Language modernization needs collective effort<\/p>\n
By A. Chaedar Alwasilah<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): People living in the modern world may claim that
\nthey speak a modern language or, at least, consider it as
\nundergoing modernization.<\/p>\n
Modernization entails an ongoing process with five
\ncharacteristics: Societies become increasingly urban, the size
\nand density of the population increases, the divisions of labor
\nbecome more specialized, the knowledge base becomes more
\nspecialized and industry overshadows agriculture. Language
\nmodernization is gauged by the extent the language facilitates or
\nreflects the above five characteristics.<\/p>\n
Economically, the dramatic population increase in this country
\nhas been anticipated on the one hand with concerns and anxiety.
\nOn the other hand, this increase sociolinguistically implies an
\nincreased number of Indonesian speakers, thus contributing to the
\nincreased popularity and vitality of the language.<\/p>\n
Urbanization has been a social phenomenon in this country.
\nEmployment created by industries in cities, especially those in
\nJava, has attracted people from remote areas. Many unskilled
\nworkers leave the agricultural sectors behind come to industrial
\ncities to find an even harder life.<\/p>\n
As sociolinguists see it, the industrial workplace promotes
\nnot only the use of common language but also the contact of
\nlanguages. Workers with different native languages are bound to
\nspeak a common language, namely, Indonesian. By dint of industry
\npeople become more active and competent bilingual speakers. In
\nthe long run, however, they will prefer to use Indonesian as the
\ndominant language to the neglect of less dominant languages.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, the more industrialized a country becomes, the
\nmore likely it is to be linguistically homogeneous. This
\nhypothesis holds true when juxtaposing industrialized and
\ndeveloping countries. By way of comparison, look at the group of
\nseven (G-7) industrialized and developed countries: the United
\nStates, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Britain and Japan. They
\nall share a commonality -- relative homogeneity in terms of
\nnational culture, religion and language.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, developing countries -- most Asian and African
\ncountries -- demonstrate just the opposite -- relative
\nheterogeneity in terms of national culture, religion and
\nlanguage. We often boast with emotional pride of Indonesia as a
\nmulticultural, multireligious and multilingual archipelago, thus
\naffirming the homogeneity-heterogeneity hypothesis. Apparently,
\nthere is a correlation between the degree of multilingualism and
\nthat of modernization.<\/p>\n
Language modernization presupposes the extensive use of
\nlanguage among a population. Consequently, the more modernized
\nthe country becomes, the more likely its population becomes
\nmonolingual. The minor languages or vernaculars will
\nautomatically be sidelined, allowing the national language to be
\nthe common language of modern daily communication. Many do not
\nexpect this to happen, but that is the price of modernization and
\nindustrialization a country has to pay.<\/p>\n
Language modernization implies a collective and elaborate
\neffort to make the language an appropriate medium of
\ncommunication for modern life. As indicated above, new topics and
\nspecializations are characteristics of modernization discourse.
\nThe modern language should be expressive enough to describe these
\ntopics and specializations.<\/p>\n
Consequently, varieties of the Indonesian language come into
\nexistence, such as Indonesian for business, science, technology,
\nlaws and commercial activities, all of which are subsumed under
\nthe umbrella of Indonesian for specific purposes (ISP). ISP,
\ntherefore, is worth an autonomous study and should be given
\nemphasis in the curriculum of College Indonesian, commonly called
\nMata Kuliah Dasar Umum Bahasa Indonesia (general Indonesian
\ncourse).<\/p>\n
The orientation of modern societies toward knowledge,
\ntechnology, production and specialization of labor as elaborated
\nabove, stimulates linguistic elaboration. New knowledge and
\ntechnology demand new terms. Likewise, new professional
\norganizations demand new genres or forms of discourse. The
\npublication of standardized grammar books, general as well as
\nprofessional dictionaries (banking, accountancy, laws, education,
\netc.), manuals and professional journals is inevitable in
\nmodernizing a language.<\/p>\n
Language elaboration is often exchangeable with language
\ncultivation. The latter suggests the idea of treating matters of
\ncorrectness, efficiency, register specialization and style,
\nespecially in developed languages. Many language planners embrace
\nthe idea of language modernization as elaboration and cultivation
\nof language. The role of pembinaan (cultivation) and pengembangan
\n(development) of national languages (Indonesian and vernaculars)
\nis officially delegated to the Center for Language Cultivation
\nand Development.<\/p>\n
Discussing modernization will be incomplete without mentioning
\nthe role played by English as the world's most important
\nlanguage. English has played a significant role in modernizing
\nnot only its own country, but also the world in general.
\nNowadays, English is the major medium of scientific publications,
\npolitics, economy and trade. It is apt to hypothesize that
\nmodernizing the country implies a collective effort of the
\npopulation to acquire English. Many go even further to
\nhypothesize that mastering English is the only way to modernize
\nIndonesian language.<\/p>\n
The hypothesis suggests that modern people have a modern
\noutlook of the world and outward-looking orientation, think and
\nbehave critically and creatively, and -- basic to all the
\ncharacteristics -- use science and technology as a point of
\ndeparture in almost every aspect of life.<\/p>\n
To be modern, one has to develop a reasonable degree of modern
\nliteracy to function maximally in the industrialized society. To
\nmeet all of these challenges, one has to virtually master
\nEnglish.<\/p>\n
From the discussions above, a set of principles of language
\nmodernization and their educational implications follow.<\/p>\n
* Modernization is the transition from traditional to modern
\nprinciples of economic, political and social organization.
\nLanguage modernization then implies the attempted creativity,
\nflexibility and appropriateness of the language as a medium of
\nmodernization in the above aspects. Language, therefore,
\nundergoes changes and modifications so as to be commensurate with
\nnew developments.<\/p>\n
* Modernization is transitional, suggesting that a country
\nfalls in the continuum between what is traditional and what is
\nmodern. Likewise, a language falls in the same continuum between
\nthe two extreme stages of modernization. Modernization is made
\npossible only through education. Modernization is, as a matter of
\nfact, the management of language education.<\/p>\n
* Language reflects culture. Language modernization mirrors a
\nprocess of cultural change in three aspects -- attitude, speech
\nand behavior. Linguistic changes in language indicate superficial
\naspects of modernization. To change the attitude is most
\ndifficult of all. We may find people who are modern in speech but
\ntraditional in attitude. Language modernization is essentially
\neducating people, namely to change their attitude toward all
\nattitudinal objects in their lifetime.<\/p>\n
* Linguistically, all languages are neutral and universal in
\ncharacter. They are capable of generating infinite sentences by
\ndint of a finite set of grammatical rules. The traditional-modern
\ndichotomy is irrelevant as applied to language. It is an
\nanthropological dichotomy to describe the society. It is true
\nthat some cultures have new concepts in technology, such as
\nsupersonic jets and computers, which have no immediate equivalent
\nin primitive cultures.<\/p>\n
* Modernization is a collective effort by the whole
\npopulation. Modern and effective communication is dependent on a
\nhigh literacy rate among the population. Mass communication
\nthrough the mass media is a form of language modernization, which
\nis a matter of necessity for modernization.<\/p>\n
Everybody agrees that we are already entering the third
\nmillennium. To compete globally, we are now modernizing the
\nnation through education. The degree of modernization is
\ncommensurate with how much we invest in education.<\/p>\n
The writer is a senior lecturer at the graduate school of the
\nTeachers Training College (IKIP) in Bandung.<\/p>",
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