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Indonesian language gains favor among foreigners
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta |
Headlines | Sat, April 19 2014, 8:39 AM
Speak Indonesian, please!: Foreign students enrolled in an
Indonesian language program at the University of Indonesia (UI) prepare food to
sell at a bazaar to mark Indonesian Day in Depok, West Java, on Thursday. The
bazaar and several other events were organized by the university’s Indonesian
Language for Foreigners (BIPA) department. (JP/Adhi Bhaskara).
Headlines News
Dozens of
people from around the world were busy preparing food and beverages to sell on
a hot Thursday at a university compound in Depok, while others tried to offer food
in broken Indonesian.
“Come, buy
our dishes, they are delicious,” said a Korean in Indonesian.
Some
distance from the food stalls, a number of foreigners were anxious, looking at
sheets of paper, murmuring, practicing speeches.
“I am a
little bit nervous right now. This will be my first time giving a speech in
Indonesian in front of a large crowd,” said Yushi Tanaka, a Japanese
41-year-old who has been studying Indonesian for a year.
Yushi and
the other foreigners are enrolled in a language course called Indonesian
Language for Foreign Speakers, commonly known as BIPA, at the School of
Humanities, University of Indonesia (UI).
BIPA has
over 250 students hailing from various countries, namely Japan, South Korea,
the United States, Australia, Iran, Turkey, Thailand, China and the
Philippines. More than half of the students are Japanese and Korean.
BIPA
lecturer Rahmi Tri Sutanthi said that the students came from various
backgrounds, with some having been posted at embassies in Indonesia as
diplomats, others exchange students and employees at international companies as
well as homemakers.
On
Thursday, the school held an event called Speaking Indonesian Day (HBI), which
was filled with competitions such as an Indonesian textile presentation
contest, Indonesian speech contest and an Indonesian singing contest.
Aside with
the competitions, it also held an International Culinary Festival, in which
BIPA students sold foods from their native countries.
Yushi said
Indonesian was fun to learn. “Before learning Indonesian, you have to love
Indonesia first,” he said.
The
Japanese man, who once lived in Sumatra for a year, said that because he had
fallen in love with Indonesia, learning the language was much easier for him.
Another
BIPA student, Eduardo Mariz, a 24-year-old Spaniard, said that the most
interesting part of learning Indonesian was understanding its etymology.
“I found
it fascinating to learn that the Indonesian language was influenced by a
variety of languages, including Arabic and Malay,” he said.
He said
that he had faced challenges forming sentences and using the correct
expressions when referring to time, as the Indonesian language did not use
tenses.
Rahmi told
The Jakarta Post that in general, her foreign students often faced difficulties
using the language’s affixes.
“They have
a hard time using the affixes such as ber-, me-, at the appropriate time,” she
said.
BIPA program head Dwi Puspitorini said that HBI was held with two purposes: encourage BIPA students to showcase their progress and most importantly, to show Indonesians that the Indonesian language was something to be proud of.
BIPA program head Dwi Puspitorini said that HBI was held with two purposes: encourage BIPA students to showcase their progress and most importantly, to show Indonesians that the Indonesian language was something to be proud of.
“To be
honest, I feel that Indonesians have a lack of appreciation for the Indonesian
language. We [Indonesians] are not really proud of own language,” Dwi said.
She hoped
that Indonesians, through the event, could see that foreigners appreciated the
national language and as a result would become more proud of it.
Rosalyn,
24, an Indonesian friend of one of the BIPA students, enjoyed the event and
said that it should be held annually.
“I was
impressed by the foreigners who spoke formal Indonesian better than many
Indonesians. People like me have a hard time speaking formally [often
incorporating colloquial words],” she said.
Indonesian
is based mostly on the Malay language, with influences from Arabic, Portuguese,
Dutch, Sanskrit and English. (ask)
Comment :
The existence of events
created by the institute of language courses in humanities schools, University
of Indonesia (UI) which is commonly called Indonesian for Foreign Speakers
(BIPA) is an honor that can be shown to the world, especially the people of
Indonesia who are less concerned about the culture and language are good, but
BIPA has more than 250 students who want to learn and know the culture and
language of Indonesia. In fact they think is fun to learn Indonesian. In the
event "Speaking Indonesianization Day (HBI)" school held a
competition like presentation Indonesian textile contest, speech Indonesian
contest and Indonesian singing contest which means they must prepare themselves
for a more fluent speak Indonesian and perform in front of a large crowd. In my
opinion, this event can help Indonesia in attracting foreigners to get to know
and love about Indonesia even this event can strengthen the brotherhood between
countries. In Indonesian speaking event day (HBI) is not only held a speech
competition and Indonesian singing contest, the school also organized
International culinary festival where students can sell food from their home
countries. Thus, this event can provide good and positive things to be held
regularly every year.
Sumber :
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/19/indonesian-language-gains-favor-among-foreigners.html
