So That Indonesians Don't Impressed With Stalls But Also Don't Look Foreigner, Apply Trigatra To Build Language

The Ministry of Education and Culture's Language Development and Development Agency at the Regional Language Revitalization Coordination Coordination Meeting (Rakor) (RBD) in Bali, Monday (20/3/2023). (Between/HO-Kemendikbudristek)

JAKARTA Not long ago a video showing a boy asking in English to people he met in a shopping center went viral on social media.

It is known that the boy's name is Nawid Yosufi. This eight-year-old creator content often uploads his activities of asking randomly to people he meets at the mall into his TikTok and Instagram accounts, @nawid_yosufi15.

What Nawid asked was only simple. An example is about news, age, name, work, to the matter of dreams of meeting artists. However, the video made by Nawid turned out to be liked by the public.

There have been millions of viewers who have watched the video of Nawid interviewing people randomly. Most praise the courage and how Nawid is quite fluent in English.

Language is an expression that contains the intention of conveying something to others. According to a number of experts, the main function of language is as a means of communication. Therefore, language is one of the main things that humans have learned since childhood.

Through language, a person can learn habits, customs, and culture. According to research, the role of language for early childhood is a means of thinking, means of listening, means of speaking and means so that children are able to read and write. Through this language, a person can convey his wishes and opinions to others.

Launching the Language Development and Language Development Agency, children obtain language indirectly by interacting with the surrounding environment. This acquisition is done by learning to say several words through the imitation process (mimicry).

In children, the language studied for the first time is a language that matches what is used in their smallest environment, namely family or what is often called mother tongue.

But along with the times and technological influences in the past few years, it is not uncommon for children to use two languages or bilinguals from an early age. This is what we see in the figure of Nawid. Nawid is only one of many children who are fluent in English, which is not his mother's language.

Thanks to technological developments, learning foreign languages, especially English, becomes easier. Bigger exposure to English from the environment, spectacle, and reading makes it easier for children to learn the language. This is still added to the ease of access from YouTube videos, one of the favorite mediums to learn foreign languages by self-taught.

According to a Child and Youth Psychologist from the University of Indonesia (UI) Applied Psychology Institute, Vera Itabiliana Hadiwidjojo, learning more than one language is useful for the development of the child's brain.

"Learning other languages makes the area of the brain involved in the language function more developed, the network of brain cells becomes stronger and adaptive to new things," Vera said, quoted by Antara.

Vera added, this also has an impact on other capabilities such as memor, communication, and socialization abilities. Studying more than one language is also able to sharpen cognitive functions and develop creativity.

In the midst of demands for the use of foreign languages to be able to compete globally, Indonesian regional languages are on the brink. The regional language in Indonesia is currently struggling hard not to be eroded by the increasing number of foreign language speakers.

As stated by the Head of the Center for Language Development and Protection and the Literature of Imam Budi Utomo, negative attitude of regional language speakers is one of the critical factors in the language of the region. Regional languages are considered not cool, have no economic value, and are synonymous with the impression of village people'.

"This negative attitude causes the regional language in Indonesia to be threatened with extinction," said Imam to VOI.

Based on data from the language situation of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemenbudristek), Indonesia has 718 regional languages or dialects spread across 2,560 observation areas.

As an effort to increase the extinction of regional languages in Indonesia, Kemenbudristek through the Language Development Education Development Agency promoted the regional language revitalization program.

This regional language revitalization program targets the younger generation, elementary, junior high, and high school age children, as well as the language lover community.

But as mentioned earlier, English played an important role in the 4.0 era, as this language is an international language used in global communications in various fields, including technology and business.

We are then faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, we need to learn foreign languages so that they are not left behind in the international arena. But on the other hand, regional languages must also be preserved in order to avoid the threat of extinction.

Imam emphasized, in the context of globalization and being part of the world community, Indonesians are expected to be able to master foreign languages, whether they are English, Arabic, or other foreign languages. However, mastery of foreign languages certainly does not necessarily shift the ability to speak regional languages, let alone Indonesian.

"The Language Agency carries the Trigatra Bangun Bahasa, which prioritizes Indonesian, preserves regional languages, and masters foreign languages," said Imam again.

The tradition was revealed from the spirit of the third item of the Youth Pledge, namely 'junjunging the language of unity, Indonesian'. The meaning of upholding the meaning of placing the Indonesian language in the highest position. Thus, regional languages and foreign languages may be used, but are under the position of Indonesian language.'

With Trigatra Bangun Bahasa, Indonesian people, especially young people, can use foreign languages and regional languages in line with. Thus, the younger generation continues to make a major contribution to the preservation of the regional language and culture of the nation, but still not left behind in the midst of the current of globalization.