UNS — As the center of science, technology, and art development that excels at the international level based on the noble value of national cultures is the vision of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta. This vision means, UNS tries to shine on the international stage without forgetting its national culture.
UNS is focused on preserving the Javanese language as the local language and the basis of Surakarta City through its two programs. At the end of February 2021, uns.ac.id received an opportunity to discuss with the Head of Local Literature (Javanese Language and Literature) Program and Javanese Language Education Program on Javanese language development.
Dr. Supana, M.Hum., the Head of Local Literature (Javanese Language and Literature) Program Faculty of Cultural Studies (FIB), stated that Javanese language mastery, especially in the young generation, has decreased significantly. He highlighted the errors in pronouncing or writing phonemes or language sounds. A simple example of this issue is the subtitle in Javanese song videos, mostly writing mistakes. For example, the spelling of ‘kutha’, is often written as ‘kutho’. The most common mistake is between the letter ‘a’ which pronounced ‘o’. Another common mistake is in grammatical or language structure. For example, five people that should be translated into ‘wong lima’ are often translated into ‘lima wong’ as Indonesian grammar.
The impact of Indonesian grammar is unavoidable due to the Javanese people’s socio-cultural environment, especially in terms of entertainment media that is primarily delivered in Indonesian and is accessible for all walks of life. The local language is not well represented in the television program, and it is almost non-existent. “Similarly, in education, the language used is Indonesian. This affects the development of the young generation’s language. (They) do not fully understand the structure of Indonesian and Javanese languages, so many components are affected and mixed,” he explained.
Further, Dr. Supana mentioned the ‘tingkat tutur’ (level of formality), which is often discussed. The young generation, he said, are reluctant to use the Javanese language because they are afraid of making mistakes. This statement is supported by Dr. Djoko Sulaksono, S.Pd., M.Pd. as the Head of Javanese Language Education Program FKIP UNS. He stated that the use of Javanese language, especially ‘bahasa Jawa krama’ and ‘krama inggil’ (second level and third level formal Javanese), is concerning. Based on his observation, people rarely use Javanese, even among migrant people in their new location.
There is also an issue of forced absorption from another language to Javanese. People used a word from another language in the Javanese context even though in Javanese, similar words exist. For example, the use of ‘curiga’ in ‘aku curiga karo dheweke’ (I’m suspicious of him/her). “In Kawi Javanese (old Javanese), ‘curiga’ means keris (Javanese dagger). This (absorption) is due to ignorance over the real meaning. (People) often do this because copying without knowing the real meaning,” Dr. Djoko said.
Pay Attention to Policy
Considering the Javanese language development, Dr. Supana and Dr. Djoko shared their critics and suggestions in terms of formal education, family level education, and government policies. First, Dr. Supana commenting on the Javanese language course, which is provided only two hours a week. It is considered insufficient because learning Javanese does not stop at the language but also its alphabet, traditional arts, and other components. The Javanese language position as a local course also makes students less serious in studying the language. Thus, in terms of formal education at school, Dr. Supana considers Javanese language preservation efforts are lacking.
In terms of teachers, Dr. Supana mentioned that many Javanese language teachers have no Javanese education background. Many teachers are forced to teach the Javanese language. Dr. Supana added that this is related to the government policy. “Local language is not only about language but related to attitudes. Teachers should master the field. The role of local languages should also be improved,” Dr. Supana said.
In family education, many families currently introduced Indonesian as their mother tongue even if they live in the area with Javanese language, particularly in heterogenous urban areas. When using the Javanese language, people often disregard ‘tingkat tutur’ and often use ‘Jawa ngoko’ (informal Javanese) to talk to older people. Concerning this matter, Dr. Djoko emphasized the importance of the family role in speaking and training children in using Javanese language and developing a habit. If parents use the Javanese language well and correctly, their children will copy them. More importantly, starting from themselves, trying to use the Javanese language daily with people from the same region.
“To all students and alumni, I always reminded them to use the Javanese language. Do not be shy. With all of its forms, Javanese language is a heritage from our elders that should be maintained, conserved, and developed,” Dr. Djoko said. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti