Ahem. Please pardon my bahasa "gado-gado"

When some Indonesians speak, they alternate between two or more languages in a single conversation. This is often seen to be comical and is often parodied. Other people believe it is a dangerous trend especially common to Indonesian millennials, the next generation of leaders.

If people are happy to alternate across different languages in a conversation, does it threaten the Youth Oath pledge to One Language, Bahasa Indonesia? Source: Image by Afiadi Soenarto/Creative Commons

Rasman is a lecturer in the English Language Studies Department at the Yogyakarta State University.  He explains to Sri Dean why students might actually benefit intellectually from using a blend of languages in the one discourse.

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Is code-switching a sign that Indonesians don’t’ respect their own language? Source: Image by sagitaip/Creative Commons.