Wednesday, October 23, 2013

PhD in Sociolinguistics - status of the Kayan language in Borneo (hehehe)


Is this a good statement, or what?


Statement of Interest (not more than 150 words)
Please elaborate on the area that you are interested to pursue and the reasons you choose the area.


The study of language vitality is an important aspect of sociolinguistics, where the prevalent notion is that language and culture are integral part of the identity of a community of people.  Studies on ethnic identity argued that to a large extent, language has become a major marker of belonging to a particular ethnic or national group. In Malaysia, despite its multi-diverse, multi-lingual population, much are still unknown about minority languages in relation to more dominant languages such as the Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Indian languages. The indigenous languages in Sarawak for example are the case in point. With an estimated 46 different ethnic languages spoken in the state, there is a stark neglect in research on minority languages. Being a minority and being privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge is the main reason for me to consider doing the PhD in this area.

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