Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Dusunik Language Preservation Association (KBDS) is intensifying efforts to preserve and sustain the Dusunik language amid concerns over the declining number of speakers among the community.
Its President, Datuk Lawrence Gimbang, said an estimated 65 per cent of the Dusunik community no longer speaks their mother tongue, making language preservation a key reason behind the establishment of KBDS.
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He said the association aims to preserve, develop and sustain the Dusunik language according to its various dialects.
“To achieve this objective, KBDS brings together educators and Dusunik language experts through scholarly discussions, language workshops, expert consultations and competitions held in districts with large Dusunik-speaking populations, including Ranau, Tambunan, Tuaran, Keningau and Penampang,” he said.
Lawrence said the association was established to encourage the Dusunik community to take pride in their ethnicity and language, and to continue using their mother tongue to prevent it from becoming extinct, especially among younger generations.
“Younger people today are speaking the Kadazan Dusun language less frequently, and this is something we want to address,” he told reporters after paying a courtesy call on the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Musa Aman, at Istana Seri Kinabalu on Tuesday.
The visit was aimed at introducing the association to Tun Musa and informing him that KBDS had been registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on Feb 28, 2022.
Lawrence said the association hopes to raise public awareness on the importance of preserving the mother tongue, particularly among the younger generation.
He added that the visit was also to seek support and approval for the establishment of the Dusunik Language Foundation, which will serve as a fundraising body to support the association’s activities.
Among KBDS’ initiatives were the Mother Tongue Language Collaboration Visit at the Kent Campus of the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) in 2022, as well as the Workshop on Developing a Dusunik Vocabulary Book and Storybook in 2023.
Lawrence said KBDS would also implement the Boros Dusunik Community Programme in Tambunan this year, while continuing to provide Dusunik language consultancy services to support preservation and development efforts.
He said KBDS currently has about 900 members, with its 17-member committee comprising educators, doctors and individuals from various professional backgrounds who share the same goal of strengthening the Dusunik language.
Also present were KBDS Secretary-General Petrus F. Guriting, Deputy Treasurer Datuk Webley Disim, and supreme council member and KBDS language consultant Dr Linah Bagu.
