Analysis Of Bahasa Indonesia

To me, language is more than a method to communicate. For better or worse, language has become a tool for inclusion and exclusion. One’s understanding of a language can be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Coming into a new environment, a person might find himself being treated differently if he has some understanding of the language. Even without knowing the customs, the local community would be more willing to welcome that person. I have experienced both sides of the coin and in this paper, I will share my view and experience on how language becomes a signifier of someone’s identity within a community.
For foreigners, being an Indonesian is simple. If you have the green passport with the garuda symbol embossed on the cover,
Interestingly, unlike language education in other countries, Indonesian students never learn anything about Indonesian literature. I was only taught on how to write, read, speak and listen. I did recognize some prolific Indonesian authors such as Pramoedya Anantya Toer, but only in passing. Judging from the content of Bahasa Indonesia education, it looks like that the main function of the language is to communicate. But the history subject told me otherwise. It was reiterated over and over again, how Bahasa Indonesia is the symbolism of unity. How Bahasa Indonesia bridges the rich diversity in Indonesia. Well I do agree on that part. I spent my primary education years in Jakarta, and befriended people with different backgrounds. Bahasa Indonesia did play a part in bridging our
Bandung located in the heart of West Java, the homeland for Sundanese. Bandung was only 2 hours away from Jakarta and since my grandparents still live there, I was pretty familiar with the city. Despite of that, my first day in high school came as a surprise for me. Almost all of my classmates and seniors speak in Sundanese to each other and I resorted to speak and making friends with the small groups of students coming from Jakarta. Since I picked up some Sundanese words from listening to my mother’s family, I braved myself to start talking in Sundanese. Within days, I stopped feeling like I was an alien. I quickly made friends and shared a deeper bond with many of my classmates. Even without prior knowledge of Sundanese culture, other than stories from my mother and grandparents, my Sundanese friends always included me in their circles. I came to Bandung with my mother’s stories of Sundanese hospitality. It was proven true, but what surprised me was the degree of hospitality offered when I started speaking Sundanese. When I asked a friend who came from Jakarta and knew nothing about Sundanese, he said that although he got the warm feeling, he still felt like an outsider. There was some kind of barrier that hindered a deeper interaction. Outside of high school, I experienced the same feeling. When I asked for direction in Bahasa Indonesia