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The History of Indonesian Language

Indonesian Language

According to Wikipedia, the Indonesian language is a normative form of the Malay language, an Austronesian (or Malayo-Polynesian) language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Bahasa Indonesia was then elevated to the status of official language with the Indonesian declaration of independence in 1945, drawing inspiration from the Sumpah Pemuda (Youth’s Oath) event in 1928.

Another interesting fact about Indonesian language is that the language tends to be more extensively used and also regarded as a first language in urban areas, and is usually the second or even third language in rural areas. The language is still also widely used in East Timor, which was once an Indonesian province from 1975 to 1999, the Netherlands, and also in some parts of Australia (such as on Christmas Island and Cocos Islands).

The Influences of Other Languages on Indonesian Language

The modern Indonesian language which we use today is a highly unique language which has received many influences from many other languages, including: Arabic, Sanskrit, Hokkien (Chinese), Portuguese, Dutch, and many other languages. But the biggest influence has come from Dutch, with the staggering number of around 10,000 loanwords, as a result of 350 years of colonization.

Each influence it receives mostly relates to some different aspects. For instance, most loanwords from Chinese are related to food or trade since the Chinese people first came to Indonesia to trade and the native Indonesians also seemed to love the food which was introduced by the Chinese. Most loanwords from Arabic are associated with religion, which is Islam. And all these influences, including other influences, have formed the Indonesian language into what we have today.

Engaging in Indonesian Course – the Advantages

1. It saves you a lot of your valuable time. Definitely. This is because when you join a structured Indonesian course, you will follow a structural process which is suited to each individual’s needs and therefore you do not need to learn the ‘less’ important aspects. However, if the learners find it necessary, it is also possible that you learn another different subject from what has already been stated at the beginning.

2. We direct you efficiently and effectively to which aspect of Indonesian language you would like to focus on, whether it is in general conversation, political conversation, business and economic related topics, etc.

3. When you enroll yourself in an Indonesian course, the class and the atmosphere themselves make you more motivated to succeed more in less time.

Indonesian Course

For those looking for a class or group of Indonesian course, where the students can meet the teacher in a regular class, it is also possible that you either join a group or a private (with 1-1 composition) Indonesian course in Bandung, West Java. You can choose which one suits you best.

The Reasons to Join Indonesian Course

Why should you learn Indonesian language with us? Istana Indonesia is one of the leading Indonesian language learning institution which enables the students to learn the language online. The teachers are fully certified and highly professional.

We have several programs to offer in our Indonesian course programs:

Basic Level

At this level, we concentrate on increasing the learner’s communicative confidence and on developing vocabulary, while also addressing reading, writing and listening skills. This level is suitable for those who have never learned Indonesian language at all.

Intermediate Level

In this level the learners start to learn Indonesian grammar which is essential in formal Indonesian writing skills. The students are also introduced to some Indonesian slang words which are mostly used in daily conversation.

Advanced Level

This level caters for learners who want to learn Indonesian Language in more depth and achieve fluency. Advanced training continues from the Intermediate level and the complexity of the grammar is increased. Media used include radio, television, video, newspapers and magazines.

Special Program

Interested in becoming an Indonesian language teacher? Join our special program called Indonesian language teaching program. This program is suitable for those who are interested in becoming an Indonesian language teacher so they will know exactly how to teach Indonesian language to the English speaking people the correct and the most efficient way to get the maximum results. This program teaches you in great detail on how to teach children and adults and also how to measure the students’ improvement.

More info on Indonesian course:

• Learn Bahasa with the Expert
• The Most Effective Way to Learn Indonesian

Indonesian Language Course

Most people want to take an Indonesian language course to learn to speak Indonesian fast. But some people also give up on the learning process because they became bored pretty quickly with the learning format. That is why it is so important to begin with an Indonesian language course which teaches your second language the same way you learned your first language. That is with interactivity, strong images, rewards for learning and reinforcement.

A private class is also suitable for those who have specific needs and want to develop his/her Indonesian language skills on that particular interest, such as to develop his/her Indonesian language skills in political and economic fields.

A bigger group (class) would only be suitable for those who have similar language skill level.

And speaking about online language courses, the internet has really changed a great deal about the way people learn Indonesian and other languages. The internet is all about interactivity and strong visuals which are specifically designed to improve memory while offering a fun learning environment. Therefore taking an online Indonesian course can be a truly rewarding experience, too, and mainly because it is internet based so that it is quite easy to get the whole family or friends involved in the learning activity. The online Indonesian language course is also suitable for those who have limited time and space. While you use the internet to learn Indonesian, when surfing, you can also fine fun language games, Indonesian movies, Indonesian music, and even Indonesian podcasts. All of these extras are some simple ways to speak Indonesian language quickly and fluently yet maintaining the fun learning process at the very same time.

These things must be put into your consideration when you decide to enroll into an Indonesian language course. As a student, you must also be aware of how the lesson is delivered, and the proportion of teaching, exercise, or test.

If you decide to choose a conversation class, be sure of what kind of conversation you are interested in. It is because a children class is completely different from an adult’s class. And even there are more divisions within the adult’s class itself. You have to let the teacher know what kind of subject you want to focus more, whether you want to focus more on daily conversation, or politics, or economics, or even combination of all.

Divisions in Indonesian Language Course

Just like the English language, there are many divisions in the Indonesian language course. Some students might also be interested in learning the Indonesian grammar, which tells you the knowledge of suffixes and other aspects, including phrases and proverbs. These grammar issue might seem a little bit complicated at the beginning. But as you’ve started to learn and practice, you’ll realize just how easy it is!

After reading this post, you might also be interested in reading another post about “Speaking Indonesian”

Examples of Indonesian Languages

Sundanese

According to Wikipedia, Sundanese (which is also called Basa Sunda in local Sundanese dialect) literally means “language of Sunda”) is the language of about 27 million people from the western part of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population.

The Sundanese language appears to be most closely related to Madurese and Malay, and more distantly related to the Javanese language, mostly spoken in Central and East Java.

Javanese

The Javanese language (or also called basa Jawa in Javanese or simply bahasa Jawa in Indonesian language) is the language of the people in the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java. It is the native language of more than 75,500,000 people.

The Javanese language is part of the Austronesian family, and is therefore related to Indonesian and other Malay varieties. Most Sundanese and Javanese speakers also speak Indonesian for official and commercial purposes and to communicate with non-Javanese Indonesians.

Both of these Indonesian languages are the mostly spoken Indonesian dialects in Indonesia. The other Indonesian languges are Balinese, Batak, and other dialects. It is estimated that there are around 300 Indonesian dialects in Indonesia. Despite the fact that there are so many dialects in Indonesia, almost all Indonesians can speak Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian language as the national language, therefore it is essential to learn Indonesian language while staying in Indonesia.

The Fact About Indonesian Languages

Indonesian Languages

Therefore if you want to interact more with the locals, it is strongly suggested that you learn bahasa instead of any other Indonesian languages since most Indonesian people can speak Indonesian language.

But in some cases you might also be interested in learning one of those Indonesian languages, especially if you are a researcher who needs to interact more with people in a certain location or village.

Indonesia, which has amazing history for hundreds of years, is a rich country which has a lot of cultures, customs and languages. And their diverse Indonesian languages reflect the beautiful cultures they have.

After reading this post you might also be interested in reading my other post on Indonesian Course