Hilang Bahasa Hilanglah Bangsa...

Dipetik dari laman asal: http://kyotoreviewsea.org/razak.htm

"As an observer, I doubt the status of Malay culture, which I see becoming more and more vulnerable, losing its spirit, and sinking lower and lower. I expressed this doubt in a story called “Kehilangan” (Lost) (published in Jendela Timur, April 2004). The title refers to the loss of Malay identity. I envision that over the next 30 years Malay identity will fade away and in time vanish. Patani Malays will no longer speak Malay, and once they no longer speak their mother tongue, it will be difficult to recognize them as Malays. The values of Malay culture will disappear along with the language, reflecting the saying “language is the spirit of the nation, the vanishing of a language is the vanishing of a nation.”

The story is based on my observation that day to day conversation among Patani Malays tends to be in the Thai language. This is seen most clearly among the Malay elite and people who reside in big market towns and cities. I even know a middle class family whose children do not speak Malay at all. More and more, conversations in the Malay language are on a superficial level of understanding; when expressing a deeper understanding, Patani Malays switch to Thai. In fact, their Thai vocabulary is much greater than their Malay vocabulary." : Abdul Razak @ Abdulroya Panaemalae

Baca dan halusi petikan di atas dengan teliti. Tidak ada bezanya bukan, dengan apa yang berlaku di Malaysia? Kalau elit Melayu di Patani menjaga status dengan berbicara bahasa Thai, elit Melayu di Malaysia mengganggap dirinya lebih berdarjat bila berbahasa Inggeris.

Atas semua ini, tidakkah anda yang mengaku Melayu berasa bimbang?

Apa akan jadi pada bahasa Melayu dalam masa 30 tahun akan datang? Jangankan di Selatan Thai, di tanah di mana berkembangnya bahasa itu sendiri, ia sudah kehilangan.