SACRIFICING THE MOTHER TONGUE: YOUNG ACEHNESE PARENTS AND THE DILEMMA OF HERITAGE LANGUAGE TRANSMISSION

Abstrak

This descriptive qualitative study investigates the underlying reasons and motives of young Acehnese parents in Lhokseumawe City, Indonesia, who consciously choose to teach Indonesian to their children despite being fully proficient speakers of their heritage language, Acehnese. Fourteen parents who met stringent criteria participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that parents' language choices are driven by a complex interplay of instrumental motivations, deeply internalized language ideologies, social norms, and generational shifts in linguistic practice. Parents perceive Indonesian as indispensable capital for children's educational achievement and socioeconomic mobility, view it as inherently more prestigious and modern than Acehnese, and have normalized its use within the family domain to such an extent that heritage language transmission now feels marked and unnatural. Besides, parents express genuine regret about Acehnese potential loss, yet feel compelled by structural pressures and ideological convictions to prioritize Indonesian, framing their choice as a necessary sacrifice for their children's future rather than as a rejection of cultural heritage. The findings underscore that language revitalization efforts must address not only linguistic competence but also the language ideologies that devalue heritage languages while acknowledging parents' legitimate concerns about their children's educational and economic prospects.