More wacky laws: Malay is national language in Indonesia
Some of the laws that get proposed, and often passed in Indonesia seem strange. The latest one to pop up, is the decision to make Malay, the national language in Indonesia. That seems strange to me, as almost everyone in Indonesia speaks Bahasa Indonesia, and a local dialect. When Ika watches a movie with Malay subtitles, she has to guess as to what they are actually saying. The government though, knows better. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Linguists slam agreement on Malay
Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia’s inking of an agreement to promote Malay as the national language with Malaysia and Brunei was a setback to efforts to foster the more advanced Indonesian, top linguists say.
The criticism comes as the government prepares a draft law on languages, forbidding officials from using foreign tongues in speeches and public places.
“I don’t understand why we had to sign such an agreement. It places Indonesian behind the Malay language, which should not happen because Indonesian is much more developed than Malay,” said Felicia Utorodewo, a linguist from the state-run University of Indonesia (UI).
The three countries signed the agreement Monday to show their commitment to promoting the use of Malay in national and international forums.
Felicia blamed the Indonesian move to join the agreement on poorly thought-out diplomatic efforts.
Another UI linguist, Ibnu Wahyudi, said Indonesian language was internationally recognized and studied in many countries overseas, while it was often misused at home.
Data from the Indonesian Language Center shows there are at least 120 Indonesian study centers in universities and colleges worldwide.
Ibnu said Indonesian was relatively easy to learn because it had a relatively simple structure derived from Malay but also accommodated many words and ideas from Arabic, Dutch and English.
“We only have to make the language simpler because simplicity is among the characteristics of an international language,” he said.
Ibnu said the main problem was the government did not control and develop the language’s usage, especially in the print media. This meant that the more regular and clearer English could easily displace it.
The lack of government monitoring results in more “Indonesianized” English, which often appears in the print media and public places, he said.
Indonesian Language Center head Dendy Sugono said the agreement was aimed mainly at strengthening the government’s commitment to revitalizing the use of Indonesian, which was historically part of the Malay language.
“In practice, we are focusing on national efforts, such as encouraging citizens to use Bahasa Indonesia,” he said.
The government would give more information to people about how use the language properly but would not punish people found to be in error, he said.
In 1995, the Soeharto government ordered citizens to pull down billboards, posters and banners using foreign languages.
Dendy said the rapid growth in the use of English, especially in Indonesian print media, was another problem.
The center finds about 2,000 new words in foreign languages used in the print media weekly.