language maintenance in sinargunung

8/9/2019 LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE IN SINARGUNUNG

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study

Language maintenance has become a concern among Simalungunese

families in big cities in Indonesia because children do not maintain their heritage

language. As with other ethnic minorities in Sinargunung which is a small village

located in Deli Serdang Kec. Labuhan Deli near Medan, Simalungunese families

in Sinargunung encounter situations when home language usage diminishes as

their children begin schooling. Heritage language maintenance has become a

significant matter to Simalungunese families. When heritage language is not

maintained, it can eventuall become lost.

!his stud is mostl concerned with heritage language maintenance.

"ishman #$%&&' e()lained this as *efforts of minorit cultural grou)s to maintain

and develo) their )articular heritages as vibrant lifewas+ #). $'. Without

maintenance, these lifewas are not given a chance to full develo). With this inmind, this stud sought to gain a better understanding of what families face and

the challenges )osed b heritage language maintenance.

!his stud identified Simalungunese )arents who reside in Sinargunung

and e()lored their attitudes toward maintaining their children-s heritage language.

!he stud further investigated issues andor difficulties )arents might e()erience

in order to maintain heritage language.

1. The Sco!e of the Study

!his stud has s)ecific intention to e(amine the /arents- Attitudes !oward

!heir Simalungunese Language Maintenance in Sinargunung. Since the stud

e()lored ten )arents from all simalungunese families in Sinargunung, the findings

are limited to the small sam)le si0e.

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1." The Pro#$e% of the Study

!he )roblem of this stud is formulated as the following1

$. What are Simalungunese )arents- attitudes towards heritage language

maintenance for their children in Sinargunung2

. What efforts do Simalungunese )arents ma3e in order to maintain their

heritage language in Sinargunung2

4. What issues and difficulties do Simalungunese )arents encounter in attem)ting

to maintain their heritage language in Sinargunung2

1.& the O#'ect()e of the Study

!he ob5ectives of this stud are1

$. !o e()lore Simalungunese )arents- attitudes towards heritage language

maintenance for their children in Sinargunung

. !o e()lore the efforts of Simalungunese )arents ma3e in order to maintain

their heritage language in Sinargunung

4. !o e()lore the issues and difficulties Simalungunese )arents encounter in

attem)ting to maintain their heritage language in Sinargunung

1.* The S(gn(f(cance of the Study

After com)leting this stud, the writer ho)es that this mini research would

be useful to the readers who are interested in studing language maintenance. !he

result is ho)ed to be useful also to other researchers who want to do more in6de)th

research to develo) language maintenance. It is e()ected that the findings of the

stud would motivate or encourage the readers to do heritage language

maintenance in their families.

CHAPTER II

RE+IE, O- REATED ITERATURE

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considered heritage s)ea3ers under this definition. Some heritage s)ea3ers ma be

highl )roficient in the language, )ossessing severalregisters,while other heritage

s)ea3ers ma be able to understand the language but not )roduce it. =ther

individuals that sim)l have a cultural connection with a minorit language but do

not s)ea3 it ma consider it to be their heritage language.

Among linguists, heritage language is an end6state language that is defined

based on the tem)oral order of ac>uisition and language dominance in the

individual. A heritage s)ea3er ac>uires the heritage language as their first

languagethrough natural in)ut in the home environment and ac>uires the ma5orit

language as asecond language,usuall when shehe starts school. As e()osure to

the heritage language decreases and e()osure to the ma5orit language increases,

the ma5orit language becomes the individual-s dominant language and

ac>uisition of the heritage language changes. !he results of these changes can be

seen in divergence of the heritage language from monolingual norms in the areas

of )honolog, le(ical 3nowledge, mor)holog, and snta(.

.& anguage /a(ntenance

7atibo-s #


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unit and diversit, both )ro(imit and distance+. "ishman advocates integration

rather than assimilation. !his )ers)ective is reflected in *unit and diversit,

)ro(imit and distance+.

Language maintenance begin mostl at the level of the minorit famil as a

building bloc3 of the minorit communit. !he famil unit and the minorit

communit as a whole are constantl under e(treme )ressures from the dominant

language and culture, as "ishman argues1

@on6nglish languages and non6core cultures are considered

maintainable and reinforceable )rimaril within the s)heres of BC

ethnic famil life, of the self6defined BC ethnic communit C

#"ishman, $%&& in $%?1'.

As long as minorit communities e(ist, the issue of language maintenance will

)ersist because it is a reflection on the communit-s desire to hel) maintain its

overall identit #"ishmanE $%&& in $%?1'. !his desire to maintain one-s identit

need not be in conflict with other language#s' and culture#s' )resent in societ, if

anthing, it is a )ositive ste) to consider biculturalism through bilingualism awa

from an )erceived social as well as )olitical correctness. "ishman #$%&& in

$%?1?' is of the view that1

Language maintenance itself must be reinforced so that it can more

successfull aid in attaining the goal of cultural bilingualism. Here

too man old taboos must be discarded if language maintenance is

to be seriousl )ursued.

!he use and maintenance of a language is usuall determined b factors such as

status, degree of institutional su))ort and demogra)hic strength of an ethno6linguistic minorit grou). !he will of the grou) to either hold on to their language

or to ado)t another one, in addition to a))ro)riate socio6economic and )olitical

factors, determines the )osition of the language. In almost all cases, it is the

linguistic grou) which )resses ahead and claims its linguistic rights

.* S(%a$ungune0e

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htt)1en.wi3i)edia.orgwi3iSimalungunF)eo)le e()lains that

Simalungun, or 7ata3 Simalungun is an Austronesian languageof Sumatra. It is

s)o3en mainl in Simalungun Gegencand /ematang Siantar,@orth Sumatra,

Indonesia. !he Simalungun )eo)le are an ethnic grou) in @orth Sumatra,

considered one of the 7ata3 )eo)les. Simalungun )eo)le live mostl in

Simalungun Gegencand the surrounding areas, including the cit of /ematang

Siantar, an autonomous cit, but )reviousl )art of Simalungun Gegenc. !he

Simalungun live in the ;astern 7ata3; lands, bordering the lands of the 7ata3

!obato the south and west, and the 7ata3 Karoto the north. !he Simalungun are

considered to have more in common with their Karo than !oba neighbours, both

grou)s having migrated from !oba and /a3)a3 in order to )artici)ate in trade.

!he Simalungun languageis s)o3en b man Simalungun )eo)le, in

addition to Indonesian. Simalungun )eo)le belong to one of four marga #clans'.

ach marga has sub6marga, although individuals ma choose to identif )rimaril

b their marga, rather than submarga, in order to em)hasise common 3inshi). !he

four marga are1 Saragih, Damani3, /urba, Sinaga.

6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austronesian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austronesian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_Regencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_Regencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_(Indonesia)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_Regencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_Toba_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_Toba_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_Toba_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karo_(people)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austronesian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_Regencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sumatrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_(Indonesia)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_Regencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pematang_Siantarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_Toba_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_Toba_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karo_(people)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simalungun_language


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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH /ETHOD

!he )rimar goal of this stud was to investigate Simalungunese )arents-

attitudes in Sinargunung toward heritage language maintenance for their children.

!he stud also e()lored )arents- )ractices used to nurture their children-s heritage

language maintenance. Additionall, difficulties associated with heritage language

maintenance, both at home and in communit settings, were e(amined.

".1. Re0earch De0(gn

!he stud too3 a case stud a))roach, utili0ing >ualitative research

methods. Semi6structured, face6to6face interviews and observations were utili0ed

to reach triangulation, which enhances trustworthiness #"raen3el et al., uestions above.

!he stud was conducted in Sinargunung, a small village in Deli Serdang Kec.

Labuhan Deli. It-s ver close to KIM Medan. Most of the residents are

Simalungunese with a))ro(imatel more than $


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". Po!u$at(on and Sa%!$e

..$ !he /o)ulation

!he )o)ulation of this stud was all the Simalungunese families in

Sinargunung village, located in Labuhan Deli, Deli Serdang in @orth

Sumatera. !here are about 4uestions when needed #Johen Jrabtree,


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maintenance, )arents- efforts, and difficulties in Simalungun language

maintenance.

!he recorded interview and observation data were read over several timesin order to identif 3e ideas, to)ics, )atterns, or themes within the research

>uestions. merging categories were created from the collected data. !he

researcher also triangulated the findings to find common and divergent elements.

Several tables were created to identif the most im)ortant information.

Ge)resentative e(am)les from the interview and observation data were transcribed

and translated into nglish b the researcher to su))ort the ma5or findings.

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CHAPTER I+

THE DATA AND DATA ANA3SIS

In this stud, a total of five Simalungunese families who live in

Sinargununung were identified. All ten )arents, five fathers and five mothers, with

children whose ages ranged from $: to : ears. Later, the researcher visited their

homes twice to observe famil language interaction between the )arent6

)artici)ants and their children. !he interviews and observations too3 )lace over a

)eriod of one wee3, from Ma nd until Ma th, uestions directl, under the four )re6established deductive categories1 home

language use, )arental attitudes towards Simalungun language maintenance,

)arents- efforts, and difficulties in Simalungun maintenance. Direct >uotes of

)artici)ants and their children are offered to su))ort the findings. In addition,

several tables were created to organi0e the most im)ortant information.

Ho%e $anguage u0e.

All )artici)ants identified Simalungun as their first language1 it is the language

the were born into and use to communicate with their famil members, including

their s)ouses and children. All )artici)ants identified 7ahasa Indonesia as other

language spoken. All of the )artici)ants have good listening, s)ea3ing, reading

and writing in 7ahasa Indonesia. /artici)ants- selfrated 7ahasa Indonesia

)roficienc is )resent in !able $.

Ta#$e 1.

/artici)ants S)ea3ing Listening Writing Geading

Mr. . Saragih 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mrs. . Saragih 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mr. G. Saragih 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mrs. G. Saragih 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

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Mr. . /urba 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mrs. . /urba 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mr. D. /urba 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mrs. D. /urba 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

Mr. K. Damani3 8ood 8ood 8ood 8oodMrs. K. Damani3 8ood 8ood 8ood 8ood

/arents were as3ed a >uestion regarding their children-s first language as

well. all )arents identified Simalungun as their children-s first language. !he

stated that their children have been using Simalungun since birth, and the use

Simalungun when tal3ing to )arents and other famil members.

/arents )rovided more information on their children-s other s)o3enlanguages as well. According to all )arents their children can s)ea3 7ahasa

Indonesia ver well. venthough the s)ea3 Simalungun at home but all children

can communicate in 7ahasa Indonesia ver well since at school the stud in

7ahasa Indonesia. /arents- ratings on their children-s s)o3en language#s'

)roficienc is )rovided in !able .

Ta#$e .

Parent04 Rat(ng0 on the(r Ch($dren40 S!oken anguage506 Prof(c(ency

-a%($y Ch($d -(r0t $anguage Other $anguage

5!rof(c(ency6

. Saragih-s famil Golinta Saragih

Hotmar Saragih

/arulian Saragih

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'G.Saragih-s famil Indi Saragih

!resia Saragih

Dani Saragih

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

. /urba-s famil Jhristina /urba Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

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Dina /urba

Gi3o /urba

!resia /urba

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

D./urba-s famil ita /urba

Hari Angga /urba

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

K.Damani3-s

famil

Moor Damani3

=dit Damani3

Simalungun

#fluent'

Simalungun

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

7ahasa Indonesia

#fluent'

All )arents said the s)ea3 onl Simalungun at home to each other and their

children. =n some occasion sometimes their children s)ea3 7ahasa Indonesia

once each other but ver rarel.

Ta#$e "Parent0 anguage U0e at Ho%e

Parent0 To 0!ou0e To o$de0t

ch($d

To %(dd$e

ch($d

To younge0t

ch($d

Mr. . Saragih Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mrs.. Saragih Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mr.G. Saragih Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mrs.G.Saragih Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mr. . /urba Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mrs. . /urba Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun SimalungunMr. D. /urba Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mrs. D. /urba Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mr.K.Damani3 Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Mrs.K.Damani

3

Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun Simalungun

Ta#$e &

Ch($dren anguage U0e at Ho%e

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Ch($dren To father To %other To o$de0t

0(#$(ng

To o$der

0(#$(ng

To younge0t

0(#$(ng

Galinta

Saragih

Simalungu

n

simalungun 6 6 Simalungun

Hotmar

Saragih

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6 Simalungun

/arulian

Saragih

Simalungu

n

simalungun Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6

Indi Saragih Simalungu

n


!hresia

Saragih

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6 Simalungun

Dani Saragih Simalungu

n


n

Simalungu

n

Simalungun

Jhristina

/urba

Simalungu

n


Dina /urba Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6 Simalungun

Gi3o /urba Simalungu

n


n

Simalungu

n

Simalungun

!hresia /urba Simalungu

n


n

Simalungu

n

6

ita /urba Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6 6 Simalungun

Hari Angga

/urba

Simalungu

n


n

6 6

Moor

Damani3

Simalungu

n

simalungun 6 6 simalungun

=dit Damani3 Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

Simalungu

n

6 6

Parenta$ Att(tude0 To7ard S(%a$ungun anguage /a(ntenance.

!o learn the )arents- attitudes towards their children-s Simalungunese

maintenance, three >uestions were as3ed1 #a' how is our children-s maintaining

Simalungunese im)ortant to ou2 #b' do ou encourage our children to s)ea3

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Simalungunese at home2 #c' what )roficienc level do ou want our children to

achieve2 "indings are arranged following each >uestion.

Ho7 (0 your ch($d5ren640 %a(nta(n(ng 8orean (%!ortant to you9

All the )arents in those families showed ver )ositive attitudes towards

their children-s Simalungun language maintenance. All of the )arents all were

born and grow u) in Sinargunung, the want to ma3e sure that their children learn

Simalungunese before starting school. Mr. . Saragih for e(am)le showed his

concern at that time that all his children should learn nglish right awa before

the 5oined the school. It was ver im)ortant to Mr. and Mrs. . Saragih that all of

their children 3new their first language ver well before starting school. Mr. .

Saragih e()lained1 :mambotoh janah malo marsahap Simalungun ai penting.

Halani niombahku aima halak Simalungun. Sidea musti malo marsahap

Simalungun hasi pe sidea tading i lingkungan mayoritas halak Melayu, Jawa

ampakon suku na lega. Sidea musti boi pataridahkon bahwa dirina ai ma halak

Simalungun.

(to be a good at Simalungun language is very important. Because my childre are

Simalungunese. They must know how to speak Simalungun although they live

among the community which is Malay, Javanese and many other tribes become

the majority. They must be able to show to others that they are Simalungun

people

Mr. and Mrs. G. Saragih also rated Simalungunese maintenance as

*e(tremel im)ortant.+ Mr. Saragih em)hasi0ed the im)ortance of )reserving

Simalungunese identit for his children1 Ibotoh marsahap simalugun penting

tumang. Halani sidea aima halak Simalungun, jadi sidea lang boi melupahon

asal mula ni sidea. Na paduahon, sidea musti mampu marsahap ampakon

ompung ni sedea ampakon dihadiha na i huta hasipe sidea doma tading i

Sinargunung on. Malo marsahap Simalungun boi gabe sada kebanggaan bani

sidea, janah pailahon ma anggo sidea lang mambotoh bahasa daerah ni.

Simalungun tapi lang ibotoh bahasa ni .

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Part(c(!ant04 An07er0 to the Three /a(n ;ue0t(on0 (n Parent04 Att(tude0

ue

0t(o

n0

/r.uentl made

Galinta Saragih famous for her Simalungunese 3nowledge and s)ea3ing abilit. In

addition, Mrs. . Saragih )ointed out that Galinta alwas has been interested in

different languages, including Simalungunese and bahasa Indonesia, Karonese,

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wh she seemed to have some concern, Mrs. . /urba said she has some doubts

because as her children grow, the would s)end more time interacting with other

)eo)le s)ea3ing different languages.

All )artici)ants, in fact, stated that their small village Sinargunung with small

Simalungunese )o)ulation and communit su))ort that would benefit their

children-s heritage language learning and maintenance

CHAPTER +CONCUSIONS AND SU==ESTIONS

*.1. CONCUSIONS

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$. It is suggested for the readers who are interested in learning language

maintenance to do more in de)th research.

. It is suggested for the readers to es)eciall )arents to teach or to s)ea3 in their

own local language to do maintain their local language in their own famil.

A!!end(> I.

Inter)(e7 ;ue0t(on0

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De%ogra!h(c Infor%at(on

$. What is our age2

a. $9 R ears old

b. :64 ears old

c. 4:6 ears old

d. :6: ears old

e. ::6& ears old

f. &:6? ears old

g. ?: ears or older

. What is our marital status2

4. What is the highest degree or level of school ou have com)leted2. What do ou do2 #em)loment status'

:. Where were ou born2

&. When did ou come to Sinargunung

?. How man child#ren' do ou have2

9. Where were our child#ren' born2

%. What schools do our child#ren' attend2

$


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4. Do ou encourage our child#ren' to s)ea3 Simalungunese at home2

. How is our child#ren' maintaining home language im)ortant to ou2 /lease

rate in the

following manner1 (tremel im)ortant6im)ortant6somewhat im)ortant6not

im)ortant at all. /lease tell me wh ou thin3 so.

:. What benefits do ou see for our child in maintaining Simalungunese2

&. What )roficienc do ou wish for our child#ren' to achieve in

Simalungunese2

Endea)or0 to %a(nta(n S(%a$ungune0e ,(0he0?O!!ortun(t(e0 to $earn

S(%a$ungune0e

?. #If )artici)ant sa their child#ren' s)ea3 Simalungunese' How did ourchild#ren' learn Simalungunese2

9. How are our child#ren' maintaining Simalungunese #in s)ea3ing, listening,

reading, writing'2

%. What are other Simalungunese maintaining activities that our children do at

home to maintain Simalungunese2

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A!!end(> II.

(0t of Infor%ant0

$. @ame 1 Mr. . Saragih

Age 1 :: ears

=ccu)ation 1 farmers

Address 1 l. /adat /adat Kara, Desa sinargunung. Kec. Labuhan

Deli, Kab. Deli Serdang.

. @ame 1 Mrs. . SaragihAge 1 :4 ears




4. @ame 1 Mr. G. Saragih

Age 1 : ears




. @ame 1 Mrs. G. Saragih

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Age 1 < ears




:. @ame 1 Mrs. . /urba

Age 1 :: ears




&. @ame 1 Mrs. . /urba

Age 1 < ears

=ccu)ation 1 officer


Deli, Kab. Deli Serdang.?. @ame 1 Mrs. D. /urba

Age 1 :< ears

=ccu)ation 1 farmer



9. @ame 1 Mrs. D. Daud

Age 1 9 ears



Deli, Kab. Deli Serdang.%. @ame 1 Mrs. K. Damani3

Age 1 % ears

=ccu)ation 1 state officer



$

language maintenance in sinargunung

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