Penerokaan bentuk keterikatan Melayu melalui ragam bahasa: Perbandingan fonologi Melayu Sadong Sarawak dengan Melayu Semenanjung (In search of Malay solidarity via dialects: Mainstream phonological affinities of Sarawak Sadong Malay and Peninsular Malay)

Abstract

Abstrak

Makalah ini bertujuan menyerlahkan keterikatan ragam bahasa antara Dialek Melayu Sarawak dengan dialek Melayu di Semenanjung Malaysia, khususnya dari aspek fonologi. Keterikatan ini seterusnya dinilai berasaskan konsep kesepaduan dan keharmonisan ragam bahasa Melayu di Malaysia. Kaedah lapangan dan kepustakaan telah diaplikasikan bagi memperoleh data dan maklumat berkaitan ragam bahasa Melayu yang dituturkan di kawasan lembangan Sungai Sadong Sarawak serta Semenanjung Malaysia. Kajian ini berbentuk kualitatif dan data telah dihuraikan secara kaedah Linguistik Deskriptif. Kawasan penelitian merangkumi kampung-kampung Melayu di sepanjang lembangan Sungai Batang Sadong di Sarawak. Penelitian ke atas kosa ilmu kajian lepas menunjukkan bahawa fokus kajian terdahulu lebih tertumpu kepada Dialek Melayu Kuching, Dialek Melayu Saribas, dan Dialek Melayu Sibu. Varian dialek Melayu di lembangan Sadong dianggap sebagai cebisan Dialek Melayu Kuching. Terdapat juga pengkaji lepas (misalnya, Saidatul 2013, Madzhi 1988) yang menganggap bahawa Dialek Melayu Kuchinglah yang lebih dekat dan terikat dengan Bahasa Melayu. Namun demikian, dapatan awal pengkaji menunjukkan bahawa dialek Melayu di lembangan Sadong memiliki ciri linguistik yang tersendiri yang berbeza dengan Dialek Melayu Kuching, Melayu Saribas, mahupun Melayu Sibu. Selain itu, dialek Melayu Sadong menyerlahkan beberapa bentuk bukti kesejajaran fonologinya dengan beberapa dialek Melayu di Semenanjung Malaysia. Antara lain, kewujudan bentuk kelainan [E], [«] dan [] di akhir kata (masing-masing mirip kepada dialek Melayu Kelantan,  Johor dan Negeri Sembilan), penggunaan nasal alveolar menggantikan nasal velar di akhir kata yang mirip dialek Melayu Kedah, di samping elemen monoftongisasi. Justeru, di sebalik kewujudan unsur inovasi, ciri retensi bersama yang diperlihatkan antara dua varian dialek Melayu yang terpisah jauh oleh Laut Cina Selatan ini sangat mengagumkan. Unsur pengekalan ini menyerlahkan keutuhan perpaduan Melayu melalui bahasa. Kajian ini mampu memberi implikasi penting kepada pemetaan landskap dialek Melayu,  di samping menyerlahkan indikasi signifikan kepada khazanah kosa ilmu budaya Melayu.

Kata kunci: dialek Melayu, fonologi, perpaduan Melayu, ragam bahasa, retensi bersama

In search of Malay solidarity via dialects: Mainstream phonological affinities of Sarawak Sadong Malayand Peninsular Malay

Abstract

This article aims to accentuate language variation between Sarawak's Malay dialect with Peninsular Malay dialect in Malaysia, especially from phonological aspect. This variation was further assessed on the extent usage of concept of unity and harmonies  of Malay language in Malaysia. Fieldwork and archive studies were applied to collect data and relevant informations regarding the pattern of Malay language spoken in the area of Batang Sadong river basin and Peninsular Malaysia. This research employs a qualitative study and data were scrutinized using Descriptive Linguistic method. The localised data  gathered  includes Malay villages along the Basin of Batang Sadong River in Sarawak. Scrutiny on previous research reveals that earlier studies tend to focus more on Kuching Malay Dialek, Saribas Malay Dialek, or Sibu Malay Dialek. Furthermore, variantion of Malay spoken along Sadong basin area was identified as part of Kuching Malay Dialect. On the other hand several researchers regard Kuching Malay Dialect as the nearest and bounds variant to Malay Language. However, this research found that Malay dialect in Sadong basin poccesses distinctive linguistic characteristic than other dialect  of Sarawak Malay (i.e. the Kuching Malay Dialek, Saribas Malay Dialek, or Sibu Malay Dialek). Moreover, Sadong Malay dialect accentuates an evidence of similar phonological forms with other Malay dialects spoken in Peninsular Malaysia. Among others, the existence of [E], [«] and [] variation in final position (that is similar to Kelantan, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan Malay Dialect, respectively), alveolar nasal usage that replaced velar nasal in final position (that is similar to Kedah Malay dialect) as well as diphthongisation and monoftongisation processes. Thus, despite of innovation element, the retention feature shown between two variant of Malay dialect separated far by Southern Chinese Sea is very impressive. These retention elements accentuate Malay unity integrity through language. This study gives significant implication to Malay dialect landscape mapping, and above all, accentuate significant indication to the knowledge treasure of Malay culture.

Keywords: language variation, Malay dialect, Malay unity, phonology, retention element