Language, Identity, and Marginality in Indonesia

Joel C. Kuipers

ISBN 10: 0521624959 / ISBN 13: 9780521624954

Published by Cambridge University Press, GB, 1998

About this Item

Indonesia's policy since independence has been to foster the national language. In some regions, local languages are still political rallying points, but their significance has diminished, and the rapid spread of Indonesian as the national language of political and religious authority has been described as the 'miracle of the developing world'. Among the Weyewa, on the island of Sumba, this shift has displaced a once vibrant tradition of ritual poetic speech, which until recently was an important source of authority, tradition, and identity. But it has also given rise to new and hybrid forms of poetic expression. This first study to analyse language change in relation to political marginality argues that political coercion or cognitive process of 'style reduction' may partially explain what has happened, but equally important in language shift is the role of linguistic ideologies.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780521624954

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Language, Identity, and Marginality in Indonesia
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, GB
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521624959
• ISBN 13: 9780521624954
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 310 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The rapid spread of Indonesian as the national language of Indonesia has diminished the significance of local languages. On the island of Sumba, this shift has displaced a once vibrant tradition of ritual poetic speech, but has also given rise to new and hybrid forms of poetic expression. This book analyzes language change in relation to political marginality, revealing that political coercion or cognitive process of "style reduction" may offer a partial explanation, but equally important is the role of linguistic ideologies.

About the Author

Kuipers is Associate Professor of Anthropology at George Washington University.