Language Choice among the Punjabi Sikh Community in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Sheena  Kaur; Gurcharan Singh Bishen Singh; Maya Khemlani  David; Thilagavathi  Shanmuganathan,; Francisco Dumanig

doi:10.51611/iars.irj.v12i01.2022.188

Authors

Sheena Kaur University of Malaya
Gurcharan Singh Bishen Singh University of Nottingham https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0034-380X
Maya Khemlani David University of Malaya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5569-3591
Thilagavathi Shanmuganathan, University of Malaya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1797-5034
Francisco Dumanig University of Hawaii at Hilo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51611/iars.irj.v12i01.2022.188

Keywords:

Punjabi; assimilation; enculturation; minority; social integration

Abstract

When a minority group interacts and comes into contact with individuals from the dominant language, they tend to choose a commonly understood language. Language choice is forced to negotiate their own identity and cultural practices with their dominant culture. This can create a conflict, as in the case of the Punjabi community, who try to adopt new cultural norms and maintain their own identity when living in a dominant cultural group. With the growing number of Punjabis in Sabah, specifically in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, East Malaysia, this situation presents an excellent case for advancing our knowledge about the challenges that the process of assimilation and enculturation may have on the Punjabi community living in a society which predominantly is of a different culture in Sabah. This study thus addresses the impact of social integration among a small population of the Punjabi Sikhs living in Kota Kinabalu. Data is collected using a questionnaire and interviews with several community members. The study draws implications on how a minority group adapts to the dominant culture and provides possible avenues for future research.

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Author Biography

Francisco Dumanig, University of Hawaii at Hilo
Dr. Francisco Perlas Dumanig is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii, USA. He used to be a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in other universities in the Philippines, Malaysia, the Middle East, and the USA. He has done research on Language and Identity of Economic Migrants, English Language Teaching and Learning (ENL, ESL, and EFL), Language Planning and Language Policy, and Southeast Asian Englishes. His current research focuses on the Family Language Policy of Filipinos in Hawaii, Education and Language in the Philippines, and Caregiver’s Interaction with Elderly Patients in Adult Residential Care Homes. He has published some of his works in peer-reviewed journals, such as Cambridge Language Teaching Journal, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, World Englishes, Multilingua, Language Policy, and International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.

Areas of Expertise
- Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language
- Southeast Asian Englishes
- Discourse Analysis (Language and Identity)
- Language Planning and Language Policy
- Sociolinguistics

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