Preserving the Cultural Expression of the Javanese Language

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE

A language as means of communications always grows and develops in a society. It is a vital tool of humans in expressing their thoughts and feelings. It is true that every people in a society needs a common language in order to achieve mutual understanding, which a common goal in every communication.

Countries like Indonesia that have a large number of language varieties, often experience an unavoidable problem in communication, which can result to misunderstanding and misconception  of thoughts and culture.

Javanese is one of the largest spoken languages in Indonesia, mainly in central and West Java, Bali, Lombok, Madura and the Sunda region of West Java.  Javanese is the mother tongue of a large number of Indonesians.  Most Indonesian people grow up speaking Javanese, before learning properly the national language of Indonesia.

Moreover, many Indonesians are traditionally fully literary in the Javanese language. Hence, there is a vital significance of the Javanese dialect to the cultural and heritage identity of the Javanese people. The Javanese language is a dynamic indigenous language, and is not simple to learn in its grammar and structure. Interestingly, many foreigners and foreign language students are interested in studying and learning more about Javanese for many reasons. However, many people, including experts, believe that Javanese language and Javanese literary arts are dying; thus, this issue is alarming and could be a potential threat because of the process of eradication of the cultural identity of the Javanese native speakers.

Although Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia, and it is a highly influential language to Indonesians, restoring the Javanese language is crucial to the cultural preservation of the Indonesian tradition.

Preserving the Javanese language may involve strict rules among the Javanese native speakers itself.  It is the obligation of the Javanese native speakers to use and improve the linguistic status of their language. Linguists and the Indonesian government official both believe that using and speaking Javanese language in business meetings and in the classrooms are just a few examples of things that can be done in preserving the language.

In addition, it is necessary that the government itself feels the need to improve the competence and knowledge of Javanese teachers to ensure that a sufficient and accurate knowledge in the Javanese language will be directly and effectively injected in the learning process of students.

The Javanese language is part of the cultural expression of Indonesia; and preserving this language is beneficial in restoring the great heritage of the Indonesian people. However, preserving and saving a language may not be always easy, and sometimes it may take a greater effort in order to effectively preserve a language, but if the people themselves are well-motivated and concerned, these responsibilities are becoming simpler. From those factors it would be much easier to work together in achieving the mutual goal in restoring their language and cultural identity.

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}