Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
'Bahasa Twitter' affecting Malay language, 20 September 2010
The use of bazaar Malay in social websites such as the Facebook and Twitter has jeopardised the proper use of the Malay language among the people today.
Sarawak Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) director Jiso Rutan said the spread of bazaar Malay via the SMS (short messaging service) on the internet was rampant and difficult to control among the website users.
"In this context, the DBP is intensifying efforts to encourage the use of the Malay language in the country, including organising the National Language Month (BBK) in October each year," he told reporters after the launching of the BBK at the Sarawak state level, here today.
He said the BBK was an effort by the government to raise public awareness in the country on the importance of the national language to build one's personality and strengthen Malaysian solidarity through language and literature.
Meanwhile, Sarawak State Secretary Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani described the use of bazaar Malay on the social website as a serious challenge in empowering the Malay language.
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