Language strategies on digital platforms for promoting Hakka revitalization in Thailand

Abstract

In the 21st century, it is undeniable that digital technology is very advanced and essential in daily life. Therefore, online platforms or virtual activities are necessary for learning, especially for those who have to work or study from home. The Hakka language inheritance group for one are not give up promoting Hakka language revitalization. They are continuing to learn and teach Hakka vocabularies, conversations, and story- telling bilingually (Hakka-Thai) via several digital platforms. The main goal of this group is to disseminate Hakka language and to increase the number of Hakka speakers in Thailand. The objective of this paper is to present a variety of Hakka language strategies that are available on social media platforms. The author has collected data from participatory and non-participatory observations, the content of which was sourced from numerous digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Line. It is very noteworthy that there is such a large group of Hakka descendants interested in reviving the Hakka language. They have started making video clips with Hakka words that are still remembered from their childhood but not used since. The results show that the most view of YouTube channel is the clip video about “Yok Hua restaurant’s food” (3,247 views). Like the Facebook page ‘Siamlo kakka ngin’, there are a lot of comments and shares when posting about food. This may reflect the fact that food is more relevant to daily life than other issues.