Where Language Ends, Ethnic Identity Begins: Understanding Cultural Identity in Borneo

How Language and Context Shape Ethnic Identity in Borneo’s Complex Cultural Landscape.

The Kenyah of East Kalimantan.

Identity is never static.

It shifts, folds, and stretches depending on context. “Ethnicity, race, tribe, cultural unit”—these are the categories we often rely on to make sense of the world. Yet for linguists, particularly those working in regions as complex as Borneo, these labels often raise more questions than they answer.

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