Language, Culture, and Identity in a Borderland Context: A Preliminary Study of the Malay Community in Lawas, Sarawak

Abstract

The Lawas District of Sarawak constitutes a borderland region characterised by its distinctive dynamics of language, culture, and identity among the Malay community. Its direct geographical proximity to Brunei Darussalam has fostered long-standing historical, familial, and cultural ties which in turn have shaped local language practices and processes of social identity formation. Although Lawas has attracted scholarly attention in fields such as biodiversity, ecology, and selected social issues, sociolinguistic research examining the interrelationship between language, culture, and identity among the Malay community in this district remains limited. Accordingly, this study seeks to present a preliminary observation of the role of language and culture in shaping Malay identity in the Lawas District. The study addresses a gap in the existing literature by providing locally grounded empirical data within the context of a Bornean Malay borderland community. Theoretically, the study is examined by Fishman’s (1972) Domain Analysis framework which emphasises the role of social domains in shaping language choice. Methodologically, the study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six informants in Kampung Trusan, Lawas complemented by participant observation and field notes. Preliminary findings indicate that Brunei Malay predominates in informal domains such as family and friendship, while Standard Malay and Sarawak Malay dialects are employed in institutional contexts. From an identity perspective, the Malay community in Lawas continues to align itself strongly with a Brunei Malay identity, a factor that contributes to the maintenance of both language and cultural practices. Further research is recommended to examine intergenerational shifts and transformations in greater depth.