| Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia. For centuries,
Malay was commonly used throughout Indonesia for trade. When the country
was a Dutch colony, many people spoke Dutch. In the early 20th century,
nationalist leaders realized that Indonesians needed a common language
for national unity. Bahasa Indonesia became the language of the country.
It was created deliberately to foster unity.
Bahasa Indonesia is one of the simplest languages
in the world. There are no verb tenses, noun genders or articles. Plurals
are formed by simply repeating a word. The written form uses the same alphabet
as English. The vocabulary shows the influence of many cultures. Bahasa
Indonesia contains more than 7,000 Dutch words, as well as words from Portuguese,
Sanskrit, Arabic, Polynesian, Tagalog, Chinese, French, Javanese, Spanish
and English. |
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| Besides Bahasa Indonesia, there are 580 languages
and dialects in use throughout the archipelago. Each ethnic group has its
own language. Javanese, which originated on the island of Java, is spoken
by about 42% of the population. About 15% speak Sundanese. Some languages
are spoken only in a single village. Linguists have not yet documented
all the languages spoken on Irian Jaya.
Indonesian society observes elaborate rules
of etiquette. Displays of emotion are considered a sign of lack of self-control
and refinement. Generally, Indonesians avoid confrontation. They do not
complain or argue when they are displeased; instead, they quietly withdraw.
Feelings like anger are kept hidden. |
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Did you know? |
| "Saving
face" is very important to Indonesians. They will agree with the person
they are talking to, even if they do not share that person's opinions,
rather than offend by disagreeing. They also prefer to give a response
to a question, even if they do not know the answer, because they would
lose face by admitting that they do not know. |
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