Malaysia’s indigenous tongues and community dialects, they stress, must continue to be preserved, especially among the young. “What this means is that there is little or no transmission of heritage languages from older to younger generations. “The nuances and knowledge that come with heritage languages may be lost, or may not be translated in the same way,” she told StarEdu. Mohammed Azlan said all parties, including individuals, communities and the government, play a role in preserving Malaysia’s dialect heritage. “Among the strategies that can be implemented are activities outside the classroom that use dialects, special programmes related to regional languages or dialects in Malaysia, exhibitions, traditional games and sports featuring dialects, as well as language campaigns promoting Malay and its dialects,” he suggested, adding that families play a crucial role by using dialects at home.

Source: The Star December 28, 2025 12:05 UTC