If the Jawi script the true standard script of the Malay language, which has increasingly been replaced by the Latin-origin Rumi is facing extinction, it is due to the flagging interest among Malaysian youths in preserving and upholding a legacy that dates as far back as the 1300s.
For Prof Dr Kang Kyoung Seok, a Korean expert in the Jawi script, this state of affairs is completely unacceptable as he believes the fate of the Jawi script rests in the hands of Malaysia’s younger generation, not those of any foreigner, not even if he is recognised as a world-class expert on this script.
“The Jawi script belongs to all Malaysians, and they are the ones upon whose shoulders rests the burden to preserve it. If they fail to do so, it will cease to exist.
“Indeed, there are many foreigners who are interested in this script, but their interest is limited to academics. Seldom will you find a foreigner like me who strives to uphold the script,” Dr Kang told Bernama in an interview.
Dr Kang, who heads the Malaysian Studies Department at the Busan University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, had delivered a lecture titled, “Innovation of Jawi Script for New Generations” at the Islamic University College (KUIM) in Melaka. Among those in attendance was KUIM’s vice-chancellor, Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Hashim.
Dwelling on ways to attract the younger generations to study the Jawi script, Dr Kang said there was a need to formulate an effective learning system for the subject in order to facilitate the study and comprehension of this precious script.
Prof Dr Kang Kyoung Seok
Historically, though Jawi is the standard script for the Malay language, its day-to-day usage remains relegated to more conservative Malay-populated areas. Most people prefer to use the romanised script when writing in the Malay language.
“Malaysia’s younger generation already knows how to read the romanised characters. So, taking off from there, we need to make the Jawi script more accurate by bringing the spelling and pronunciation in line with the romanised characters.
“Problems, such as the spelling of ‘pudu’ as fa-wau-dal-wau, must be addressed as the word can also be pronounced as podo, podu or pudo,” said the fluent Malay speaker.
Jawi, which is an Arabic script, underwent modifications to suit the spoken classical Malay. Written from right to left, it incorporates six sounds not found in Arabic: ca, pa, ga, nga, va and nya. Many Arabic characters are never used as they are not pronounced in the Malay language, and some letters are never joined, while others are always joined.
Kang pointed out that in order to re-popularise the Jawi script among Malaysia’s younger generation, extraordinary initiatives will be required, much like what South Korean singer Psy did to popularise Korean culture via his inimitable Gangnam Style.
“Gangnam Style is extraordinary since it takes a horse, often seen as a symbol in Korea, and turns it into something extraordinary. Malaysia has its own unique identity, which attracts worldwide attention, and this can be emphasised in order to attract the younger generations,” Kang remarked.
Kang said the Jawi script is a universal legacy for multi-ethnic Malaysia and is not the exclusive inheritance of the Malay race.
It is the civilised world’s precious collective heritage. This heritage has so far been preserved by Malaysians because the Jawi script has existed in this country for a long time and was used by Malaysians well before the romanised alphabet was introduced in the 1960s.
“Since the Jawi script was formerly accepted by all Malaysians, that historical tradition should continue. This legacy is the Malaysians’ inheritance and should remain so,” stated Kang.
He also spoke about how 15 of his students had once failed to learn the Jawi script and, consequently, did not learn the Malay language correctly during a student exchange programme with one of the universities in this country.
“Among the reasons why my students could not learn the Malay language properly was that youngsters here do not speak proper Malay. Instead, they only speak its colloquial version. The fact that the youngsters have not mastered the script further complicates the issue,” he asserted.
Kang noted that with the country making progress to achieve its ambitious Vision 2020, the younger generations’ search for an identity needs to be strengthened with an awareness of their national legacy, and the Jawi script is a part of that invaluable legacy.
It will instil in Malaysians the urge to progress, with a heightened sense of growing their civilisation, he said.
Interestingly, like any true academician, Dr Kang is not afraid of criticism of some of his opinions on the Jawi script and, instead, welcomes such critiques, especially from the youth, to ensure that his mission reaches fruition.
“What disappoints me is that certain quarters only criticise me and my books. Unfortunately, while highlighting all manner of faults, they make no effort to correct these issues. They only find fault but don’t try to rectify anything. If they tried to do so, I would be very happy because the Jawi script could indeed be improved,” he stated.
Dr Kang has no wish to offend anyone in pressing the issue, but he remains extremely disappointed that his beloved Jawi script faces a dark future because Malaysia’s younger generations seem to be increasingly marginalising their own historical connections with this rich script.
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