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From http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180703-why-no-one-speaks-indonesias-language

Why no-one speaks Indonesia's language
Bahasa Indonesia was adopted to make communication easier across the vast Indonesian archipelago, but its simplicity has only created new barriers.
by David Fettling
July 4, 2018

The goal for Bahasa Indonesia was to break down communication barriers and facilitate inclusion of more than 300 ethnic groups in the new nation, whose independence was officially recognized in 1949. Because no major ethnic group, including the Javanese (whose highly complex language was at the time spoken by about 40% of the population), would have its mother tongue as the official language, inequality would not be created or reinforced. Bahasa Indonesia would help draw unity out of diversity.

But in reality, things aren’t so simple. Today, standard Bahasa Indonesia, which hasn’t evolved too drastically from Malay, is rarely spoken in casual conversations. People think it’s too ‘kaku’, meaning rigid and stiff, my language teacher Andini told me after I admitted my difficulties at the roadside stall. Moreover, people sometimes find Bahasa Indonesia inadequate to express what they want. Andini confessed she often shares this frustration, wanting to use words and expressions from a sub-dialect of East Javanese spoken in her hometown.

Read the full article at http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180703-why-no-one-speaks-indonesias-language

SourceBBC
Inputdate2018-07-12 16:51:51
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