Bahasa Indonesia in the second and third
generation of Arabians in Medan. The pattern of Arabic language shift
in the second generation of Arabian is they become bilingual; speak
well Arabic language and Bahasa Indonesia. They use both languages
in the family domain and sometime in friendship domain, in this case
in Arabic communities. They speak well both; Arabic language and
Bahasa Indonesia. And for the third generation, most of them use only
Bahasa Indonesia in family domain. They do not use Arabic language
in the family domain because they cannot speak the language anymore
and also because of their intercultural marriage. They only use Bahasa
Indonesia in their daily conversation and often to use it. The subjects
begin monolingual in Bahasa Indonesia in five domains.
3. There are two reasons that cause the Arabic language shift into Bahasa
Indonesia for the second generation. They are social success and the
status of Bahasa Indonesia. For the third generation, there are three
reasons that cause the Arabic language shift into Bahasa Indonesia.
They are status of Bahasa Indonesia, social success and Bahasa
Indonesia is the native language of them. They tend to speak only
Bahasa Indonesia since their early age. The persons who can still speak
Arabic language are only for those who ever visit Arab land for a
certain moment.
5.2 Suggestions
Dealing with the findings of the research, some constructive ideas
are suggested as the following.
1. It is suggested that the third generation of Arabic people who inherited
Arabic language from the second generation should learn and speak
more Arabic language as their means of communication especially in
family domain to keep maintaining Arabic language in Medan.
2. It is suggested for the third generation to learn Arabic language and try
to use it in their daily conversation.
3. It is suggested that the Arabic language researchers should be more
concerned with the research of Arabic language since it is still very
rarely conducted.
4. It is suggested that linguists, teachers and students especially in Arabic
language linguists should write more books or references of Arabic
language to maintain the Arabic language.
5.3 Implications
From all descriptions above, it can be seen that Arabians are no
longer feel ashamed of being incompetence in speaking their own native
language. Arabic language which is the identity of their culture and ethnic
group could be lost if the members of the communities are not able to
speak the language anymore. In spite of that, they feel regret of their
incompetence in using their own native language, that is why most of them
still try to learn Arabic language in many ways. At least they still can mix
Arabic language with Bahasa Indonesia in one or two words in a sentence
that their bulid.
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