Jakarta yuppies' lingo keeps them in an exclusive world
Jakarta yuppies' lingo keeps them in an exclusive world
JAKARTA (JP): If you relax in a cafe or the other places
frequented by yuppies, you might occasionally catch fragments of
conversations in a strange language. It is quite dissimilar to
foreign languages like English, French, German or Japanese, the
languages we sometimes hear in the course of our daily lives in
Indonesia.
One example of this strange language is Ina pina kina binar?,
which means Apa kabar? (How are you?). Another is Titi DJ, the
name of a popular singer, which means hati-hati di jalan (take
care).
Young professionals call it bahasa gaul (colloquial social
language). It has a vocabulary that is not found in the
dictionary. Yuppies use it only during their social encounters.
Those unfamiliar with such encounters will have difficulty in
understanding the language.
"I use this language after office hours. That is an unwritten
agreement. In the office, especially in meetings led by the boss,
we use formal Indonesian," said Budi Wahyudi, a marketing
executive at PT Terang Kita Kabel.
Budi, who is also called Bobo, said that there are many kinds
of colloquial language. He learned one, known as prokem, when he
was at high school many years ago. Then, another group of his
associates created bahasa gaul by inserting in to the middle of
words. Bahasa gaul is also called bahasa binan. Binan itself is
the colloquial word for banci, the Indonesian word for
transsexual, who widely speak the language.
Before using bahasa binan, Bobo often practiced a colloquial
language called bahasa walian. This type of speech was initially
used by young people from Malang in East Java. Walian comes from
walik meaning turned or reversed. Thus words are reversed. Malu
(shy) becomes ulam, motor becomes rotom, and so on.
In the late 1970s the youth of Jakarta spoke a colloquial
language known as prokem. The trend had a strong following
because the language was also used by movie idols like Rano Karno
and Junaedi Salat (Ali Topan Anak Jalanan, Ali Topan the Street
Child). Sys N.S., currently chairman of the Indonesian Film
Actors Association, was among those who used prokem in everyday
life. Prokem terms still widely known today are boil for mobil
(car), bokap for father, nyokap for mother and si doi for
girlfriend or boyfriend.
Apparently the use of colloquial language is expanding into
various professional circles such as the hotel industry,
entertainment, banking and industry. It is already certain that
such language is highly popular in the film-producing world.
"At any shooting location, nearly all those involved in
production use bahasa binan. Actors and actresses use this
language every day," said Indah Gita Cahyani, an actor who has
just started an import-export business. Indah admits that she
even uses the language with her mother, "to be close to each
other. At least then my mother will know about the youth of
today."
Indra Safera, a popular master of ceremonies, noted that
nearly all young professionals use bahasa gaul, from those who
openly speak the language down to those who use it hesitatingly
because of their limited vocabulary.
The use of bahasa gaul is not limited to young professionals
living in the capital city. Edwan Handoko and Dina R. Zahra, who
worked in Singapore for many years, said that quite a few
expatriated young Indonesians use bahasa gaul there. Young
Indonesians in the United States do the same, according to Indra
Safera. The Indonesian community in Australia is also known to be
fond of this colloquial language.
The interesting thing is that we may hear several kinds of
bahasa gaul at any gathering. Edwan, a sales executive for Crowne
Plaza Hotel Resort, and Dina from Sedona Hotel, speak two
distinctly different colloquial languages despite both working in
the same field.
But why do yuppies use bahasa gaul?
"There are several reasons. In using bahasa gaul one can be
easily accepted into a more exclusive group. Besides, it is to
avoid hurting people we are talking about or simply because we
want to keep our conversation confidential," said Bobo.
Bahasa gaul is easy to master, provided one mixes socially and
practices frequently. The process of learning starts with
developing an understanding what is being spoken, followed by
attempts to pronounce the words, then finally getting used to
stringing them into sentences.
Indah often intersperses her words with in, Dina resorts to
and while Edwan uses both iden and spur for his bahasa gaul. When
this information is known, it is easy to work out that meiden
nuspur means menu. But how about tinta or tintring, which means
tidak (no), Malaysia for malas (lazy) and Chrisye for kiri
(left)?
It is said that such languages have no formula. They even give
the impression of perfunctoriness.
"People wanting to master a bahasa gaul must meet other people
socially on a regular basis because there is a continuous
formation of new words. Hearing the words frequently will lead to
an understanding of their meaning," said Bobo.
Jos Danien Parera, a linguist, said that there are about 20
colloquial languages spoken by youngsters throughout Indonesia.
Today's yuppies, like the youngsters of the 1970s, speak
colloquial languages to show their identity. The way they speak
is just like the way they dress and look.
Parera said that yuppies might stop speaking the language
after about six months, when they get bored or find a new way to
show who they are.
The case is different with drug traffickers or people who
speak it as a secret language in earnest.
Parera said that young people also create their own languages
a reaction against the establishment.
"They are not satisfied with the daily situation in life, but
the reaction against the establishment will not last long because
(one day) they should move into a wider environment (in
society)," Parera said.
But he also believes that bahasa gaul will continue to develop
because the younger generations will always want to show that
they have a different identity from their predecessors.
-- This article is an excerpt from Tiara lifestyle magazine.
It is printed here courtesy Tiara. More related stories appear in
October's edition of the magazine.