'Coarse' language concerns Surabayans<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Totok Mulyanto was shocked when he listened to a television
\nprogram his 16-year-old son Hatmoko was watching on East Java
\nprivate television station JTV.<\/p>\n
The racy tabloid news show, which has presenters who speak in
\na gritty local Javanese dialect, annoyed the 45-year-old father,
\nmore so when the news presenter described a rape incident as
\n\"arek wedok iku diencuk koncone dewe (the girl was 'f---cked' by
\nher male friend).\"<\/p>\n
The station managers have said they chose to use the local
\ndialect and eschew a more formal language to attract viewers.<\/p>\n
Totok said while this program used local speech, he felt its
\nuse was inappropriate to Surabayan culture.<\/p>\n
Zainal, another Surabaya resident, is also uneasy with the
\nlocal television programs, which he says often use coarse
\nlanguage. \"The language reflects people's attitudes. If the
\ntelevision continuously runs these programs, I am worried that in
\ngeneral people will perceive that East Javan people are coarse
\nand not civilized,\" said Zainal, adding that he was concerned the
\nlanguage and attitudes would affect children.<\/p>\n
Zaenal and Totok are not alone in their views. There has been
\na public outcry before about two other programs Kampong Corner
\nand Case Corner, broadcast by JTV during the past two years.<\/p>\n
These tabloid shows are similar to news shows on other private
\nand state television stations, except in terms of their language.<\/p>\n
Unlike the others the two use the local East Javan dialect
\nknown as Suroboyoan.<\/p>\n
Suroboyoan is a form of Javanese but it is more direct and
\nconsidered by many, especially those outside East Java, to sound
\na little coarse.<\/p>\n
\"We accept the use of Suroboyoan. However, the kind that is
\nbeing used in TV programs is much more coarse,\" Totok said.<\/p>\n
And it is not only the public who are displeased -- the
\nSurabaya Broadcasting Commission has also questioned the use of
\nthe language in JTV's programs.<\/p>\n
Ida Nurwana, the head of commission's advocacy section, called
\nthe language \"unwise\".<\/p>\n
\"We want JTV to improve (the quality of) its language,\" Ida
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
However, Nanang Purwono, the producer of Kampong Corner,
\nrejected allegations the programs were using impolite language.
\nThe language had been in use for years among poorer people, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We merely use a language that is commonly used by the public
\nin East Java. We are afraid that if we do not continue to
\nbroadcast it, then the language will vanish. We want to preserve
\nour local culture,\" Nanang said.<\/p>\n
JTV executive news producer Abdul Muis Masduki said the
\nnetwork was equally concerned about the use of language -- the
\nincreasing lack of linguistic diversity in Indonesia as people
\nswitched from their traditional dialects to ones considered more
\npolite.<\/p>\n
\"We are concerned that more and more people are using Bahasa
\nIndonesia and Mataram Javanese (commonly used by Yogyakartans),
\ninstead of Suroboyoan, and they seem to be forgetting their
\nmother tongue,\" Masduki said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coarse-language-concerns-surabayans-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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