Potensi Kepunahan Bahasa Pada Komunitas Melayu Langkat Di Stabat, Kabupaten Langkat, Sumatera Utara

Abstract

Language maintenance or shift happens as a consequence of a bilingual or multilingual community. The self-report of 230 Langkat Malay teenagers as the respondents of this research shows a language shift from Langkat Malay to the Indonesian language among the young community of Malay in Stabat. This language shift can be seen from the high intensity of the use of Indonesian among the Malay dominant community, the small number of young community being able to comprehend and speak Langkat Malay, the large number of Langkat Malay users who speak Malay not as their first language, and the low competence of Langkat Malay users using Langkat Malay as their mother tongue. Langkat Malay is potentially threatened as an endangered language. Two indicators showing this condition are the high pressure of the Indonesian language, and the phenomena of the loss of young Langkat Malay users, especially among children.