Help To Develop Iban Language Further, Says Jabu

Sibu, Malaysia - It is the hope of Sarawak`s Iban community that one day the Iban language will be a subject taught at teachers` training colleges and universities in the country.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu anak Numpang said this could happen if all gave their full support towards ongoing efforts to further develop and standardise the language, now already a subject at the PMR and SPM levels.

He said this when launching the Association for the Educational Development of the Iban Language (AEDIL) here on Tuesday.

Jabu said urban Iban parents in particular should encourage their children to speak the language properly.

"It is the tendency these days for urban children to speak Iban mixed with a lot of words from the English or Malay language. This is not good as it may lead to the demise of the pure and original language," he said.

Jabu said Iban children should not be ashamed to speak their language in public as even the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka had adopted many of the words with specific meaning to enrich the national language.

"But at the same time, they must also be encouraged to master other languages like English and Mandarin. After all, it is already a Sarawakian trademark to be fluent in many other languages besides their own lingua franca. This will give them the competitive edge in life later on," he said.

Jabu also said that the Dayak Cultural Foundation beginning this year would give incentives to Dayak students who excelled in their studies at the UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM levels.

Earlier, AEDIL protem president William Baja Jap said the association was set up to help in the educational development of the Iban language.

"AEDIL will be a platform in this course. Our long-term objective is to develop the language as a language of science, technology, commerce and communication at both local and international levels," he said.

Source: http://www.bernama.com
Photo: http://sloone.wordpress.com

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