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Calvin R. Rensch, Carolyn M. Rensch, Jonas Noeb and Robert Sulis Ridu, 2006, The Bidayuh language: yesterday, today and tomorrow.

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Calvin R. Rensch, Carolyn M. Rensch, Jonas Noeb and Robert Sulis Ridu, 2006, The Bidayuh language: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Bidayuh Language Development Project. Kuching (Sarawak, Malaysia): Dayak Bidayuh National Association; xiv +449 pages, figures, tables, maps; soft cover, ISBN 983-2981-01-8.

Bidayuh is spoken in a number of dialects in the Kuching and Samarahan Divisions of West Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. It belongs to the Land Dayak (or Bidayuhic) language subgroup, which is part of the (West) Malayo Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. Other Land Dayak languages are mainly spoken in neighboring West Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are among the least known subgroups in Borneo, which in turn is one of the least well-known linguistic areas in the Austronesian-speaking world. The Bidayuh language is therefore a very welcome addition to the literature on Bornean linguistics.

The book consists of three sections.

In the first section called "Language development in Bidayuh: past, present and future," Jonas Noeb and Robert Sulis Ridu give a general introduction detailing information about the speech community, language classification, language development, and the Bidayuh Language Development Project. The language classification is by location and "cultural traits," rather than by genetic affiliation. Until very recently, the Bidayuh language obtained virtually no attention. In fact, during White Rajah rule and British colonization, Dayak education in general received hardly any support and was largely in the hands of missionaries. The Borneo Literature Bureau (1959-1977) was the first organization that published Bidayuh texts other than of a liturgical nature. It also encouraged writing in Dayak languages. In 1977 it was taken over by the Sarawak branch of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the government-sponsored literacy bureau in Malaysia), which practically meant that it ceased to exist. Other positive influences on the maintenance and development of Bidayuh have been the publication of Datuk William Nais' dictionary (Nais 1988), native language broadcasting by Radio Sarawak, the performances of Bidayuh singers and recordings...

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