Revitalizing Malacca Portuguese Creole

Abstract

This chapter discusses a revitalization project of the heritage language of Portuguese-Eurasians in Malaysia, Malacca Portuguese Creole, which is popularly known as Papiá Cristang. The chapter begins with a brief introduction of the Creole and of its history and current status. With the decline in the use of the Creole even in the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca, awareness of the need to revitalize this endangered language has increased. However, such awareness does not necessarily lead to concrete actions to keep the Creole alive. The chapter discusses the motivations behind revitalization efforts, including internal ones, such as the desire to restore and reconstruct their heritage in relation to peoplehood as well as relationships, and external ones like socioeconomic reasons. Motivations and underlying identity alignment drive language revitalization and play a role both in the reactions toward language revitalization efforts and the goal of language revitalization. Additionally, the perceptions of the Malacca Portuguese-Eurasian community toward these efforts are examined. The focus is on a revitalization project, Beng Prende Portugues Malaká (Papiá Cristang), which is based on a collaboration between a research team and representatives from the Malacca Portuguese-Eurasian Association. Using this project as an example, the elements involved in producing a teaching and learning resource are explained.