ATTITUDE, UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTITY OF NON-MALAY KELANTAN DIALECT SPEAKERS

• Main Author: ROSANNA, ROSHINI MARTIN
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2020
• Subjects: PN Literature (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34755/2/ROSANNA.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34755/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Dialect is known to be a variation that distinguishes the language of a specific group. In Malaysia, almost every state has its own dialect. This dialect is derived from the standard Malay language. Kelantan Malay Dialect (KMD) is used broadly in Kelantan by the locals as well as non-locals that had settled in this state. The non-Malays in Kelantan are also familiar with this dialect although their mother tongues do not derive from the standard Malay language. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the attitudes and understanding of Non-Malay Kelantan Dialect speakers towards the Kelantan Malay Dialect in relation to their identity. There are three objectives pertinent to this study which were to examine the attitudes of the non-Malay Kelantan Dialect speakers towards the dialect, to measure the level of understanding of the Kelantan Malay dialect among the non-Malay Kelantan dialect speakers and to determine the identity of the non-Malay Kelantan Dialect speakers based on their attitudes and understanding. A quantitative study research design was employed and descriptive statistical analysis was done on the data collected through questionnaire survey to acquire the quantitative description of the data. There were a total of 100 respondents aged from 13 years and above. The questionnaire was distributed out to 50 respondents staying in Kota Bharu, hand in hand and another 50 respondents answered the questionnaire that was created online using Google form and the link was then shared through social media such as Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram. The outcomes fulfilled the objectives of this study. The results showed that non-Malay Kelantan dialect speakers have a positive attitude and understanding towards the dialect. The attitude of non-Malays Kelantan dialect speakers has the dominance in determining the identity compared to their level of understanding the KMD. Also, non-Malays in Kelantan have a strong attachment to their identity as a Kelantanese.