Language needs new words to survive

By John Philips

This is the first of two articles on the recent raid on foreign names in Jakarta.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Malaysia says "go for it". Bonny Prince Charles says only the English know how (the Americans are corrupting and should be "avoided" at all costs). And finally, Governor Surjadi Soedirja has ordered people to stop doing it.

So, what in the heck is it anyhow? A CD ROM game? A sin like illicit sex or gambling?

No, I'm afraid that what "it" is, is English, or more specifically, using English. The last month or so has seen these, and many more developments, in the continuing saga as to whether English is, or is not, "the world language" and therefore, a necessary part of education and development.

After years of attempting to mandate that the Malay language would be the language of all, and in the process discouraging the use of English, Malaysia has finally thrown in the towel, acquiescing to the inevitable, by permitting universities to import English speaking professors to deliver subject matter instruction in English.

Of course, this development has actually been going on for several years, so the recent announcement was more or less officially regulating an "old" policy to the trash compactor (or waste bin, if you, like the Prince, prefer).

In the process, Malaysia has acknowledged that it is just too difficult to keep up with changes in both information and technology unless a significant percentage of the population is able to use English. Not to mention the many other useful purposes knowledge of English permits, such as in the fields of commerce, entertainment, education, and cultural exchange.

This acknowledgement is both understandable and inevitable, but it is not really the subject of this essay.

What is the subject of this essay is the contrast in attitude from the 1980's, when Malaysia was so concerned about the "corrupting" influence of the English language (and the culture it presumably conveys with it).

At that time, students, who were sponsored by the government for overseas study in English speaking countries, were carefully monitored and counseled, to remain as distant from the "native" culture as could reasonably be managed.

This had an unfortunate effect of inhibiting the ability of the students to learn both the language and the subject matter they were sent to learn. But, it is precisely this problem of unwanted "culture", conveyed through language, which was and is the most troubling aspect of ESL (English language) education and its effect on development.

Culture and its corrupting influence is exactly what was on the mind of Governor Surjadi of Jakarta in his decree prohibiting the use of "foreign" names, presumably because of damages to the integrity of the Indonesian culture, and is "not in line with the National Discipline Movement".

Of course, by foreign words he means mostly English words, including the following, taken from a recent newspaper article on the subject: mall (instead of mal?), garden, green, skyline, fresh, fruit, land, housing, bank and, perhaps most appropriately, building.

Although we are not too sure about the connection with the National Discipline Movement, we know exactly what he means by seeking the "proper use of Bahasa Indonesia".

There is simply no logical reason for using a foreign word in place of an Indonesian word when the latter is far better understood and widely used by the general population. Surely, Indonesia does not want to become like the people in some countries who "show off" their status in society by liberally lacing their native language conversations with the "in your face" foreign words, that only obscure communication.

This use of foreign language is clearly intended to convey the message that the user is "rich, well-educated, and privileged". In the case of buildings and land developments, the message is equally clear, indicating that the property is intended for use by "elites" and, in some sense, is "foreign territory", like an embassy compound.

At the same time, the use of foreign words to "express" new ideas, that are not found in the culture and lexicon of a country, is a relatively reasonable means of expanding and strengthening a language in order to adapt it to its "ecosystem" and therefore, maintain its vitality--like a living organism.

Thus, I might take exception with the governor about the preference for `mal' instead of 'mall', since both the concept and the word are truly foreign. In the same way, I would suggest that the previous attempt by government officials to get people to use the Indonesian term, pasar swalayan instead of the English "supermarket" was similarly misguided because it missed the point and ended up failing.