Language survives when it is properly used

By Lie Hua

JAKARTA (JP): Mr. John Philips's two recent articles on the ban on the use of foreign names in Jakarta are interesting and confusing at the same time. They are interesting because they shed light on several points of language and culture, but are confusing in that he seems to have drawn an inappropriate analogy for the policy.

It is very obvious that the decision of Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja to obligate companies to as much as possible replace their foreign (English) names with Indonesian ones has little in common with the Malaysian government's unsuccessful attempt to discourage the use of English among Malaysians as cited in the articles.

While it is true that most of the names subjected to the change are English words, the drive is in no way intended to discourage the use of English among Indonesians inasmuch as the choice of a name is not to be confused with one's option to study or master a foreign language.

What has been the case in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia, especially in major cities, is a blind penchant for English names. This may have been prompted by a belief that English names will, as Mr. Philips says in one of his articles, "convey the message that the user (of the foreign names) is "rich, well- educated and privileged".

However, one cannot fail to realize that if the practice of preferring English names to Indonesian ones is allowed to go on unchecked, confusion in the minds of users of Indonesian will occur.

A string of the following examples will suffice to illustrate this: ... diperlukan adanya Corporate Secretary (Sekretaris Perusahaan); an ad in Info Pasar Modal, Nov. 2, 1994, Koleksi Multicolor (from a catalog of Matahari Department Store), Dapatkan Discount s/d 20 percent (from a brochure), and ... melakukan self-assessment (Kompas, July 4, 1995).

These examples easily explain that whoever writes like this must, in one way or another, think that the use of English rather than Indonesian words suggests being rich, well-educated and privileged. In short, it suggests that the writer seems to claim that he belongs to a superior social class.

Isn't it also very clear, then, that the choice of English names, rather than Indonesian ones, stems from the same desire to indicate social superiority? Should it be justified, then, to allow the practice to go on freely?

Although we are now in the midst of globalization, which abolishes state borders, we surely are not expected to plunge ourselves into a state of Babel and let ourselves be fettered by the illusion that the use of a foreign language is identical with belonging to a superior class.

Man is aware of his surroundings because he knows language. Through his language he perceives what is happening around him and this perception of his surroundings will mold his linguistic awareness.

Because language has its roots in culture, the penetration of foreign culture will also influence one's language. Once one believes that using one's language with a sprinkle here and there of the words that the penetration of foreign culture brings with it shows a touch of class, then one's perception of one's surroundings will logically undergo a change.

This easily explains why there are so many English names and why these foreign names impart a feeling of superiority.

As a living organism, to quote Mr. John Philips term for language, language must be allowed to develop healthily in a healthy cultural environment. This means that it must be allowed to develop in a situation where all of its potentials can be fully tapped. Unwise use of a barrage of foreign words will not be conducive to the development of the language whose potentials will as a result remain hidden and will in the long run, through disuse, vanish into thin air.

While exposure and access to foreign cultures are now very common, there must still exist a culture with the nation's identity. Maintaining your identity does not necessarily mean driving away all foreign influences. This will be narrow-minded and infantile nationalism.

The same goes with language. It is true that in its development a language will coin new words or borrow foreign ones. No harm will be done to that language undergoing this in its development as long as the potentials of the language itself are taken fully into consideration, thus ensuring that the language will enjoy sound development.

However, what seems to have gone wrong with the rampant practice of using English names, particularly in Jakarta, is that the practice clearly shows that the Indonesian language has been relegated to an inferior position, while foreign languages (most notably English), have been held aloft.

If this practice is allowed to go on uncurbed, then we shall surely witness a confusion in the way Indonesian is used either in conversations or in writing. The few examples cited above expressly bear this out.

So what Governor Sudirdja has done is simply to put things on the right track. His policy should not be construed as an expression of xenophobia. Unless a language is properly used in the sense that it is used within the context of the culture it has its origin in, with all of its potentials being given sufficient consideration, then it will be hard for the language to develop, let alone survive. Surely, no well-meaning Indonesian would want to see the language stagnate.

The writer is a lecturer at the Department of English at National University, Jakarta.