KBRN, Samarinda: Preserving linguistic heritage has become a pressing priority in East and North Kalimantan, where several regional languages face the threat of extinction due to declining speaker populations.

In response, the East Kalimantan Provincial Language Center has accelerated efforts to revitalize these endangered tongues, aligning with a national initiative from the Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“This program focuses on regional language revitalization,” explained Yudianti Herawati, Technical Policy Reviewer at the East Kalimantan Language Center, speaking in Samarinda on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, as reported by antaranews.com.

Language revitalization seeks to restore languages that are losing ground in everyday use. Based on the language map, East Kalimantan hosts 16 regional languages, while North Kalimantan has 11.

Since 2022, the center has prioritized select languages in need of urgent attention. In East Kalimantan, the focus has narrowed to Paser, Kutai Malay, and Benuaq, selected for their cultural depth and prevalence among local communities, despite the presence of dominant immigrant languages like Bugis and Javanese.

In North Kalimantan, Bulungan was chosen as the priority in 2023, followed by Tidung in 2024.

“To streamline efforts, we’re currently centering on Paser and Kutai Malay, as both have shown strong local support. In fact, the Paser language is backed by a Regent’s regulation mandating local content,” Yudianti noted.

The revitalization initiative also encourages local governments to create learning materials for schools, reinforcing the presence of regional languages in education.

According to typology, East Kalimantan’s languages fall under Type C, a classification for languages that are rarely taught and gradually disappearing. This contrasts with Type A languages (e.g., Balinese, Sundanese, Javanese) that remain vibrant and widely spoken, and Type B, which are influenced by linguistic blending.

“Even though East Kalimantan is categorized as Type C, we’ve observed frequent use of regional languages within communities. That’s why the program targets not just schools and educators, but also students, parents, and policy stakeholders, with students being the core focus,” she added.

The revitalization process begins with coordination among decision-makers, followed by training native speakers to mentor teachers and community members. These educators then pass on the language to students in elementary and junior high schools, laying the foundation for generational continuity. ***