Language maintainance and the preservation of ethnic identity: a case of Malay Muslims In Southern Thailand

Abstract

Language is known to have an effect on ethnic identity in that language retention of a mother tongue acts as a stronger connector to the ethnic community for such persons as compared to those who do not retain the language. For cultural groups who hold knowledge of ethnic language as a core value, language shift can lead to a lose of ethnic identity, cultural fragmentation and "non-authentic" expressions of ethnicity. This study attempts to explore the symbolic role that language plays in the evolution and maintenance of ethnic identity within the Malay Muslim community in southern Thailand. It looks at the effects of language on the emergence of Malay ethnic identity. It also discusses how the Malay language was used as a symbol to create and sustain the Malay identity on the ways in which Malay Muslims today understand ethnic identity, and how ethnic language fits into their own ethnic self-identifications. In addition, the importance of language as a marker of ethnic identity is also highlighted. Therefore, this paper attempt to answer the main question of: To what extent does a Malay language effect in the preservation of Malay ethnic identity in southern Thailand? As a result two facts have been identified regarding the language and ethnicity link among Malay Muslims. First, Malay language is seen as a relevant ethno-cultural marker and its usage is limited within family, relatives and close friends. Second, Malay language is preserved in combination with Thai making many Malay Muslims bilingual, which is quite typical in the southern border provinces of Thailand.