Indonesian Language, a Bridge over Differences

The diversity of regional languages, ethnic groups and cultures has made the Indonesian language even more important. On the other hand, serious efforts should be made to prevent regional tongues from vanishing.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Video mapping titled "Hi Indonesian Youth" is projected on the front of the Jakarta Cathedral in the commemoration of Youth Pledge Day on Saturday (26/10/2019). The activity involving young people was to take place until Monday (28/10/2019) with the theme "In the Spirit of the Youth Pledge and the Practice of Pancasila We Knit Unity in Indonesian Diversity".

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Indonesian language is like a bridge over the differences resulting from the plurality of ethnicities, religions and cultures in Nusantara (the Indonesian archipelago). Its position is becoming increasingly stronger as the lingua franca in the country of more than 17,000 islands. Its solid position has readily further enhanced a sense of nationality.

The archipelago is believed to have had its first lingua franca status in the 7th century under the Sriwijaya Kingdom in the form of Malay. The Indonesian Youth Congress II on 28 October 1928 proclaimed Malay the Indonesian national language. Since then the sense of Indonesian nationality has been deeply nurtured in the hearts of youths.

Up to the present, the Language and Literature Development Agency of the Education and Culture Ministry has mapped out regional languages in Indonesia. It found that Indonesia has 718 regional languages. Papua and West Papua are the provinces with the largest number of regional tongues, totaling 428.

The high diversity of regional languages in one zone makes the position of the Indonesian language as a lingua franca very important. “It’s like in Papua, Indonesian has become a lingua franca, also in Maluku’s remote part,” said Dadang Sunendar, head of the Language and Literature Development Agency, in Jakarta on Thursday (24 October 2019).

Alor Island, one of the islands in the Alor regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is estimated to have 30 regional languages.

Based on the map charted by the agency, besides those in Papua and West Papua, 17 regional languages are found in Maluku, 72 in East Nusa Tenggara, 62 on Sulawesi, 58 in Kalimantan, 26 on Sumatra, 11 in West Nusa Tenggara and 10 on Java and Bali.

The role of Indonesian as a shared language of communication is felt in regions with various local tongues. Alor Island, one of the islands in the Alor regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is estimated to have 30 regional languages.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

Lulut Edi Santoso, 54, displays a collection of his manuscripts at the Malang City Library, East Java, Thursday (19/9/2019).

Unimaginable

Nis Atamai, 31, a resident of Kalabahi city on the island, cannot image how his life would be without the Indonesian language. The Indonesian language and literature graduate from Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, described the unique composition of local tongues in his home village, Manetwati, Northern Central Alor district.

The village is around 40 kilometers from Kalabahi, the capital of the regency. Anis and his fellow villagers speak Abui, but there’s a neighborhood administration unit (RW) in the village where residents speak Kamang. One of the Kamang speakers is Antoneta Famani, 29, his own wife.

“We don’t speak each other’s language so that the only way of communication is by speaking Indonesian,” said Anis.

He also noted the vital role of the Indonesian language spoken in Kupang, the capital of NTT province, a meeting place of a lot more people speaking their respective mother tongues.

Dominggus Kabnani, who lives in Kupang, said he feels how Indonesian (locally called Kupang Malay) has enabled his children to interact with their friends of other NTT ethnic groups. He comes from South Amanatun, Southern Central Timor regency.

We don’t speak each other’s language so that the only way of communication is by speaking Indonesian

“The Kupang population originates in many ethnicities and regions. Without Indonesian, my children would surely have difficulty in talking to neighboring kids,” said Dominggus, a civil servant in Kupang.

Simon Sabon Ola, a professor of Indonesian linguistics at Nusa Cendana University, said the Indonesian language had unified NTT people. The statement is appropriate. The fact is that, according to Simon, the NTT region covers no less than 500 islands, which accommodate many ethnic groups and languages.

“Let alone different districts, even living on different roads can make us speak dissimilar languages,” said Simon, illustrating the diverse regional tongues in NTT.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Blind students from SLB Yaketunis school for the disabled read books written in braille in the Braille Room of the Grhatama Pustaka Library, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (8/10/2019). Activities involving students with visual impairments are held routinely to enable them to comfortably access information from the library.

The regional language plurality is also a feature of South Sulawesi. Makassar, its capital, is a meeting point of at least four dominant local tongues, which are Bugis, Makassar, Mandar and Toraja. To make communication easier, they speak Indonesian.

The road covered by Indonesian on its way to become a daily language unifying various speakers of mother tongues has been a very long one. A language observer from Maritim Raja Ali Haji University (Umrah) Tanjung Pinang, Haji Abdul Malik, took note that Ki Hajar Dewantara had proposed the Malay language as the Indonesian unifying language at the Colonial Teaching Congress in The Hague, Netherlands, on 28 August 1916.

The term “bahasa Indonesia” (Indonesian language) was coined by M. Tabrani at the Indonesian Youth Congress I on 2 May 1926. Meanwhile, M. Yamin persistently used the term “bahasa Melayu” (Malay language). The forum approved Tabrani’s proposal. The confirmation of “bahasa Indonesia” was made at the Indonesian Youth Congress II on 28 October 1928.

Read more : Respecting the Indonesian Language

Abdul Malik said Malay as the basis of Indonesian had been spoken as the official language of Sriwijaya Kingdom from the 7th to the 14th century. “The lingua franca of Sriwijaya Kingdom was (old) Malay,” he added.

The form of Malay that was later proclaimed the Indonesian language was Higher Malay, developed by linguists in the Riau-Lingga Kingdom. One of the most famous figures was Raja Ali Haji (1808-1873). He wrote Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (Language Knowledge Book) in 1851, which served as the foundation of the Indonesian language.