Language Maintenance of “Basa Walikan” as a Slang by Malang People

Abstract

The use of Walikan or Malangese slang language in daily communication among youth is hard to understand and consequently the local dialect will slowly disappear. This study aims to know why the use of 'Basa Walikan' as a slang in Malang is rarely used and how to maintain it. This study uses the qualitative method in which the data were collected by doing an observation and interview for people who use Basa Walikan. The participants are taken from Malang youth and adult people who still use 'Basa Walikan' in their daily life. Using narrative analysis by listening to the responses and experiences from the participants. The data were analyzed to respond to the two questions in this study. There are several contexts in which "Basa Walikan" is employed differently. To put it another way, the Malangese employed varies depending on the circumstances and locations. For instance, Basa Walikan is rarely used in an academic setting, but in a coffee shop, people speak "ipok," which is English for "coffee," and "kane," which is English for "delicious / good" (used to refer to food / beverages). The findings of this study can be evidence to support the recent development of Walikan use in Malang, Indonesia.