indonesian_open FW: [ozindonculture] Wanna learn Bahasa? 'So what, gituloh!'

Tue Sep 13 13:09:13 EST 2005

Teman-teman yang baik

Some interesting reading.

Leonie Wittman

Senior Curriculum Adviser

Languages Special Projects

Languages Unit

Curriculum K-12 Directorate

NSW Department of Education & Training

3a Smalls Rd

Ryde NSW 2112

Tel: 61 2 9886 7681

Fax: 61 2 9886 7160

Email: leonie.wittman at det.nsw.edu.au

________________________________

From: ozindonculture at yahoogroups.com
[mailto:ozindonculture at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Faiza Mardzoeki
Sent: Monday, 12 September 2005 10:00 AM
To: ozindonculture at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ozindonculture] Wanna learn Bahasa? 'So what, gituloh!'

Wanna learn Bahasa? 'So what, gituloh!' 

An official recently announced a government plan for all expatriate
workers to pass a proficiency test in Bahasa Indonesia. This week's
cover story is not concerned with the pros and cons of the policy, but
rather how difficult it is to study the language and the big gap between
the daily Bahasa and the one learned at schools. 

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta ,12 September 2006 

You know I really like it these days kalo mereka pengen nyela sesuatu
(if they want to interrupt) dengan kayak pengen nunjukin itu tuh (with
willingness to show that) gak ada artinya\"apa sih\"... (there is no
meaning\"what is it\") funny yourself man... It's like, So what,
gituloh?! (Saykoji) 

Those lyrics are from the song So what, gituloh, which, with its
extensive use of slang and foreign words, recently became a hit in the
country. Gituloh has no actual meaning, but is used among the younger
generation to emphasize the statement immediately preceding it. 

For some Indonesians, the linguistic muddle of the song is creative, or
a reflection of everyday spoken Indonesian. 

But for others, the lyrics are an insult to the national language.
While, for foreigners, the words are probably hard to understand. 

Kalo is slang for kalau (if), pengen is ingin (want), nunjukin is
tunjukkan (show), gak is tidak (no). 

"It is an informal language that makes conversation more natural," said
young film director Joko Anwar. 

"It means that new words can be taken up in Bahasa Indonesia, and there
is nothing wrong with that." 

For example, Joko said, he would use kamu (you) to address a new friend,
but after a while he would use lu (you) to indicate friendship. 

"I also use slang in my films to reflect reality. If the film is set in
the present day, we cannot avoid the use of slang, but if it's set in
the 1960s, we have to be true to the spoken language of that time," he
said. 

University student Novi A, however, said using slang was detrimental to
the national language. 

"The next generation will not know whether slang is proper Indonesian or
not, but they will use it daily," she said. 

Australian Igor O'Neill, who learned Indonesian from talking with
friends here, quickly realized that spoken Bahasa Indonesia and written
Bahasa Indonesia were different. 

"I learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia and I know some slang," he said.
"The problem is that we can't use those words in written Bahasa
Indonesia, so when I write a formal letter I am a bit confused." 

For example, nggak (no) is only used in spoken Bahasa Indonesia, while
in a formal letter tidak (no) is used, he said. 

However, he said, that did not mean learning Indonesian -- which is
spoken by some 200 million people from Aceh to Papua -- was difficult. 

"Bahasa Indonesia, which uses the Latin alphabet, straightforward
spelling and pronunciation, is among the easiest languages to learn
compared to Mandarin or Japanese," he said. 

Informal words appeared in Bahasa Indonesia, which is based on Bahasa
Melaya, as early as the 1960s. In Pantjawarna magazine, a caricature
used the word lu instead of the formal kamu (you) and gue (me) rather
than saya. 

In the 1980s, a popular film Si Unyil introduced the informal phrase
ogah Ah (lazy huh). The words memble (bad), and amrik (the U.S) also
crept into daily conversation around that time. 

In the 1990s, jomblo (single), bego (stupid), bonek (good spirit), and
keren (cool) were introduced. 

Some slang words have withstood the test of time while others are no
longer in use. 

Meanwhile, many foreign words particularly English ones have been
absorbed by Bahasa Indonesia. 

Globalization has become globalisasi; organization, organisasi; and
institution, institusi. 

Linguist Dede Utomo said the use of slang and foreign words indicated
that Bahasa Indonesia was an open language. 

"Slang words are a reality and show that Bahasa Indonesia is growing,"
he said. "There is no need for concern, people will be able to
distinguish between formal and informal language." 

Although slang words do not appear in most Bahasa Indonesia
dictionaries, advertising companies often use them, he said. 

He advised expatriates to learn both formal and informal vocabulary. 

Joko concurred with Dede, saying dictionaries should include commonly
used words. 

"Dictionaries need to be updated to include slang," he said. 

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