Among several hundred indigenous languages, Bahasa Indonesia gained pre-eminence as the national language of Indonesia during the country's first 50 years of independence. The fall of Soeharto in 1998 and the subsequent devolution of power to the regions might have been expected to lead to a resurgence in use of local languages but instead it appears to be English which is filling the ecological spaces. Propagated by government, demanded by employers, broadcast by the media, imposed by schools and encouraged by parents, the language not surprisingly occupies an important space in the developing mindset of many young Indonesians, going far beyond its actual practical value in daily life. Drawing on two empirical studies in Sumatra, one a large-scale evaluation of educational provision, the other a case study of English learning at school, the paper shows how the degree of investment which young Indonesians make in the language is not solely a matter of personal agency but is constrained by inequalities in the distribution of cultural, social and economic capital. Unless radical curriculum changes are introduced, the spread of English may in the long-term only serve to deepen these inequalities.
This paper examines the roles the English language is expected to play in contemporary war‐torn Afghanistan. It identifies 12 roles – some functional, others aspirational. English has a role to play in the development of Afghanistan, albeit limited, and it is believed to provide a means of escape, both literally and metaphorically. On the other hand, in some sections of society, English is seen negatively. In other contexts, English is required to play a neutral role between the two national languages. Analysis of the way that English is used in aspirational contexts suggests a parallel with shamanistic language: it does not need to be understood but, for its audience, the intended beneficiaries, that does not make it any less effective as a symbolic language, at least in the short term. In the longer term, however, as promised benefits fail to appear, English may increasingly be perceived negatively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.