Jakartan dialect

Jakartan dialect

From Kompas

In relation to the observance of National Education Day, I greatly appreciate the appeal of the Ministers of Education and Culture, and Information that Bahasa Indonesia should be more widely taught through the media, especially television.

Our national language is still dominated by the Jakartan (Betawi) dialect, which has spread to North Sumatra and Riau. These provinces are regarded as where Bahasa Indonesia originated.

The strong influence of the Jakartan dialect is clearly felt in drama serials on television, as exemplified by the use of lu instead of anda and gue instead of saya. Also the suffix in is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country. Unfortunately, the government has not been serious in its efforts to use good and correct Bahasa Indonesia. Even youngsters seem to be ashamed of employing the correct Indonesian that is taught in schools. This is particularly true in letter writing.

ALMATSIER

Jakarta