Bahasa Indonesia becoming feudalist<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Bahasa Indonesia, originally an egalitarian
\nlanguage, is turning into a language that is being used more and
\nmore in a feudalistic manner, according to language expert Taufiq
\nIsmail.<\/p>\n
Taufiq, a prominent man of letters, a productive writer and
\nformer student activist during President Sukarno's rule, said
\nyesterday that he sensed a feudalistic atmosphere prevailing in
\nthe country after observing the recent developments in the
\nlanguage.<\/p>\n
"There are too many euphemisms used these days," he said.<\/p>\n
Several examples he cited were the placing of the word "bapak"
\n(mister) in front of "datuk" (a more respectful term for mister,
\ntaken from the Melayu dialect).<\/p>\n
Datuk, he said, already contains the meaning "sir" and the
\nadditional term bapak is therefore unnecessary.<\/p>\n
The common term of "bung" or "saudara," both mean older
\nbrother, are no longer used and have been replaced by the more
\nrespectful term "bapak."<\/p>\n
"It's not only a matter of meaning but rather the deep sense
\nof friendliness which comes with the word bung," he said.<\/p>\n
President Sukarno, Indonesia's first president from 1945 to
\n1967, insisted on being referred to as Bung Karno, creating a
\ngreater sense of camaraderie among fellow independence fighters.
\nGolkar chairman Harmoko has tried to revive the usage of bung
\nsince his appointment to the helm of the ruling political
\norganization though the idea has not yet fully caught after
\nalmost one year of trying.<\/p>\n
Taufiq pointed out that the euphemistic use of these terms
\nindicates the user's tendency to be "over-polite" and even
\ndeceitful.<\/p>\n
Such changes in language are in fact a reflection of the way
\nthe country's culture is changing, he said.<\/p>\n
He also considered the use of slogans and phrases taken from
\nthe ancient Sanskrit language like Parasamya Purnakarya Nugraha,
\nthe award for distinguished cities, as a sign of "anti-
\nmodernization."<\/p>\n
Sanskrit language<\/p>\n
Bahasa Indonesia has roots in the Sanskrit language which
\ncomes from the region of India.<\/p>\n
"We shouldn't take words from an already defunct language when
\nwe already have numerous ethnic dialects that could enrich
\nIndonesian vocabulary," he pointed out.<\/p>\n
Taufiq felt that younger Indonesians also lacked an
\nunderstanding of Indonesian literature.<\/p>\n
The younger generation, he said, only knows men of letters by
\ntheir names and the titles of their literary works and lacks
\nknowledge of the actual content of their works.<\/p>\n
Literature, he said, should comprise a bigger part of school
\ncurriculums. Currently only one twelfth of total time spent in
\nthe subject of Bahasa Indonesia is dedicated to literature while
\nthe subject of Bahasa is only given a twentieth of the time spent
\non all subjects taught in Indonesian schools.<\/p>\n
"I think literature should actually be separated altogether
\nfrom Bahasa Indonesia to increase the students' understanding and
\nappreciation of Indonesian literature works," he stressed.(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bahasa-indonesia-becoming-feudalist-1447893297",
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