Indonesian slang language
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Indonesian slang language (bahasa gaul or bahasa prokem) is an informal language of Indonesia primarily spoken in urban areas.
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[edit] History
Indonesian slang is the informal version of Indonesian or bahasa Indonesia. Despite its direct origins, Indonesian slang often differs quite significantly in both vocabulary and grammatical structure from the most standard form of Indonesia's national language.
Its native name, bahasa gaul (the 'social language'), was a term coined in the late 1990s where bahasa means 'language' and gaul means 'social', 'cool' or 'trendy'. Similarly, the term bahasa prokem (a more out-dated name for Indonesian slang) created in the early 1980s means 'the language of gangsters'. Prokem is a slang form of the word preman and was derived from the Dutch word free-man (lit. gangster).
Indonesian slang is predominantly used in everyday conversation, social milieus, among popular media and, to a certain extent, in teen publications or pop culture magazines. For those living in more urbanized regions of Indonesia, Indonesian slang language often functions as the primary language medium for communication in daily life. While it would be unusual to communicate orally with people on a casual basis with very formal Indonesian, the use of proper or 'good and correct' Indonesian ("bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar") is abundant in the media, government bodies, schools, universities, workplaces, amongst some members of the Indonesian upper-class or nobility and also in many other more formal situations.
Indonesian slang is an ever-evolving language phenomenon. This is, in part, due to its vocabulary that is often so different to that of standard Indonesian and Malaysian and also because so many new words (both original and foreign) are quite easily incorporated into its increasingly wide vocabulary list. However, as with any language, the constant changing of the times means that some words become rarely used or are rendered obsolete as they are considered to be outdated or no longer follow modern day trends.
[edit] Classification
At present, there is no formal classification for Indonesian slang language as it is essentially a manipulated and popularized form of the Indonesian language (the lingua franca of Indonesia known in Indonesian as bahasa Indonesia).
The Indonesian language is part of the Western Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages. According to the Ethnologue, Indonesian is modelled after Riau Malay, a form of Old Malay originally spoken in Northeast Sumatera.
[edit] Geographic distribution
Indonesian slang language is mostly spoken in urban regions of the Indonesian archipelago. Variations of slang language can be found from city to city, mainly characterised by derivatives of the different local ethnic languages. For example, in Bandung, West Java, the local slang language contains vocabulary from the Sundanese language while the slang found in Jakarta tends to be heavily influenced by English or the old Batavian dialect (i.e. the language of the original inhabitants of Jakarta or Batavia as it was known during the Dutch occupation). For more information relating to the geographics of Indonesian slang and regional influences, please see "Region Specific Slang" below).
[edit] Official status
Indonesian slang language is not an official language of Indonesia. However, it is a modified form of the Indonesian language and is widely used for everyday communication and in informal situations.
[edit] Sounds
Indonesian slang generally uses the same pronunciation as standard Indonesian, although there are many influences from regional dialects on certain aspects such as accent and grammatical structure. Loan words adopted from foreign languages (especially European) such as English or Dutch are often transliterated according to the modern Indonesian orthography. For example, 'please' is often written as plis. Another closely related phenomenon to arise in recent years is the formation of complex nouns or phrases created using a combination of English and Indonesian (slang) in the one sentence. A prime example of this is the phrase "so what gitu loh!", meaning "who cares?!" or quite simply "so what!" with added emphasis from the phrase "gitu loh". "Gitu" is an abbreviated form of the Indonesian word "begitu" meaning "like that/ such" while "loh" (also spelt lho) is simply a partical of expression commonly used in slang or conversational Indonesian to show surprise or instigate a warning. In these cases of combined, interlingual phrases, the original spelling (and quite often the pronunciation) of the foreign word(s) are retained. Hence, the English component of the Indonesian slang phrase "so what gitu loh!" remains relatively unchanged as far as spelling and pronunciation are concerned.
[edit] Grammar
The overall structure of Indonesian slang is not all that different from formal Indonesian, although in many cases sentences are simplified or shortened when necessary. The differences between formal and colloquial Indonesian are most evident in vocabulary and grammatical structures (eg. affixes).
[edit] Vocabulary
The structure of the Indonesian slang language is mostly derived from formal Indonesian, however its vocabularly is a different story altogether. Indonesian slang vocabulary is enriched by a combination of derivatives or loan words/ structures from foreign languages such as Min Nan commonly referred to as Hokkien, English, and Dutch, as well as local ethnic languages such as Batavian, Sundanese, and Javanese. However, in many cases, new words are simply created at random, their origins often quite obscure.
A large proportion of the vocabulary used in Indonesian slang language was developed from formal Indonesian through several methods [1], most of which are listed below:
- Nasalisation of active verb, shortening or exclusion of the original prefix and adding -in at the end of the word, for example:
- memikirkan (pikir) (to think) into mikirin
- menanyakan (to ask) into nanyain (exclusion of "me-")
- Adding -in at the end of the passive transitive verbs, for example:
- diajari (to be taught) into diajarin
- dipukuli (to be beaten) into dipukulin
- Adding ke- at the beginning of passive intransitive verbs, instead of using ter- and altering pronunciation from 'a' to 'e' (Javanese influence) for example:
- tertangkap (to be caught) into ketangkep
- terplését (to accidentally slip) into kepeleset
- Eliminating one or few letters of the word, for example:
- habis (depleted/ finished) into abis
- tahu (know) into tau
- Contraction of two or more words into one word, for example:
- terima kasih (thank) into makasih
- jaga image (to safeguard one's social image) into jaim
- Replacing letter a with e in some words (Javanese influence), for example:
- benar (correct) into bener
- pintar (smart) into pinter
- Contracting diphthong into monosyllabic letter, for example:
- kalau (if) into kalo
- pakai (use) into paké
- Addition/ exclusion of silent consonants and glottal stops to the beginning/ends of words:
- pakai (use) into paké or even pakék
- enggak (no, not) into nggak or ngga or even gak/ga
- Contracting the beginning three letters with the infix -ok- after the first letter (ended with closest consonant if the third letter is a vowel), for example:
- Bapak (father) into Bokap
- Jual (sell) into Jokul
- Berak (defecate) into Bokér
Some words are simply transliterated from English, for example:
- Sorry into sori
- Friend into prén
- Swear into suer
- Brother into bruer or bro
- Sister into suez or sis
Many words also emerged without following the above rules at all, many of which have their own unique history and/or origin. For example:
- Cuék (to ignore or to take something easy) - Popularized by the Indonesian singer Ruth Sahanaya in her 80s hit Astaga; most likely derived from the Malay word cuai, that means 'negligent'.
- Do'i (boyfriend / girlfriend) - Originated from the word dia (him/her) transformed by inserting letter 'o' in the middle and deleting the last letter 'a'. It is later transformed into Doski.
- Bokép' (pornographic film) - Originated from abbreviation BF which means 'Blue Film'. BF is read 'Be-Ef', which in its pidgin form is read as Be-Ep. The word Bokep obtained by inserting infix -ok- in between 'Be-Ep'.
- Jayus - Lame or corny; meant to be or sound funny, but it is not.
- Jijay - 'Disgusting' or 'grotesque'. Sometimes used to express a condition of 'utmost disgust'. Used in the phrase jijay bajay. The same rules apply to najis and najis jaya (sometimes changed to 'ji-ji' (or 'jijik') when speaking to a child)
- ABG / Abégé = Anak Baru Gede - Young Adults. An example of an abbreviated phrases transformed into a 'new' word.
[edit] Vocabulary evolution
[edit] Pre-1980s
- Kumpul kebo - Lit. means 'water buffalo-style gathering' or 'gather like cattle'. This term basically means that two people in a relationship are living together without being married, i.e. in a domestic partnership/ de facto relationship. To Kumpul kebo in Indonesia is considered immoral and sometimes illicit. For these reasons and also those relating to religion, Asian culture and general ethics, it is very much frowned upon in modern Indonesian society to do such a thing.
[edit] 1980s
1980s is the era of bahasa prokém. In this era, slang language vocabulary was formed by inserting the infix -ok- after the first consonant of a word, and deleting the last syllable, creating a totally new word.
For example, the word Bapak was broken into B-ok-apak and the last -ak is deleted, and the resulting word is Bokap which, until this day, is used as a slang term for Father.
The word Sekolah (School) was transformed into Skokul, but this word slowly become outdated and by 1990s the word was no longer used.
Other notable words such as mémblé, kécé, the sentence attribute Nih yé, and the exclamation Alamakjan! all emerged in the same decade.
[edit] New Millenium
Much of the slang language created post-2000 originated from the Indonesian LBGT community. The latest method for transforming a word is to take a different word which has a similar sound. For example, the word mau (want), is replaced with the word mawar originally meaning rose. Despite its creativity and originality, this latest form of Indonesian slang can be quite complicated to understand. For example: Akika tinta mawar macarena originates from the sentence written in proper Indonesian - Aku tidak mau makan meaning 'I don't want to eat'.
[edit] Region specific slang
[edit] Bandung slang
Bandung is the capital city of West Java province with a predominantly Sundanese culture. The Sundanese language has three levels or forms, namely: high (polite), middle class, and low (impolite). Bandung slang mostly uses derivative of Low Sundanese words such as Aing and Maneh.
One distinct characteristic of Bandung slang grammar is the often excessive use of the word anjing in a sentence. Anjing means dog, but its usage in Bandung slang is purely for emphasis, and not as a swearword. For example: Nasi goreng Jalan Madura ngeunah pisan, anjing! which means Fried rice in Madura Street is really delicious, you know!
[edit] Jakarta slang
Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia with a population of more than 12 million people. Consequently, such a huge population will undoubtedly have a role in the Jakarta slang evolution.
Some prominent examples:
- Bang (from 'abang')- Slang form of address for elder males/ brother.
- Bégo - Stupid
- Berapa duit? or Berapaan? - How much money/ how much is the cost?
- Doang - Only, that's all
- Emangnya kenapa? - So what? / What does it matter?
- Gilé! - An exclamation meaning crazy, as emphasis to a sentence or phrase.
[edit] Javanese slang
These slangs are shared across Central Java and Yogyakarta where Javanese is predominantly spoken. Like Sundanese which are spoken in Bandung, Javanese also has 3 different set of vocabularies, based on the politeness level. Common people usually talk with a mix between low-Javanese, middle-Javanese, and Indonesian. Some non-Javanese residents added their own dialects to the pot, resulting what is called the Central Java slang
Yogyakarta slang is also known as Basa Walikan, literally means 'Reverse Language' [2].
It is a transformation from Javanese, in which Javanese traditional character sequences are being switched with one another, using the formula below:
- ha na ca ra ka → pa dha ja ya nya
- da ta sa wa la → ma ga ba tha nga
- pa dha ja ya nya → ha na ca ra ka
- ma ga ba tha nga → da ta sa wa la
Using the above manner, the exclamation word Matamu! (which means: 'Your Eyes!') is transformed into Dagadu!, you can also using easier method to translate the slang using Easy Prokem Translator
[edit] Surabaya slang
As the second largest city in Indonesia and the capital of East Java, Surabaya uses a rougher dialect of Javanese and has a fairly complete list of its own slang. Javanese language originsted from the Central Javanese farmland and by the time it reached the coastal area of East Java, it changed from its original polite form into a more impolite version with the creation/ further adaptation of many new 'Javanese-style' words and swearwords, many of which are used throughout Indonesia today.
[edit] Manado slang
Manado slang, is widely used throughout the North Sulawesi province. It is used casually in everyday life and sometimes used in formal occasions. Many words are similar to the Indonesian. See: Manado Malay.
[edit] Medan slang
Medan is the capital of North Sumatra Province. Most of the slang from Medan are heavily influenced by Hokkien and Batak language.
[edit] Jambi & Palembang slang
Jambi and Palembang slang mostly involves changing the letter at the end of the word with letter 'o'. However, not all words can be modified to include the charateristic 'o', as this rule applies mostly to words ending with the letter 'a'.
Another characterisitc pattern of Jambi and Palembang slang involves the addition or replacement of the final letter of a word with 'k'.
- Pulak - pula (too)
- Aek - air (water)
[edit] Pontianak slang
Pontianak slang is influenced by Malay, Teochew and Dayaknese and sometimes combined with Hakka. It is spoken in the Malay dialect. These slang varieties are spoken throughout West Kalimantan.
