THE RETAINABILITY OF ACEHNESE BY ITS SPEAKERS AT THE EASTERN COAST OF SERDANG BEDAGAI REGENCY

This research is on the study of the retainability of Acehnese by its speakers, particularly in the five districts at the eastern coasts of Serdang Bedagai regency. The research design used is qualitative research method which studies on the Acehnese speakers attitude on retainability of Acehnese by its speakers. The research subjects are sixty Acehnese speakers from intra and inter-marriage families, who have been living long time in the five districts. The instruments used in this research are questionnaire and interview. Questionnaire is used to find out their daily attitude in communication and to gather the data about the Acehnese speakers on retainability of their vernacular language as such what language they use in the communications and interaction with their husband or wife, their children, their brothers and sisters, their neighbors, and their colleagues. Meanwhile, interview used to find out the positive and negative attitude in obtaining more completed data, deeper, and more accurately about attitudes which carry both positive influences and also negative ones, which affect to the retainability of Acehnese language. The intra-marriage family, the attitudes towards the Acehnese language, and the domains are the factors which enhance the language retainability. The dominant factors are the intra-marriage family, their positive attitudes towards their vernacular language and their domains are very possibly to maintain Acehnese language.