Editing Sarawak (section)

=== Languages ===
[[File:Sarawak Families Languages.png|thumb|right|The distribution of language families of Sarawak shown by colours:<br /><small>(click image to enlarge)</small>
{{legend|#FF006E|[[Malayic languages|Malayic]]}}
{{legend|#FF984F|[[North Bornean languages|North Borneo]] and [[Melanau-Kajang languages|Melanau Kajang]] languages}}
{{legend|#00FF90|[[Land Dayak languages|Land Dayak]]}}
{{legend|#A0A0A0|Areas with multiple languages}}]]
English was the official language of Sarawak from 1963 to 1974 due to opposition from First Chief Minister of Sarawak Stephen Kalong Ningkan to the use of the [[Malaysian language]] in Sarawak.<ref name=Ibanmalaysian>{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Postill |title=Media and Nation Building: How the Iban became Malaysian |date=15 May 2006 |publisher=[[Berghahn Books]] |isbn=978-0-85745-687-8 |page=58 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5_gtJQFin4C&pg=PA59 |access-date=13 November 2015 |quote=because of his strong defence of English as the language of instruction in Sarawak&nbsp;... (page 58)}}</ref> In 1974, the new Chief Minister Abdul Rahman Ya'kub recognised [[Malay language|Malay]] alongside English as an official language of Sarawak.<ref name="Faisal"/><ref group=note>Faisal, 2012 ... to make Bahasa Malaysia and English as ''negeri''{{'s}} official languages. (page 84)</ref> This new status given to the Malay language was further reinforced by new education standards transitioning curriculum to Malay.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Education Minister Calls For Return To Teaching Maths, Science In BM |url=http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=371208 |access-date=13 November 2015 |publisher=Bernama |date=12 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711152042/http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=371208 |archive-date=11 July 2011}}</ref> In 1985 English lost the status of an official language, leaving only Malay.<ref name=Ibanmalaysian/><ref group=note>Postill, 2006 ... Malay was accepted as the official language of Sarawak alongside English until 1985, when English was finally dropped. (page 64)</ref> Despite official policy, Sarawak opposition members argue that English remained the ''de facto'' official language of Sarawak.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fernandez |first1=Joe |title=DAP: English remains Sarawak's official language |url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/11/26/dap-english-remains-sarawaks-official-language/ |access-date=20 December 2016 |work=Free Malaysia Today |date=26 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112235855/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/11/26/dap-english-remains-sarawaks-official-language |archive-date=12 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> English is still spoken in the legal courts, and state legislative assembly.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sulok |first1=Tawie |title=Usage of English, native languages officially still legal in Sarawak |url=http://www.thesundaily.my/news/299416 |access-date=13 November 2015 |newspaper=The Sun Daily |date=20 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113112711/http://www.thesundaily.my/news/299416 |archive-date=13 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=My Constitution – Sabah and Sarawak |url=http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=2849 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120214041818/http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=2849 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Malaysian Bar]] |access-date=13 November 2015 |quote=English was the official language of the State Legislative Assemblies and Courts in Sabah and Sarawak on Malaysia Day, 16 September 1963. Any change of the official language to Bahasa Melayu can only become effective when the State Legislative Assembly of Sabah or Sarawak agrees to adopt federal laws that make Bahasa Melayu the official language.}}</ref> In 2015, Chief Minister Adenan Satem reinstated English as an official language.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ogilvy |first1=Geryl |title=Sarawak to recognise English as official language besides Bahasa Malaysia |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/18/sarawak-to-recognise-english-as-official-language-besides-bahasa-malaysia/ |access-date=2 April 2016 |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=18 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305082141/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/11/18/sarawak-to-recognise-english-as-official-language-besides-bahasa-malaysia/ |archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-makes-english-official-language-along-with-bm |title=Sarawak makes English official language along with BM |work=themalaymailonline.com |date=13 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1615945 |title=Sarawak adopts English as official language |work=thesundaily.my}}</ref> Sarawak's language autonomy does not extend to the educational system, with the language syllabus controlled by the federal government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.malaysia-today.net/2020/01/01/sarawak-schools-bound-by-jawi-syllabus-despite-legal-leeway-on-official-language-says-lawyer/ |title=Sarawak schools bound by Jawi syllabus despite legal leeway on official language, says lawyer |work=Malaysia Today |date=1 January 2020 |access-date=2 April 2021}}</ref>

Although the official form of Malay, [[Bahasa Malaysia]], is spoken by the government administration, it is used infrequently in colloquial conversation. The local dialect of [[Sarawak Malay|''Bahasa Sarawak'' (Sarawak Malay)]] dominates the vernacular. Bahasa Sarawak is the most common language of Sarawak Malays and other indigenous tribes. The Iban language, which has minor regional variations, is the most widely spoken native language, with 60 per cent of the Sarawak population speaking it as a first language. The Bidayuh language, with six major dialects, is spoken by 10 per cent of the population. The Orang Ulu have about 30 different language dialects. While the ethnic Chinese originate from a variety of backgrounds and speak many different Southern Chinese languages such as Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Fuzhou, and Teochew, they also converse in [[Malaysian Mandarin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sarawak, a land of many tongues |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2010/12/23/sarawak-a-land-of-many-tongues/ |access-date=7 January 2016 |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=23 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113120315/http://www.theborneopost.com/2010/12/23/sarawak-a-land-of-many-tongues/ |archive-date=13 November 2015}}</ref> [[Tamil language]] is spoken by the Indians in Sarawak.<ref name="Indians in Sarawak"/>