Indonesian is the national language in Indonesia. You may have known Indonesian since childhood. However, do you know the origin of the Indonesian language? Listen carefully, yes.
Indonesian was born on October 28, 1928. At that time, young people from various corners of the archipelago gathered in the Youth Meeting and vowed (1) to shed one blood, the land of Indonesia, (2) to have one nation, the Indonesian nation, and (3) uphold the language of unity, Indonesian. This youth pledge is known as the Youth Pledge.
The third element of the Youth Pledge is a statement of determination that Indonesian is the language of the Indonesian nation’s unity. In 1928, Indonesian was confirmed its position as the national language.
Bahasa Indonesia was declared the state language on August 18, 1945 because at that time the 1945 Constitution was ratified as the State Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. In the 1945 Constitution it is stated that the state language is Indonesian (Chapter XV, Article 36).
The decision of the Second Indonesian Language Congress in 1954 in Medan, among other things, stated that the Indonesian language was derived from the Malay language. Indonesian language grew and developed from the Malay language which since ancient times has been used as a language of communication ( lingua franca ) not only in the Archipelago, but also in almost all of Southeast Asia.
Malay language began to be used in Southeast Asia since the 7th century. Evidence that states that is the discovery of inscriptions at Kedukan Bukit dated 683 AD (Palembang), Talang Tuwo dated 684 AD (Palembang), Kota Kapur dated 686 AD (West Bangka), and Karang Brahi dated 688 AD (Jambi). . The inscription is inscribed with Pranagari script in Old Malay language. Old Malay language was not only used during the Srivijaya era because in Central Java (Gandasuli) an inscription dated 832 AD was also found and in Bogor an inscription dated 942 AD also used Old Malay language.
In the Srivijaya era, Malay was used as the language of culture, namely the language of Buddhist textbooks. Malay is also used as the language of inter-tribal communication in the archipelago and as a trade language, both as a language between ethnic groups in the archipelago and as a language used for traders who came from outside the archipelago.
Information from a Chinese historian, I-Tsing, who studied Buddhism in Sriwijaya, among others, stated that in Sriwijaya there was a language called Koen-louen (I-Tsing: 63,159), Kou-luen (I-Tsing: 183) , K’ouen-louen (Ferrand, 1919), Kw’enlun (Alisjahbana, 1971:1089). Kun’lun (Parnickel, 1977:91), K’un-lun (Prentice, 1078:19), which coexists with Sanskrit. What is meant by Koen-luen is the language of communication (lingua franca) in the Archipelago, namely Malay.
The development and growth of the Malay language is more evident from the relics of the Islamic kingdom, both in the form of written stones, such as writing on tombstones in Minye Tujoh, Aceh, dated 1380 AD, as well as literary works (16th and 17th centuries), such as Syair Hamzah Fansuri , Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai , Sejarah Melayu , Tajussalatin , dan Bustanussalatin .
The Malay language spread to remote parts of the archipelago along with the spread of Islam in the archipelago. Malay is easily accepted by the people of the archipelago as the language of communication between islands, between tribes, traders, between nations, and between kingdoms because Malay does not recognize speech levels.
The Malay language is used everywhere in the archipelago and is growing and growing stronger. The Malay language used in the regions of the archipelago in its growth is influenced by regional cultural patterns. Malay language absorbs vocabulary from various languages, especially from Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and European languages. Malay language also in its development appears in various variations and dialects.
The development of the Malay language in the archipelago influenced and encouraged the growth of a sense of brotherhood and unity of the Indonesian nation. Intergroup communication that arose at that time used the Malay language. The Indonesian youths who joined the movement consciously raised the Malay language as Indonesian, which became the language of unity for the entire Indonesian nation (Youth Oath, October 28, 1928).
The national revival has pushed the development of the Indonesian language rapidly. The role of political activities, trade, newspapers, and magazines is very big in modernizing the Indonesian language. The proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, August 17, 1945, has confirmed the position and function of the Indonesian language constitutionally as the state language. Today, the Indonesian language is used by various levels of Indonesian society, both at the central and regional levels.
Well, that’s a brief history of the journey of the Indonesian language which has now been confirmed as the national language that unites the entire Indonesian nation. Come on, together we prioritize the use of the Indonesian language, preserve regional languages as part of the cultural richness of the archipelago, and don’t forget to learn to master foreign studies.