Documenting the languages of the Orang Asli of Malaysia: Some ethical concerns
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Abstract
Attempts to document the languages of indigenous communities which are facing the threat of extinction in linguistically diverse countries like Malaysia have given rise to numerous ethical issues, partly due to the disadvantaged and illiterate statuses of these minority communities. This paper explores some of these concerns such as that of obtaining informed consent, privacy and intrusion, withholding of information, data abuse, monetary rewards and cultural sensitivities in documenting the languages of six Orang Asli or indigenous groups in Malaysia. The study is based on the narratives of researchers in the field who were asked to introspect on their experiences in documenting the languages of the Orang Asli. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Orang Asli, Indigenous peoples, Malaysia, Informed consent, Privacy
Publication Title
Language & Communication
Volume
30
Issue
3, SI
Publisher
Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd
Publisher Location
THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND