Foreign words in Indonesian language
Foreign words in Indonesian language
Having read some opinions in the "Your Letters" section of The
Jakarta Post recently on the use of Sanskrit, Malay or any other
foreign and domestic languages, I would like to give my comments.
Bahasa Indonesia is not a stagnant language, it is a dynamic
one. It is still developing and enriching the vocabulary through
the absorption of other languages. That is why it is not
surprising when we find words that are borrowed from foreign
languages, especially those concerning technical terms.
I read with interest Mochtar Buchori's article entitled Is it
terms of expression or performance that counts? (The Jakarta
Post, June 14, 1995). I can understand that the use of Javanese
in the Indonesian language is excessive. Don't blame the people
for that. The experts in the Center for Development of Bahasa
Indonesia should do something about it. Also, we are all aware
that most powerful figures in the government are Javanese. And
there are many ethnic groups in Indonesia, but the motto: Binneka
Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), of which I am proud, has united
the whole nation.
Respectful of others' opinions, I also would like to make some
suggestions.
* Do not check the influx of foreign languages into Indonesian
because the language is still developing and the other languages
are needed to enrich its vocabulary.
* The use of foreign languages should not be banned. We are no
longer concerned only with ethnical and regional communities but
we now belong to the international community, and we don't want
to be called "an isolated state."
* Using Indonesian words as a substitute for foreign
expressions is sometimes inappropriate, simply because we don't
have the exact equivalent in Indonesian for the foreign
terminologies. For example, "toll roads" (Jalan tol?),
"interchanges" (jalan melingkar?), "computer" (komputer?). Shall
we consider this: "What is in a name? That which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet." These Shakespearean
words suggest that names are not important. What is important is
the nature and character of the thing itself. However, this is
not always true, especially when it comes to a name of a well-
known product. It can even be dangerous.
A. BAIHAQI
Kediri, East Java