Table of Contents
What is Indonesian language called in Indonesian?
Indonesian
Indonesia/Official languages
What is the difference between Bahasa and Indonesian language?
Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu are similar and different languages at the same time. Although generally mutually intelligible, the two languages have differences in the vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and spelling. According to the latest data from Ethnologue, about 198.5 million people speak Bahasa Indonesia.
What countries speak Bahasa Indonesian?
Indonesian is a form of Malay, spoken in Indonesia. The term “Indonesian” is political rather than linguistic, as Indonesian Malay (called Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia) is virtually identical with Bahasa Melayu, another variety of Malay, as spoken in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Is Indonesian a language?
Is English an official language in Indonesia?
The official language is Indonesian (locally known as bahasa Indonesia), a standardised form of Malay, which serves as the lingua franca of the archipelago. Most Indonesians speak other languages, such as Javanese, as their first language. This makes plurilingualism a norm in Indonesia.
Why is it called Bahasa Indonesia?
In 1928 the Indonesian nationalist movement chose it as the future nation’s national language. Its name was changed to Bahasa Indonesia, literally: “the language (bahasa) of Indonesia”. In English we call the language “Indonesian”: it is not correct to call it simply “Bahasa”.
What is the dominant language in Indonesia?
In modern Indonesia, the Indonesian language is easily the dominant language of business, especially at the middle and upper levels (local languages dominate in the rural market economy). When Islam came to the Indonesian region it spread along trade routes and through coastal trading cities where Malay was used.
Why is Malay the national language of Indonesia?
This is one of the main reasons why, in the 20th. century, Malay was chosen as the national language of the Indonesian republic and why it has played such an important role in forging Indonesia’s unity. Malay has also functioned as a court language.
Why is Indonesian so popular in Indonesia?
So modern Indonesian, too, basks in the glow of prestige which adheres to the language from centuries of use in indigenous administration and court arts. Malay has always been a language of trade and business.