Local dialect
Like it or not, we all have an accent. Well for me I considered myself to have two accents. A messed up English accent (due to staying in some places for a considerably long time, association with friends, etc), and a Javanese accent when speaking Indonesian. Those two are completely unattached to each other. In other words, there's no connection between me speaking Javanese and me speaking English. Afterall I speak Javanese to Javanese people and English to other people who doesn't understand Javanese/Indonesian. The audience of the two are not the same.
From my experience, my speaking English was really crap to start with. It was still crap when I left Australia, but now from totally confusing becoming a bit understandable. The learning experience is still continuing until now. There are lots of people (who have conversed in English with me) which moulded and exercised my English accent. As I'm building my vocabulary list, unconsciously I'm taking some of the accents with me. Meanwhile, I still speak Javanese very regularly to my Javanese friends and family. My improvement in speaking English does not affect my Javanese accent. It doesn't change the way I speak Indonesian. I still have a Javanese accent when I speak Indonesian. It's simply because mostly the people I speak Indonesian to are Javanese. You see, no corelation whatsoever between Javanese and English.
This morning is not the first time that I heard opinions from non-Javanese Indonesian people who thinks their accent is superior to Javanese people. For my non-Indonesian friends, I must point out that "Javanese" here only refers to "people from Central and East Java". I myself always think of Sundanese and Jakartanese (uh what special people huh?) as Javanese. I never really understand why some people from West Java and Jakarta area distinguished themselves from the rest of Java. I guess it's just a matter of superiority-inferiority. Like here in England we talk about superiority and inferiority between Southerners (South Easterners) and Northerners. The South have better job-prospects, bla bla bla... This calling "Javanese" is like that too.
I'm actually proud that I belong to a group. I'm proud that I can still speak and write (very slowly) Javanese, a language that has its own script based on Sanskrit. I'm not ashamed at all of my Javanese accent when speaking Indonesian. Why should I? I think Sundanese and people from Jakarta do speak a different accent. It's just the way you speak Indonesian. I don't find it inferior to speak in Javanese accent, so why do they feel superior to speak in "Jakartanese" accent? I heard a few of my Javanese friends do feel inferior when speaking Indonesian to Jakarta people because they have Javanese accent. Hence they tried very hard to change their accent to "Jakartanese". This is absurd and unnecessary. To hell with people with superiority complex! I think we should be proud of who we are because that's what makes each of us special.
* Update on my mum's surprise: She received the flowers on Sunday morning her local time, and she was indeed very surprised when she saw the names of the sender :D She said it was a big arrangement and the flowers were beautiful, soft colours. Thanks, Debbie!
* I went to see Eric at his graduation day on Saturday evening. He looked handsome with that funny attire. Black robe with blue band at the back and huge tie at the front :D I thought I've achieved something too just by being inside the Senate Garden, because normally that place is closed to public.
* Asia Cup in China (football) - Indonesia won their first game against Qatar 2-1. Wow!
Another Asia Cup, in Sri Lanka (cricket) - India lost against Sri Lanka by 12 runs :D.
On that thought, this is a note for Virtual Primate: Archer, I commend you, and because of your skill, you shall get what's coming to you--- our royal congratulations. ...... Release the royal fingers. Aha. And now, I name you the winner, or more appropriately... THE LOSER!!!
*laughing hysterically on the floor*
From my experience, my speaking English was really crap to start with. It was still crap when I left Australia, but now from totally confusing becoming a bit understandable. The learning experience is still continuing until now. There are lots of people (who have conversed in English with me) which moulded and exercised my English accent. As I'm building my vocabulary list, unconsciously I'm taking some of the accents with me. Meanwhile, I still speak Javanese very regularly to my Javanese friends and family. My improvement in speaking English does not affect my Javanese accent. It doesn't change the way I speak Indonesian. I still have a Javanese accent when I speak Indonesian. It's simply because mostly the people I speak Indonesian to are Javanese. You see, no corelation whatsoever between Javanese and English.
This morning is not the first time that I heard opinions from non-Javanese Indonesian people who thinks their accent is superior to Javanese people. For my non-Indonesian friends, I must point out that "Javanese" here only refers to "people from Central and East Java". I myself always think of Sundanese and Jakartanese (uh what special people huh?) as Javanese. I never really understand why some people from West Java and Jakarta area distinguished themselves from the rest of Java. I guess it's just a matter of superiority-inferiority. Like here in England we talk about superiority and inferiority between Southerners (South Easterners) and Northerners. The South have better job-prospects, bla bla bla... This calling "Javanese" is like that too.
I'm actually proud that I belong to a group. I'm proud that I can still speak and write (very slowly) Javanese, a language that has its own script based on Sanskrit. I'm not ashamed at all of my Javanese accent when speaking Indonesian. Why should I? I think Sundanese and people from Jakarta do speak a different accent. It's just the way you speak Indonesian. I don't find it inferior to speak in Javanese accent, so why do they feel superior to speak in "Jakartanese" accent? I heard a few of my Javanese friends do feel inferior when speaking Indonesian to Jakarta people because they have Javanese accent. Hence they tried very hard to change their accent to "Jakartanese". This is absurd and unnecessary. To hell with people with superiority complex! I think we should be proud of who we are because that's what makes each of us special.
* Update on my mum's surprise: She received the flowers on Sunday morning her local time, and she was indeed very surprised when she saw the names of the sender :D She said it was a big arrangement and the flowers were beautiful, soft colours. Thanks, Debbie!
* I went to see Eric at his graduation day on Saturday evening. He looked handsome with that funny attire. Black robe with blue band at the back and huge tie at the front :D I thought I've achieved something too just by being inside the Senate Garden, because normally that place is closed to public.
* Asia Cup in China (football) - Indonesia won their first game against Qatar 2-1. Wow!
Another Asia Cup, in Sri Lanka (cricket) - India lost against Sri Lanka by 12 runs :D.
On that thought, this is a note for Virtual Primate: Archer, I commend you, and because of your skill, you shall get what's coming to you--- our royal congratulations. ...... Release the royal fingers. Aha. And now, I name you the winner, or more appropriately... THE LOSER!!!
*laughing hysterically on the floor*
posted by Monica | 8:52 AM
5 Comments:
Have to point out and clarify that the ones Mon Mon mentioned in her rant don't include me, who also have Jakarta accent... =P never really understand what kind of accent Jakarta people have, other than those who speak Betawi. =P Anyway, calm down, Mon... remember little Gita... don't want her to look like you-know-who, right? *wink*
Wuah, ha,ha,ha,ha.... lol
yeah, sometimes I was like that too, forgeting that Jakarta located at Java Island :giggle: ... I have no accent, except when I talked betawi accent which I picked up from TV hi,hi,hi.. maybe I should learn to appreciate people not based on what they from and sound like **wink, wink**
What I jealouse from people outside Jakarta, is the have 'kampung' to go home during school/uni break and they have extra language they can speak with others, whereas for Jakartan we only have Bahasa Indonesia, Betawi and Prokem ** uncivilize ** ... oh well, sigh...
don't know about accents man. i, personally, speak with a balinese accent. so, i am not concerned with the javanese, sundanese mumbo jumbo.
you've heard my voice sis..so how bout me ?? :p
It should be : "To hell with people with jakartanese accent!"
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