Text

Words in motion : language and discourse in post-new order Indonesia

Political changes since the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998 have had a significant impact on linguistic and discursive practices in Indonesia. The language policy of the state has become less restrictive than in the past, when Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) was vigorously promoted as one of the symbols of the unity of the country's diverse ethnic groups. Monolingualism in public space has given way to more fluid and pluralistic language use, and regional autonomy legislation enacted in 1999 has encouraged expressions of regional identities and aspirations, opening up a space for the promotion and use of regional languages in the media, education and the bureaucracy. Concurrently, technological development, in particular widespread access to the internet, has exposed Indonesian society much more directly than before to global flows of information, giving rise to changes stemming in part from sources outside Indonesia, but interpreted and shaped according to local conditions and socio-cultural practices. The meeting of these two vectors, one generated internally and the other coming from exposure to global trends, is producing a situation of diversity, fluidity and change in language use and discursive practice in contemporary Indonesian society. While contributors to this volume discuss Indonesian-language expression at the national level, a particular focus of the collection is on regional, local and minority languages, where problems associated with decentralization find their counterpart in the role that language plays in the workings of regional and national identity politics.

Availability

Detail Information

Series Title

-

Call Number

499.221 Fou w

Publisher

Singapore : NUS Press., 2012

Collation

312 p ; 23 cm

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789971696337

Classification

499.221

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

-

Subject(s)

INDONESIAN LANGUAGE

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

Other version/related

File Attachment