ACEH – Language, Social and Humanities Researcher of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Iskandar Syahputera said, Aceh is in a definitively endedangered status or is threatened with extinction.
“From the level of criticism of the language 5-0 from (UNESCO), currently the status of Aceh’s vitality is at level 3,” said Iskandar in Banda Aceh, Antara, Wednesday, February 26.
Iskandar said this was revealed in his research entitled About Vitality In Aceh Language In Connection with Regional Language Planning and Policy’ in 2024.
He explained that the current status of Acehnese which is on the verge of extinction is influenced by several factors, one of which is because there is no transmission or transfer of local languages to the next generation.
“We see a lot at this time the mother is Acehnese, and her father is Acehnese, but at home no longer uses Acehnese or her mother’s language,” he said.
According to Iskandar, this will result in the younger generation no longer being able to speak in their mother tongue and further reducing the number of Acehnese speakers.
“Suddenly this will lead to a language towards extinction,” he said.
Not only Aceh, Iskandar also mentioned that the regional language in Aceh Province tends to be towards extinction.
His study with the Research Team of the Aceh Provincial Language Center (BBPA) in 2019 regarding the vitality status (power) of regional languages in Aceh, shows that Gayo’s status is also at an endangered level.
Iskandar said that if the Aceh language was extinct, it would also become extinct or the roots of Aceh’s culture would be removed, which was full of historical, religious, educational, moral, and ethical values.
“So finally our civilization disappeared,” he said.
He gave an example, philosophy in Aceh Indigenous like a poteumeureuhom, hukom like a Shia Kuala, qanun nibak putroe phhang, reusam like an laksana’ whose meaning may no longer be understood by the younger generation due to the loss of ability to speak in the mother tongue.
“How many Acehnese students are native Acehnese who know what it means, we haven’t entered into its meaning yet. I’m sure more than 80 percent of them no longer know what it means,” he said.
Not only that, continued Iskandar, there are still many Hadih Maja’ groups, namely a collection of advice in Acehnese based on religious, social, moral, and ethical life, as well as other literary works that will no longer be recognized in the future by the younger generation due to the extinction of the Acehnese language.
There is also ‘Hiem’ or Aceh rhyme, Do Daie Di (a song or verse in Aceh as an introduction to children’s sleep), and many other forms of literary works are spoken in regional languages, all of which have education, advice, morals and ethics values,” he said.
Therefore, he stressed to the Aceh Government to immediately take revitalization steps to save the Aceh regional language from the threat of extinction through regional language conservation programs.
“If the regional language revitalization steps are not carried out immediately, then it is not impossible that the status of Aceh will lead to extinction or even extinction,” he said.
He also invited the role of parents to transmit the Aceh regional language to their children in order to avoid the threat of maternal extinction.
“And the most important thing is to build awareness of parents about the importance of using regional languages in the family environment, if you don’t want to see our regional languages become extinct,” he said.
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