The Korean Alphabet “Hangul” Is Saving A Near-Extinct Indonesian Dialect

In an eastern Indonesian village, children are learning to write in a script that is not their own. They’re using Hangul, the Korean alphabet, to write in their native Cia-Cia language. This unique initiative is taking place in the Baubau city of Southeast Sulawesi province, where the Cia-Cia, an ethnic group without a written form for their language, are finding a new way to preserve their linguistic heritage.

Participants in traditional Korean attire holds signs using the Korean Hangul script. | Japan Times

The Cia-Cia language, spoken by about 80,000 people, lacked a standardized written form. Its syllable-based structure didn’t easily adapt to the Latin alphabet, which is widely used for transcribing Indonesia’s national language, Bahasa Indonesia. This linguistic challenge posed a significant risk to the survival of the Cia-Cia language.

Cia Cia language. | Dailymotion 

The solution emerged in an unlikely form: Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Developed in the 15th century, Hangul’s syllable-based system proved to be an effective tool for transcribing the Cia-Cia language. This script’s adoption began in 2009, following a cultural exchange between Baubau city and Korean scholars.

| SCMP

To facilitate this linguistic transition, Baubau city sent teachers and students to South Korea to learn Hangul. Their goal was to develop a standardized method to write and teach the Cia-Cia language. One of these pioneers, a teacher named Abidin, spent six months in South Korea and has since created a Hangul-based dictionary for Cia-Cia.

| Yahoo News UK

This initiative has breathed new life into the Cia-Cia language. Hangul is now used to teach students from elementary to high school, and Cia-Cia names and words are increasingly visible throughout the city. While still primarily spoken, the language’s written form in Hangul is a symbol of cultural pride and preservation.

| Medium

Despite its success, the use of Hangul in Baubau has raised concerns. Linguists and community elders worry about the potential loss of cultural identity and the script’s foreign origin. There are suggestions that a script used by another Sulawesi dialect could have been a more linguistically appropriate choice.

| Vecteezy

Nevertheless, the use of Hangul has highlighted the versatility and global influence of the Korean script. In South Korea, where Hangul is a source of national pride, this development has been positively received.