The dress of thoughts
The dress of thoughts
At its most simplest, the function of language is to
communicate information. Hence the origins of modern Bahasa
Indonesia, a language that evolved from bazaar Malay, a pidgin
developed for cross-regional trading many centuries ago.
The longings of the human spirit require language to assume a
role as more than just a medium of communication. If it were mere
facts, language would not have evolved any further than smoke
signals.
English writer Rudyard Kipling said that words are the most
powerful drug used by mankind. Consequently, like other great
languages, Bahasa Indonesia over generations became a canvas to
convey emotion. How fortunate that our forefathers -- from Sutan
Takdir Alisyahbana, Chairil Anwar to Pramoedya Ananta Toer --
left a legacy that has distinguished Bahasa Indonesia as a thing
of beauty.
In its evolution, Bahasa Indonesia in the last century has
also become a political-cultural phenomenon.
The first logos of Indonesian nationhood was embodied in 1928
by the adoption of Bahasa Indonesia as the unifying trait of a
peoples beset by Dutch colonialism. It is a symbol that sustains
us to this very day.
Bahasa Indonesia is perhaps the greatest commonality peoples
of this archipelago claim with each other. A shared instrument
that allows dissimilar individuals across forests and oceans,
ethnic and cultural divides, to play the lucid chords of
nationhood. It is a language that resonates about who we are,
beyond mere flesh.
During the darkest days of colonial repression, Bahasa
Indonesia articulated the vision of statedom. In the war of
independence, it personified rebellion. During the New Order era
it became a tool of dogma. Since 1998, Bahasa Indonesia has come
full circle to become once again the dress of free thoughts --
reborn as a palette of progressive thinking and new literature.
The month of October -- commemorated annually as Bahasa
Indonesia month -- is a poignant reminder that this political
concoction we call the Republic of Indonesia would cease to exist
without Bahasa Indonesia.
As a cultural entity, our national language continues to
evolve. The incorporation of foreign words and local dialects a
common occurrence for a young language. Many times foreign
terminology is adopted simply because no previous reference
exists in Bahasa Indonesia. In that sense changes to the
structure and style are understandable. The way Bahasa Indonesia
is being spoken now will be somewhat different to that of our
grandchildren, the same way it was very distinct to what the
founders of independence spoke in 1945.
We are, however, somewhat concerned at the growing lack of
proper use -- verbal molestation if you will -- of the language.
It is beyond a simple case of syntax. Spurred by fashion, an
increasing number opt to sprinkle our daily Bahasa Indonesia with
foreign words and expressions. The use of foreign references is
not prompted by technical necessity where such phrases --
especially English -- are required, given the lack of a Bahasa
Indonesian equivalent, or due to a lack of specialized scientific
terminology. It is simply a fad to make one sound chic or
educated.
It is completely unnecessary given that many of the foreign
phrases used have perfectly compatible Indonesian equivalents
(the use of "sophisticated" as opposed to the Bahasa Indonesia
equivalent of canggih, for example). The fact that many easily
supplement Bahasa Indonesia with foreign words is all the more
pathetic since most of them cannot speak or write Bahasa
Indonesia with grammatical correctness in the first place. It is
one thing to speak wholly in a foreign language, after having
mastered one's own, but the reality here is that many Indonesian
eventually end up speaking neither proper Bahasa Indonesia nor
English.
The application and adoption of bastardized English -- which
stems from a limited comprehension of the English language in the
first place -- only cheapens with the status of Bahasa Indonesia.
It is quite bewildering for those of us who understand to read
"Gran Pinal" on the television when referring to "Grand Final".
In many ways the media is to blame for the dissemination of
improper Bahasa Indonesia. Fashionable phrases and, as mentioned
earlier, the shallowness of understanding of Bahasa Indonesia
itself, have all contributed to this situation.
It is time for us place proper use of Bahasa Indonesia in its
rightful context, without being adverse to adopting new words
when appropriate. Neglecting the discipline of language can
eventually lead to a diminishing of the quality of Indonesian
thought of which Bahasa Indonesia is its primary vehicle.