Discussion Post #6

[Kaylee Wyrick]

Bahasa Indonesia is a beautiful language with a fascinating history. Indonesian originated in the 7th century, and was originally written in ancient Malay, which comes from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Javanese and Sanskrit influenced Malay, which was spoken by many Indonesians, but Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese, and English colonial influences set Indonesian apart as its own language. Indonesian is part of the Austronesian language family, which spans across Southeast Asia and to the Pacific Islands. Other examples of Austronesian languages include Tagalog and Hawaiian. Bahasa Indonesia has also been impacted by Arab and Persian influences on the island. Bahasa Indonesian was officially recognized as its own language in 1928, but kept a Dutch spelling system until the country gained independence in 1945. A common greeting in Indonesia is “Salam”, which comes from the Arabic “Assalamualaikum”. The verb “ada” (to be/is) comes directly from Javanese, as does “Candi” (temple). The word for cigarette in Indonesian is “rokok”, coming from the Dutch word “roken”, which means to smoke tobacco. The Indonesian word for book is “buku”, which comes from the Dutch word “boeken”. The English word “game” influenced the Indonesian “gim”, and the English word “glass” influenced the Indonesian word “gelas”. The word for a Christian church in Indonesian is “Gareja,” which comes from the Portuguese word “Igreja”, and the Portuguese word “roda” means “wheel” in both languages. The ways in which Bahasa Indonesia has been shaped and influenced by colonial forces help me better understand its historical origins and how the language has changed over time. Indonesia’s culture and language overall have been massively impacted by these forces, yet tradition still remains on the Island. Although words may be shared with former invading forces, they are still considered Indonesian. Linguists track changes in Indonesian and other languages through their genealogical, areal, and typological factors. These factors shape languages and lead to their diversity and amazing complexity.