TRADISI LISAN DALAM PERGESERAN DAN PEMERTAHANAN BAHASA KUI DI ALOR, NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR

Abstract

Previous research on language shift and maintenance is commonly conducted by investigating language use from various domains. However, among the existing domain classifcations, language use in the domain of tradition has never been taken into account. Meanwhile, most of existing languages in the world have no writing system so that their continuity depends on the form of spoken language and oral tradition. This paper examines the relationship between language shift/maintenance and oral tradition based on the result of feld research about Kui language in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara. The feld research indicates that there is a parallelism between language shift and stagnation of transmission of oral tradition. This means that the safeguarding of endangered languages as an intangible cultural heritage should involve the safeguarding of oral tradition. Likewise, the safeguarding of oral tradition should involve the safeguarding of language since language is the most signifcant vehicle to communicate and maintain the intangible cultural heritage and knowledge indigenous. Keywords: language shift, language maintenance, oral tradition, intangible heritage, lego-lego