As we already know, besides, Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia has so many more other local languages. Currently there are around 700 living languages in Indonesia.
Indonesia is also considered as the second country with the most widely used language with the first is Papua New Guinea. Why Indonesia has so many languages? Read the complete explanation below.
What languages are spoken in Indonesia
There are many languages spoken in Indonesia. Currently, there are around 700 living languages in Indonesia. This number does not include other languages that already died or no one speak using them again.
The national language of Indonesian people is bahasa Indonesia. This is also declared in the Youth Pledge on October 1928. Almost all of Indonesian people can speak in bahasa. The elderly that live in the village for a long time may be difficult to understand and speak in bahasa.
On several areas in Indonesia, they use local language to speak in daily conversations. The most used and the most popular local languages include Javanese, Sundanese, Minang, Batak, and many more.
Why Indonesia has so many languages
Indonesia is known as the largest archipelagic state in the world. This means that Indonesia consists of many islands that separated from one another.
One island and island have different races or tribes. Each tribe has its own unique language. As Indonesia has so many tribes, this leads to Indonesia also has so many languages.
In Indonesia, one local language can also has several different dialects. For example Javanese language. People in Central Java, East Java, and Yogyakarta mostly speak Javanese, but they have different dialect and other differences in terms of the vocabulary.
People that live near two regions, for example people live near Central and West Java (near Sundanese and Javanese area) can also have their own unique language and dialect. This is the uniqueness of Indonesian culture.
Advantages of having many languages
Having many local languages can be said as an advantage for Indonesia. This can become an identity and uniqueness of Indonesia that make it different from other countries.
Many people from all around the world are amazed by the richness of Indonesian cultures. Some of them even come to Indonesia to try to learn the local languages. This can be useful to promote Indonesian tourism.
For Indonesian people, the local language can be their own pride. However, they should also appreciate other local languages. The diversity and differences of languages should be appreciated and used as a tool to strengthen Indonesian people’s bond. Local language should be a pride, but not used as a tool to mock or to disfeature other local language.
That’s all the explanation to question why Indonesia has so many languages. I hope the information will be valuable for all of the readers. Thank you for reading.
Read more other explanation about Indonesian languages:
- Do Indonesian learn local language at school?
- How many languages are there in Indonesia?
- How Many Languages Do Indonesians Speak?
- How to learn Bahasa?
- What language do average Indonesian speak?