Language, Identity, and Society: A Sosiolinguistic Observation

Language Choice in Multilingual Communities 

    On my campus, the language styles used by students vary depending on who they are speaking to. When speaking with lecturers or academic staff, students tend to use standard and polite Bahasa Indonesia. However, when speaking with peers, the language used changes to be very relaxed, full of expression, and sometimes not according to formal rules. Here's a snippet of my conversation with a college friend:

    The language used in this conversation is clearly an informal variety, with the use of words such as “gua,” “lu,” and the addition of excess letters (“nihhh,” “waktuuu”) that show the familiarity and habitual conversation between students.

Diglossia and Choosing Your Variety or Code

    The phenomenon of diglossia is clearly visible in the academic environment, when students talk to lecturers using formal and polite language, but turn casual when talking to peers.These two situations show how the same speaker can move between high variety and low variety.

(a) High variety - communication with lecturers:

(b) Low variety - communication with friends:

    These differences in language style indicate different social contexts: formality is used when speaking with authority figures, while free and emotional expression appears in conversations between close friends. The casual language used in the second conversation reflects an intimate and informal relationship, where students are free to express concerns and humor without having to maintain standard language structures.

    Disclaimer⚠️: conversation (b) is informal between close friends, hence the use of impolite language. This is not meant to offend any party, but merely to show the real form of low-variety in non-formal situations.

Code-switching or Code-mixing

    I observed my WhatsApp conversations with my friends that showed a mix of Indonesian and English. Here's a snippet:

    The languages mixed here are forms of code-mixing and code-switching that occur naturally among bilingual speakers. Words like “same,” “facts,” “true,” “mentally drained” are code-mixing, while the complete sentence “life doesn't have a pause button,” “I’ve been so tired” is mild code-switching.

The use of this language mix is done to express emotions more strongly and show social identity as a bilingual student.

Language Maintenance and Shift

    I was talking to my grandmother who is from Bogor. She told me that since she was a child, her daily language was Sundanese, both at home and in the neighborhood. However, when I asked her about her grandchildren now, she chuckled and said, “Anak-anak sekarang mah ngomongnya udah campur-campur, jarang banget yang pakai Sunda.”

    The change is very much felt in our family. My generation almost always uses Bahasa Indonesia, even at home. Only a few simple Sundanese words like “punten,” “heeh,” or “enya” still come out unconsciously. This indicates a language shift - a shift from the local language to the national language due to the influence of formal education, media, and urbanization. However, our family still tries to maintain Sundanese through conversations with parents or grandmothers, to keep the cultural identity alive even though it is rarely used.

Vernacular, Standard, Lingua Franca, Pidgin, and Creole

    In the context of language life in Indonesia, I found the following five types of language:

• Vernacular (local colloquial language):

Sundanese is used by my family at home to interact informally. It symbolizes emotional closeness and regional identity.

• Standard language:

Formal Indonesian used in education, official letters, and academic publications. This variety is determined by language institutions and is used for official situations.

• Lingua franca (inter-ethnic bridging language):

Indonesian also functions as a lingua franca on my campus. For example, when I talk to friends from NTT, Bandung, and Medan we still use Indonesian to understand each other.

• Pidgin:

A historical example from Indonesia is Bazaar Malay which used to be the language of trade in the ports of the archipelago. It is made up of a mixture of Malay, Portuguese and local languages.

• Creole:

    From Bazaar Malay developed more stable, intergenerational forms, such as Papuan Malay or Ambon Malay Creole, which is now the mother tongue of some communities in eastern Indonesia. These five examples show that language not only serves as a means of communication, but also reflects the colonial history, social identity and cultural dynamics of Indonesian society.

National Language and Language Planning

    Indonesian has a very important role as the unifying language of the nation amidst the diversity of regional languages and cultures that Indonesia has. Through language planning, the government seeks to strengthen the function of Bahasa Indonesia as the national language and official language of the country, while still respecting the existence of regional and foreign languages.

    One concrete form of this effort can be seen through the Language Month 2023 activities held by SMAN 1 Jatiwangi. The campaign poster featured the slogan:

“SATU BANGSA, SATU BAHASA - BAHASA INDONESIA”

    In addition, the posters also feature messages such as “Use Good and Correct Indonesian” and “Preserve Local Wisdom by Speaking Regional Languages,” which show a balance between the use of the national language and the preservation of regional languages. There are also calls to learn foreign languages such as English, French and Spanish, showing that Indonesia is not rejecting globalization, but rather trying to adapt while maintaining national identity.

    Such activities reflect the three main pillars of language policy in Indonesia:

1. Indonesian as the unifying language of the nation.
2. Regional languages as the support of local culture.
3. Foreign languages as a bridge to global communication.

Regional and Social Dialects

    I compared two of my friends: Eva from Jakarta and Indah from Wonogiri. Both speak Indonesian, but with different styles and accents.

Eva (Jakarta): “Gue ngga kuat deh ngerjain tugas begini, pusing banget sumpah.”

Indah (Wonogiri): “ Aku ra kuat nggarap iki, capek banget.”

    This difference can be seen in the use of pronouns (“Gue” vs “Aku”), accent, and intonation. The Jakarta dialect tends to be quick and absorbs more urban slang, while the Wonogiri dialect is more expressive with Javanese influences. Both styles reflect regional and social identities: Jakarta with its cosmopolitan and modern features, Wonogiri with its local feel and strong regional solidarity.

Gender and Age in Language

    In my family, I often notice the difference in language style between my mother and my younger sister. My mom speaks with more polite sentences and is careful in choosing words:

“Jangan terlalu lama main hp, nanti telat berangkat kerja.”

My sister, on the other hand, often answers in a casual, mixed-English style:

“Iya bentar lagi, aku masih mau chill dulu.”

    This difference illustrates how age and gender affect the level of formality in speech. The older generation (mothers) tend to maintain politeness due to cultural factors and habits, while the younger generation is more flexible, expressive and influenced by social media communication styles. This shows that language is not only a communication tool, but also reflects the social values of each generation.

Ethnicity and Social Networks

    I have a friend from the Rote tribe, one of the tribes in Nusa Tenggara Timur that still maintains its own language. When I asked her about some vocabulary in Rote, she gave the following examples:

Na’o means “go to”

Tena means “no”

Tasi means “sea”

Fada means “eat”

Nduku means “sleep”

    My friend explained that Rote is still actively used when she speaks with her parents or family at home. However, when interacting with friends on campus who come from various regions, she automatically switches to Bahasa Indonesia to make it easy for everyone to understand. According to her, speaking in Rote with fellow Rote people makes her feel closer, warmer, and has a "sense of home" despite being far from her home area.

    This phenomenon shows that ethnicity plays a big role in determining a person's choice of language. Local languages are not only a means of communication, but also a symbol of identity and social solidarity among members of the same group. Meanwhile, Bahasa Indonesia functions as a lingua franca in multiethnic environments such as campuses, allowing interactions to run smoothly without losing a sense of community.

Personal Reflection: You as a Multilingual Speaker

    I realize that I use more than one language and variety in my daily life, depending on the context and interlocutor; when lecturing or writing assignments, I use formal Indonesian or English. When talking to friends, I use mixed English. At home, I sometimes use light Sundanese to joke with my family.

    This ability to move between languages makes me more sensitive to social contexts and situations. As an English Literature student, I feel that being a multilingual speaker is part of my identity - not just a linguistic skill, but also a form of social and emotional adaptation. The language I speak reflects who I am in every space: a student, a friend, a child, and part of the Indonesian bilingual generation living in a globalized era.