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Bahasa gado‐gado: English in Indonesian popular texts
Author(s) -
MartinAnatias Nelly
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/weng.12313
Subject(s) - indonesian , selection (genetic algorithm) , privilege (computing) , identity (music) , government (linguistics) , sociology , linguistics , political science , computer science , law , aesthetics , art , artificial intelligence , philosophy
This study explores the relationship between language selection and identity construction in contemporary Indonesia via an examination of Indonesian popular texts published after 1998. Utilizing an interpretive textual analysis, I examine how the socio‐political situation has influenced language selection in the period following Suharto's rule (1966–1998), popularly known as the Reformasi era. Whereas national identity has been heavily government‐imposed and homogenous, in large part due to governmental regulation of language use, popular texts demonstrate that Indonesian identities are in fact multi‐faceted. I shed light on language selection ( bahasa gado‐gado ) as a strategic mechanism of resistance toward policies and social norms that privilege monolingualism.