Language Family

Indonesian is part of the Austronesian language family, which is one of the largest language families in the world. This family includes languages spoken across Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Madagascar, and parts of Oceania.

More specifically, Indonesian belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch, and it is closely related to:

• Malay (Bahasa Melayu) spoken in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore

• Tagalog/Filipino in the Philippines

• Javanese, Balinese, and other local languages within Indonesia

Despite being based on Classical Malay, Indonesian has developed its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and identity over the last century.

Geographic Distribution and Number of Speakers

Bahasa Indonesia is spoken primarily in:

1. Indonesia:

• The official language of government, education, media, and business.

• Used by more than 200 million people as a second language.

• Only about 45 million people speak it as their mother tongue, mostly in urban areas or families that have adopted it over generations.

2. East Timor (Timor-Leste):

• Indonesian is recognized as a working language, alongside Portuguese and Tetum.

3. Malay-speaking regions:

• In Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, Bahasa Indonesia is mutually intelligible with Bahasa Melayu.

• In these regions, Indonesians and Malays can generally understand each other, although there are vocabulary and pronunciation differences.

4. The Indonesian Diaspora:

• In countries like the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the United States, there are communities of Indonesians who maintain the language.

Brief History of the Indonesian Language

The development of Indonesian is closely linked with Malay, which has served as a trade language in Southeast Asia for over a thousand years.

Pre-colonial era:

• Classical Malay was already being used widely in commerce and diplomacy as early as the 7th century.

• It was the lingua franca of the Srivijaya Empire, and many inscriptions and manuscripts from this era are in Old Malay.

Islamic period:

• From the 13th century, with the spread of Islam, Malay became a medium for religious and literary works, often written in Jawi script (a version of Arabic).

Colonial period:

• Under Dutch colonial rule, Malay was used as an administrative language, but Dutch was the official language.

• A modified form of Malay was used for education and Christian missionary work.

The birth of Bahasa Indonesia (20th century):

• In 1928, during the Indonesian nationalist movement, young intellectuals proclaimed the “Sumpah Pemuda” (Youth Pledge), choosing Bahasa Indonesia as the national language.

• This was a major symbolic step in creating unity across the archipelago.

Post-independence era:

• After independence in 1945, Bahasa Indonesia was officially adopted as the national and official language.

• Efforts were made to modernize the language, add scientific and academic vocabulary, and simplify grammar and spelling.

Derived Languages and Dialects

Indonesian itself is not derived from a single dialect, but it is based primarily on Riau Malay (a dialect spoken in eastern Sumatra).

Though Indonesian is a standard language, there are regional varieties:

• Jakartan Indonesian has slang and expressions from Betawi and youth culture.

• Eastern Indonesian may include more Papuan influences.

• Balinese Indonesian, Javanese Indonesian, etc., include borrowings from local languages.

Indonesian has also influenced the creation of Indonesian-based creoles and pidgins in urban and remote areas.

Writing System

Bahasa Indonesia uses the Latin alphabet (A–Z), introduced by the Dutch and maintained after independence. It previously used the Arabic Jawi script, but this is now obsolete in Indonesia.

The language has undergone orthographic reforms to standardize spelling:

• In 1972, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed on a unified spelling system known as Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan (EYD), or “Perfected Spelling.”

Key features:

• No tones or complex pronunciation rules.

• Words are generally phonetic, meaning they are spelled how they sound.

• Loanwords come from Dutch, Arabic, Sanskrit, Portuguese, Chinese, and English.

Examples:

• “School” (Dutch: school) → Indonesian: sekolah

• “Book” (Arabic: kitab) → Indonesian: kitab

Grammar and Structure

Indonesian is known for its simplicity and regularity, making it accessible for learners.

Key features:

• No verb conjugation based on tense or subject.

• No gender, no articles, no plural markers unless contextually needed.

• Affixation is used to change word forms and meanings (prefixes, suffixes, infixes).

Example:

• tulis (write) → menulis (to write), penulis (writer), tulisan (writing)