English, multilingualism and globalisation in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia is the second most linguistically diverse nation in the world. It has established its reputation as one of the largest markets of English language education. This paper examines the context of multilingualism in Indonesia in relation to the increasingly dominant role of English from my viewpoint as a researcher. I begin the paper by outlining how Indonesia is currently adapting to the role of English as a global language. I then discuss the position of English within the linguistic ecology of the country, highlighting how its promotion in the educational system adversely affects the maintenance of the indigenous and heritage languages. Finally, I point to the need for deliberate action in education that promotes multilingualism. I argue for a redirection in the Indonesian educational system towards multilingual education in order to ensure the preservation of the indigenous and heritage languages while adopting English as a Lingua Franca.

English language education in Indonesia: A review of research (2011–2019)

“…This is done while they continuously negotiate their identities as both Indonesians and English users, a phenomenon which Dewi called a 'distinctive Indonesian identity'. Such a positive attitude towards English is also captured in Zein (2019). He stated that Indonesia's multilingual context dictates a move towards multilingual education.…”

“…The emergence of English as a new centre of normativity is evident in light of the increasing prestige of the language within society and the prevalent social discourse that deems English important for social mobility, upward economic mobility and participation in the global economy (cf. Coleman, 2016a; Dewi, 2014; Hamied, 2012; Manara, 2013; Zein, 2019; Zentz, 2017). This is apparent with the proliferation of labelling and promotion where new products from soaps to shampoos, from snacks to instant noodles, from clothes to young adult novels are all in English.…”

“…But indigenous and heritage languages struggle to co-exist alongside a national language (Indonesian). Concerns over language endangerment are mounting (see Anderbeck, 2015), and there are repeated calls for the development of multilingual and multicultural education (Hamied, 2012;Raihani, 2017;Zein, 2019). Meanwhile, amid the transition from English as a foreign language (EFL) to English as a lingua franca (ELF) (Zein, 2018a), opinions are divided as to whether English is detrimental to indigenous languages (Coleman, 2016a(Coleman, , 2016bHadisantosa, 2010;Sugiharto, 2015a) or beneficial for upward mobility and participation in international communities such as the ASEAN (Hamied, 2013;Zein, 2019).…”

“…Indonesia, being a populous country in the non-English-speaking world, continues to become an important market for English language education. It also holds a prominent position within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) community where English has become the driving force for globalization with influences extending beyond the linguistic sphere to also reach the economic, political, cultural, and ideological ones (Hamied, 2013; Zein, 2019).…”

Acquisition Planning for Regional Indigenous Heritage Languages in Indonesia

“…Complicating the problem is the growing presence of English, in which RIHLs have been pressured by Indonesian, which, in turn, has been pressured by English (Coleman, 2016). Subtractive multilingualism, a situation where the acquisition of a language replaces or marginalizes other languages (Lambert, in Herdina & Jessner, 2002), has taken place, in which the RIHLs have lost to Indonesian and English (Zein, 2019).…”