Lah, Salasiah Che
(2014)
Ethnic Tourism: A Case Study of Language and Culture
Preservation of the Bateq Indigenous Group of Orang Asli in
Peninsular Malaysia.
SHS Web of Conferences, 12 (01071).
pp. 1-7.
ISSN 2261-2424
Abstract
Malaysia provides ethnic tourism which is related to the more popularly known as
nature or eco-tourism where an indigenous or traditional group of people who live in this
environment will interact with and provide services to the tourists who would like to experience
ethnic tourism. Ethnic tourism refers to travel motivated by the search for the first hand, authentic
and sometimes intimate contact with people whose ethnic and/or cultural background is different
from the tourists. Tourists are also driven by the desire to see some of the threatened cultures that
may soon disappear through assimilation into the nation's majority. This paper aims to explore
ethnic tourism as a preservation strategy for language and culture in a selected community of
Bateq Orang Asli group in Peninsular Malaysia in relation the language and cultural preservation
of this community. An in-depth interview, a qualitative research technique, was selected as a
method of data collection. The multimedia data was also collected including the recordings of the
indigenous languages, still pictures and videotapes of the indigenous and cultural activities. The
findings of this study show that the Bateq Orang Asli groups have preferences of their languages
even though there is a pattern that a high number of lexical items have been borrowed from
Malay. Language shift among younger speakers is also becoming a trend. In terms of the
preservation of cultural heritage, the Bateq Orang Asli are still very positive about keeping their
practices and lifestyles. The involvement of Bateq Orang Asli in promoting ethnic tourism in the
surrounding areas near their settlements has contributed to their language and cultural
preservation.
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