Image by exinco via FlickrThe statement above refers to the eventual demise of the Kadazan Language if no immediate corrective action is taken to reverse the situation. What is the big deal? It is only a language! Even my little girl, who had been studying in a Chinese school, when pestered to learn Kadazan told me, she won't because none of her friends in school spoke it, not even the Kadazan kids themselves.
The first Chapter of the Gospel of St.John in Kadazan was circulated around but no one took any commitment to undertake a serious study and translation of the Word of God into Kadazan, either from their own language or in the language that had been adopted by them as the normal mode of communication, e.g. English or Malay. Admittedly, it is not an easy task to come up with new inventions and ideas to be expressed in Kadazan and while English had become the lingua franca in their daily lives, among the Kadazan tribes, Malay had become a common language because of its introduction as a compulsory subject in the Malaysia school syllabus.
There had been no consistent effort to preserve and improve the standard of the Kadazan Language, by this I mean the Tanggaa dialect or "Z" dialect, and because of the lack of sufficient interest, it does seem to die of natural death! But ... there is a big but in this line of argument ... can the Kadazan be voiceless forever; isn't it the intention of the enemies of God's people to see them dumb, blind and devoid of self-respect because the thief comes not but to steal, kill and destroy; but Jesus came to give life and life abundantly (John 10:10) Jesus is the "Boos do Kinoingan nadadi do Kadazan"
The Kadazan can be likened to a 'heart attack patient' in the ICU needing a 'by-pass' and the only Doctor qualified to do this urgent and critical operation is Yeshua Himself yet even His name is banned in public places, what more in schools and public assemblies !
But the Good News is Jesus in complete control of the situation and those who are dead against Him will one day confess with their lips and bow on their knees that Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Halleluya.
