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LANGUAGE MODERNIZATION IN INDONESIA
(VOCABULARY, SYNTAX, SEMANTICS AND MORPHOLOGY)

Introduction

As one of the world's living languages, Indonesian has both diachronically and
synchronically shown its vitality and dynamic as a modern language. Just as the English
language has extensively enriched its terminology by borrowing from many of the
world's languages, so too has Indonesian modernized its lexical stocks through
borrowing from other languages. This tremendous speed of the modernization of the
Indonesian language has contributed a new phenomenon in the use of language that in
our present situation, most people prefer to use English-sounding words at the expense
of their Indonesian equivalents that eventually causes a vast number of local languages
in a moribund state and in danger of extinction.
Elements from European languages, especially English, have massively influenced the
expansion of Bahasa Indonesias lexicons. For instances, a recent headline in a leading
Indonesian newspaper read "Menteri loyal kepada bangsa" (Ministers are loyal to the
nation). In the same newspaper in an op-ed piece, a writer wrote of "tsunami yang
masif dampaknya dan eskalasinya." (a tsunami that has a massive impact and
escalation). Neither the headline nor the quote from the article really sound Indonesian.
It is quite risky assuming that all readers are able to decipher the word loyal, masif and
eskalasi while Indonesian words such as bakti, besar, meningkatkan can be used and
certainly produced no difficulties to be understood by the readers.
It is assumed that a modernization of language is crucial in fitting of the needs of
the language itself to expand and its users to join the global condition nowadays. It is a
natural phenomenon that languages change, develop, update their vocabulary, and
undergo semantic changes. Languages, first of all, as means of communication are
influenced by different changes in society. However, this kind of phenomenon
presented above is an existed proof of how language modernization significantly affects
the use of language and creates a tendency of the people to use the modernized forms of
language rather that its existed forms. Therefore, this paper attempts to provide an
insight to overcome the problem by presenting the explanation of language
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modernization and its processes related to four linguistics aspects, namely vocabulary,
syntax, semantics and morphology.

Language Modernization in Four Aspects:
(Vocabulary, Syntax, Semantics and Morphology)

Del Rosario (1968) mentioned that modernization is, for some purposes, to be
understood as the fitting of a language to recent or present times and conditions, which
are characterized by the dominance of science and technology in all areas of human
activity. He further clarified that modernization is a highly relative term, both in relation
to degree of change, and in its relation to the changes of the social environment in
which the language is used.
It is also suggested that language modernization, as defined by Charles Ferguson
(1968 in Sridhar) is a process by which (a language becomes) the equal of other
developed languages as a medium of communication; it is in a sense the process of
joining the world community of increasingly intertranslatable languages recognized as
appropriate vehicles of modern forms of discourse". Ferguson further explained his
concepts of modernization processes related to two aspects: (a) the expansion of the
lexicon of the language by new words and expressions and, (b) the development of new
styles and forms of discourse. A
All languages go through a process of modernization at various periods in history.
In addition to the natural growth of the lexicon through semantic change, speech
communities need to consciously add to their vocabularies in order to cope with new
concepts and objects.
With respect to degree of change, there are four aspects of central aspects of
language modernization: the vocabularies, the syntactical system which deals with the
sequencing of morphemes, the semantic system which assigns meaning to the stock of
morphemes, and the morphological code of the language.

a. Vocabulary
Modernization has embraced all aspects of vocabulary and there are four processes
in relation to modernizing vocabularies, namely adoption and adaptation, creation and
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translation. Adoption occurs when language users take the form and the meaning of the
foreign word entirely (the pronunciation is adjusted to the recipient language). For
example, in Bahasa Indonesia, we have the words supermarket, plaza, burger and
so on which are copy-paste forms from English words just like status to status as
the first example in the table. The second one is adaptation which occurs when language
users just take the meaning, while the spelling and the writing are adjusted to the nature
of Indonesian language. For instances, the word opsi from option as the examples
above about police becomes polisi, computer to komputer and modern to
moderen. To adjust the spelling and writing of the words, one has to refer to the
guidelines for writing terms that have been published by the government. The third is
creation which occurs when speakers just take the basic concepts that exist in the source
language, and then look for the equivalent in Indonesian, for instance effective
becomes tepat hasil. The last one is translation, which is a rendering of foreign
vocabulary into Indonesian, for example, overlap which is tumpang tindih, similar to
the example of postcode becomes kode pos.

b. Syntax
Modernization in the syntactical form of the Indonesian language has not gained
significant amount as the other aspects. However, Chaer (2004: 138) noticed that
change in Indonesian syntax rules also could be witnessed. For example, according to
the syntactic rules an active transitive sentence must always have the object; or with
another formulation, each active transitive verb must always be followed by the object.
But today many transitive active sentences that do not have the object, such as:
- Reporter anda melaporkan dari tempat kejadian.
- Sekretaris itu sedang mengetik di ruangannya.
These sentences show that there has been a slight change in the use of active
transitive verb that initially has to have an object following. Along with the
modernization of the language, the language users do not consider to apply it anymore.

c. Semantics
According to Sridhar, modernizing language in terms of its semantical point of view
relates to the strategy of reinterpretation. Reinterpretation is giving a specialized
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meaning to existing words in the modern context. The process of reinterpretation is
supported by the development of sciences and technology that causes a certain word
that originally means A changes the meaning into B or C. For instances the word
sastra that initially means letters or writings has been reinterpreted into reading,
then reinterpreted further into a piece of literature that has linguistic content and in the
correct form of language.
The other factor that causes reinterpretation is the modernized use of the language
itself. Every area of life or activity has its own vocabulary that is only known and used
by a particular meaning in the field. Words that are specialized vocabularies in a certain
field can be used in other fields or even transformed into the general vocabulary.
Therefore, these words have a new meaning or some other meaning besides its original
meaning. For example, the word membajak and all its variation forms such as
pembajakan, dibajak, bajakan, pembajak, which are derived from agriculture has now
been employed in other fields by different meaning melakukan dengan kekerasan atau
paksaan untuk memperoleh keuntungan as appeared in the phrases membajak pesawat
terbang, buku bajakan, kaset bajakan, kapal dibajak, etc.

d. Morphology
Along with the modernization of Indonesian language, there are several affixes and
suffixes that are borrowed into the wording of the language as follows, (Wahyu, 2008):
Affixes
- a- as in amoral, asosial, anonym, asimetris which means not.
- bi- as in bilateral, biseksual, bilingual, bikonveks which means two.
- de- as in dehidrasi, devaluasi, dehumanisasi, deregulasi which means
eliminate.
- eks- as in eks-prajurit, eks-presiden, eks-karyawan, eks-partai terlarang which
means former.
- ekstra- as in ekstra-universiter, ekstra-terestrial, ekstra linguistic, ekstra-ketat,
ekstra-hati-hati. This prefix means add, outside or very.
- hiper- as in hipertensi, hiperseksual, hipersensitif which means more or
very
- in- as in inkonvensional, inaktif, intransitive. This prefix means no.
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- infra- as in as in infrastruktur, inframerah, infrasonic. This prefix means in.
- ko - for example on kokulikuler, koinsidental, copilot, kopromotor. This prefix
meaning 'together' or 'well'.
- kontra- for example on the kontradiksi, kontrasepsi. This prefix meaning
'opposite' or 'against'.
- makro- for example in the, makroekonomi, makrolinguistik. This prefix means
'big' or 'in a broad sense'.
- mikro- as in mikroorganism, mikrocosm, mikrofilm. This prefix meaning 'small'
or 'microscopic'.
- multi as in multipartai, , multi-kompleks, multilateral, multilingual. This prefix
meaning 'many'.
- neo- as in neocolonialisme, neofeodalisme, neorealisme. This prefix means
'new'.
Suffixes
- asi/isasi as in afiksasi, konfirmasi, nasionalisasi, kaderisasi, komputerisasi.
The suffix states 'process to make' or 'adding'.
- asme as in pleonasme, aktualisme, sarkasme, antusiasme. This suffix states
objects.
- i/wi/iah as in hakiki, maknawi, asasi, asali, duniawi, gerejani, insani, harfiah,
unsuriyah, wujudiyah. This suffix forms adjectives.
- ik (1) as in linguistik, statistik, semantic, dedaktik. This suffix states 'objects' in
the sense of 'science'.
- -ik (2) as in spesifik, unik, karakteristik, fanatik, otentik. This suffix forms
adjectives.
- is (1) as in kata praktis, ekonomis, yuridis, praktis, legendaries, apatis. This
suffix states adjectives
- is (2) as in kata ateis, novelis, sukarnois, marxis, prosaic, esei. This suffix has
suggested that people understand as referred to in the base form, or people who
are experts writing in the form as it is called in the base form.
- isme as in nasionalisme, patriotisme, hinduisme, bapakisme. Isme artinya
view.
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- or as in editor, operator, deklamator, moderator. This suffix means the person
acting as the people who have the intelligence as the basis of the word.
- ur as in donator, redaktur, kondektur, debitur, direktur. This suffix states
agentive or actor
- itas as in aktualitas, objektivitas, universitas, produktivitas. This suffix states
objects.
By the explanation provided above, we could see that the modernization of
Indonesian language have influenced all the four aspects of the language. Though,
modernization as a definite process occurring in the language may contribute to the
provision of the needs of the language and its users, it causes several problems that will
be addressed in next section.
Discussion
As previously mentioned in the beginning of this paper, the tremendous speed of
the modernization of the Indonesian language certainly cannot be avoided and in some
points, has contributed a new phenomenon in the use of language. In our present
situation, most people prefer to use English-sounding words at the expense of their
Indonesian equivalents that eventually cause a vast number of local languages in a
moribund state and in danger of extinction.
As we know that, the two aspects of the language, namely lexical items
(vocabularies) and morphology contribute the massive forms of modernized language
while the other two aspects, modernized forms of syntactical and semantic aspects
provide minor influences to the language. However, the former aspects have caused
enough thousands of Indonesian words that resemble English words. Lots of
them obviously serve an obvious purpose: they fill a gap in the vocabulary, for
instances, pistol, helikopter, komputer, novelis, komunisme, etc. There was no word to
convey those concepts before those borrowed words came along.
But the more interesting ones are the many that do not fill a gap. Instead they exist
alongside a twin word either native to the language or long ago assimilated into it
that means virtually the same.

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A few examples only of such pairs:
western word older synonym meaning
Berkompetisi bersaing to compete
Diskusi pembicaraan discussion
Evaluasi penilaian evaluation
Identitas jati diri identity
Informasi keterangan information

For example, diskusi exists alongside pembicaraan, both meaning discussion.
There are hundreds of such pairs: so many that when a speaker or writer consistently
chooses western words over their nonwestern twins it creates a distinctive style. And the
number of these pairs is growing all the time.
Sugiharto (2011) suggests that this phenomenon cannot be separated from the
exhaustive work of past Indonesian scholars from two radically different camps: the
modernists and the conservatives.
The modernists, represented mainly by the late Alisjahbana, preferred Western
words to be adopted and nativized into the Indonesian language. For Alisjahbana
(1976), terminology from Malay and local language was not always able to precisely
express concepts, ideas, and referents related to modernity. He also contended that
replacing Western words with local languages (especially Javanese) equivalents was an
indication of purism.
The overwhelming use of foreign terminology hitherto by educators, writers,
politicians, government officials, media commentators, entertainers and journalists, has
indeed been motivated by the spirit of these modernists.
These people often employ English words and phrases in their speech and writing
either via borrowing or code-switching in order to mark themselves as belonging to a
modern society, to reveal their knowledge (albeit very limited) of a foreign knowledge,
to appear educated, or to deliberately make a concept sounds more sophisticated to the
ears of their interlocutors.
In contrast, the conservatives central figure, the late Anton M. Moeliono, has
contributed significantly to the modernization of the Indonesian lexicon. In an attempt
to seek Indonesian counterparts to foreign terminology that dominated almost all
domains, Moeliono, known as the guardian of the Indonesian language, was consistent
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in resorting either to the Malay language or indigenous Indonesian languages for
reference.
Sugiharto (2010) further explained that Moeliono strongly believed that using
Indonesian and its indigenous languages was one of the most effective ways to
safeguard it from outside threats, such that Indonesian language users could take pride
in their national language. Therefore, this way of modernizing of language should be
maintained rather than the modernist concepts.
Moelionos legacy is now widely adopted by the Indonesian language users,
including such words as rekayasa (engineering), penyelia (supervisor), tenggat
(deadline), kudapan (snack), pantau (monitor), suku cadang (spare parts), and penyibak
aib (whistle blowers).
However, not all the terminology he unveiled gained acceptance and became part
of our daily communication. Words such as jasa boga (catering), warta merta (obituary),
sengkuap (canopy), umpan tekak (appetizer), and pranata (institution) are hardly used in
either spoken or written communication.
The tendency of people who often use foreign terms, both in the spoken language
and written must be absorbed and accommodated by language planners as valuable
inputs in formulating the concept of language in the future. That is, the tendency of the
modernization of the language that is now beginning to bloom in the midst of the
community in a variety must be addressed wisely. In other words, modernization is
needed in the face of global flows and so our language is really capable of being a
language of communication that is practical, effective, flexible, and open.
However, at the same time, we should not get in the modernization of excessive
language that erodes loyalty, love, and our pride to the national language and the
language of the country. Local language cultivation also needs reinvigorating in the face
of tough competition from the English predominantly used by people of all ages. While
issuing a policy banning the use of English terminology is counterproductive, the viable
options are to encourage the use of local language as a language of instruction and for
publications (e.g., books, magazines, and newspaper) to be written in local languages. It
is also important that the language users need to reduce the tendencies to use the foreign
form of the twin word and use the Indonesian form instead.

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Conclusion
There are four aspects of central aspects of language modernization: the vocabularies,
the syntactical system which deals with the sequencing of morphemes, the semantic
system which assigns meaning to the stock of morphemes, and the morphological code
of the language. These aspects contributed in the ways of modernizing language that
causes a phenomenon of the peoples tendencies of using the English-sounding words
rather than the existing local forms. In order to reduce this phenomenon, the
maintenance of conservative way of modernizing language should be maintained. The
other important point is to encourage the local language as language of instruction and
for publications. Overall, unless truly needed, the use Indonesian language forms by the
societies have to be encouraged.

References
Alisjahbana, Sutan Takdir. (1976). Language planning for modernization. The case of
Indonesian and Malaysian. The Hague: Mouton.
Chaer, Abdul and Leoni Agustina. (2004). Early introduction sociolinguistics. Jakarta:
Rineka Copyright.
Del Rosario, G. (1968). A modernization-standardization plan for the austronesian-
derived national languages of southeast Asia. Asian Studies, 6(1), 1-18.
Sridhar, S.N. (). Language modernization: structural and sociolinguistic aspects.
Retrieved September 25
th
2014 from https://sbsuny.academia.edu/SNSridhar
Sugiharto, Setiono. (2009). Logic, consequences of language borrowing. Retrieved
September 25
th
2014 from www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/28/logic-
consequences-language-borrowing.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk
Wahyu, T. (2008). Pembentukan kata. Retrieved September 25
th
2014 from
http://t_wahyu.staff.gunadarma.ac.id/