Indonesian English? No way!

Indonesian English? No way!

'Local English' anyone? by Dr. Simon Marcus Gower, published
in The Jakarta Post on Aug. 4, 2001 is enlightening, in that it
points to the need for an internationally recognized standard of
English, rather than a regional, unusual and therefore
marginalized form of the language.

The question is whether or not the so-called Indonesian
English has the right to exist. To answer this question, we have
to see how the different kinds of English have been given their
regional or ethnic labels.

A language is a medium of communication and an instrument with
which man realizes his existence and his surroundings. Our notion
of our surroundings will be expressed in language. Language has
its own rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are
borne out of a common agreement among the language's users.

Grammar is only the formalization of these rules and
regulations. It is safe to say that grammar follows what becomes
habitual among language users. It is unlikely that a grammarian
creates a particular linguistic regulation and then asks the
language users to use it. The most he can do is to publicly
introduce the concept and wait to see whether or not it will gain
public acceptance. Once the concept is publicly accepted, it will
be incorporated into the grammar of the language as a new grammar
rule.

The question of whether Indonesian English exists or whether
it has the right to exist at all relates to who uses this
language. In Singapore, English is used by Singaporeans as a
medium of communication. In India, it is also used by Indians as
a medium of communication. The same goes for Philippines English,
South African English or many other kinds of English on the
globe.

While there is a set of standard rules for English, in the
countries where English is used as a medium of communication --
for writing and speaking purposes -- certain changes peculiar to
these places have been introduced and by general consent among
the language users, these changes have become the unique feature
of their varieties of English.

If this is the case, there is nothing wrong for Singaporeans
to call their English Singaporean English or for Indians to call
theirs Indian English. English has become part and parcel of
their lives; it has become a medium with which they are aware of
their surroundings.

Naturally, if there are changes -- and these changes are
peculiar to these people -- the only thing to do is to accept
these changes as part of the growth of the English used in these
particular places as a medium of communication or as a lingua
franca.

In the case of Indonesia, however, Indonesians must wait until
English is used as a lingua franca. There will be no Indonesian
English until then. What is urgently needed, however, is to
ensure that our English teachers have the necessary
qualifications, rather than campaigning for the establishment of
so-called Indonesian English, a term which will be used only as
an excuse for incompetence in English.

LIE HUA

Jakarta