Yee I-Lann: Mansau-Ansau | How many times have you met someone who has written a dictionary?

Описание: How many times have you met someone who has written a dictionary? With a widely spoken language such as English, we might take for granted not only the availability and accessibility of its dictionary, but the fact that it is constantly kept up-to-date and under the care of trained custodians. For Sabah’s indigenous languages, particularly Kadazan and Dusun, Rita Lasimbang, a Sabahan of Kadazan descent, stepped up to the plate. Over the course of 22 years, Rita formed part of a team that created the Kadazan-Dusun Malay-English Dictionary through conducting copious interviews and sound recordings of the hitherto aurally transmitted Kadazan and Dusun languages, developing a standardised alphabetical transcription method, and designing and formatting the dictionary for usage in print. Joined by Jeannet Stephen who is Deputy Director of the Borneo Research Institute of Indigenous Studies (BorIIS) at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and artist Yee I-Lann, both of whom are also of Kadazan heritage, this sharing will provide insight on what it means to save a fading language, culture and worldview. The sharing will touch on Sabah’s geographic, linguistic and ethnic contexts, the orthographic work of creating a dictionary, a brief history of dictionaries of Sabah’s indigenous languages as well as the importance of language maintenance. The sharing will conclude with a Q&A and a listening session to Kadazan songs.

This programme was held in conjunction with the exhibtion, 𝘠𝘦𝘦 𝘐-𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘯: 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘶-𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘶. For more information about the exhibition and artist, please visit: https://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/art....

[𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀]
𝗥𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴 serves as the CEO of the Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF), established in 1995 with the mission of researching, revitalising and promoting the Kadazan/Dusun language. Under her direction, KLF has produced a range of resources for indigenous language instruction, collaborating with organisations such as PACOS Trust, UNICEF Malaysia, and SIL Malaysia. In partnership with educational institutions and the Sabah State Education Department, KLF actively promotes indigenous language education in Sabah, particularly in Bahasa Kadazandusun (BKD), which is the standard language taught in government schools. Lasimbang, a linguistics specialist with training from the University of Texas, Arlington, USA, also brings her experience as a former curator at the Sabah Museum to her role at KLF. Beyond her work in Malaysia, Lasimbang also serves as one of three representatives for Indigenous Peoples' Organisations and Institutions for the Asia region in the UNESCO Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages for the 2022-2032 International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL).

Associate Professor 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 is the Deputy Director and Head of the Language & Linguistics Cluster at the Borneo Institute for Indigenous Studies (BorIIS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She was inspired by the success of the Māori community in preserving their mother tongue and Indigenous identity during her PhD studies at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research focuses on language policy and planning, language revitalisation, and the socio-cultural dynamics of Indigenous communities in Borneo. Starting in 2025, she will serve as the Representative of Indigenous Peoples' Organisations and Institutions for Asia (2025–2027), and in 2026, as a Steering Committee Member of UNESCO's Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages. She strongly believes that academics and policymakers must collaborate with Indigenous communities to sustain Indigenous languages and cultures in alignment with the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

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