Language Change Among the Younger Generation of the Kensiu Indigenous Community: An Analysis of Educational and Social Mobility Factors

This article examines language change among the younger generation of the Kensiu Orang Asli community in Malaysia, with particular emphasis on the roles of formal education and social mobility. The Kensiu language functions not only as a medium of communication but also as a key marker of identity, cultural continuity, and collective memory. However, increasing exposure to formal education and broader socio-economic opportunities has significantly reshaped patterns of language use. This study adopts a qualitative ethnographic approach based on six months of fieldwork in Kampung Ulu Lengong. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, and were analysed thematically using NVivo 15. The findings reveal a process of domain narrowing, in which Kensiu is largely confined to domestic and intra-community interactions, while Malay dominates educational, peer, and formal contexts. Education functions as an agent of linguistic socialization, reinforcing Malay as the dominant language, whereas social mobility influences language choice through its instrumental and symbolic value. The study demonstrates that language change among the Kensiu is not merely linguistic but reflects broader transformations in identity, aspiration, and social structure. The findings contribute to linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics by offering an integrated analysis of language, education, and mobility in a minority community context, while also highlighting the need for context-sensitive language preservation strategies.

Language Change, Kensiu Orang Asli, Formal Education, and Social Mobility

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