A Comparative Sociolinguistic Analysis of Indonesian and Local Language Use: Evidence from Public and Islamic Boarding Schools in Gunungputri
Abstract
This study investigates the dynamics of language use and attitudes toward bilingual practices in two contrasting institutional contexts in Indonesia: a public junior high school (SMPN 04 Gunungputri) and an Islamic boarding school (Pesantren Rumah Al-Qur’an Daarut Tarbiyah). Guided by sociolinguistic theories of language shift and maintenance, the research explores how national and local languages interact within educational and domestic domains. Employing a mixed-method design with survey questionnaires and descriptive statistical analysis, data were collected from students in both institutions to examine intergenerational transmission, language practices at school and home, and attitudes toward bilingualism. The results indicate that while Bahasa Indonesia overwhelmingly dominates in formal educational settings, local languages remain vital in home and community domains, with maternal figures playing a central role in intergenerational transmission. Students across both institutions expressed strongly positive attitudes toward bilingual practices, high confidence in using both languages, and firm resistance to eliminating local languages. Notably, pesantren students demonstrated stronger endorsement of the benefits of bilingualism compared to their counterparts in public schools, suggesting that religious schooling may reinforce rather than diminish multilingual repertoires. These findings highlight the complex interplay between institutional environments, national policies, and cultural identity in shaping linguistic behavior. The study implies that policies to sustain linguistic diversity should move beyond family and community spheres by incorporating local languages into school curricula and extracurricular activities, thereby strengthening both cultural heritage and national cohesion
References
Abtahian, M. R., Cohn, A. C., & Yanti. (2022). Language labeling and ideology in Indonesia. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2022(277), 147–171. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0104
Alwan, H., Audina Pratiwi, D., Ramafasalbi, R., Veny Indrasih, J., & Repelita, T. (2024). The role of Indonesian language as a national language. Jurnal Disastri, 6(3), 139–145. https://doi.org/10.33752/disastri.v6i3.6746
Andriyanti, E., & Riazi, M. (2020). Competition of Javanese and Indonesian: A mixed-methods approach to young multilinguals’ language choice. LITERA, 19(3), 340–360. https://doi.org/10.21831/ltr.v19i3.34993
Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (5th ed.). Multilingual Matters. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=HgbPBQAAQBAJ
Balqis, Q. N., & Basuki, A. (2022). Code-switching in Londokampung Youtube videos. Lexicon, 9(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.22146/lexicon.v9i1.66192
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bromham, L., Dinnage, R., Skirgård, H., Ritchie, A., Cardillo, M., Meakins, F., Greenhill, S., & Hua, X. (2021). Global predictors of language endangerment and the future of linguistic diversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(2), 163–173. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01604-y
Cohn, A. C., & Ravindranath, M. (2014). Local languages in Indonesia: Language maintenance or language shift? Linguistik Indonesia, 32(2), 131–148. https://doi.org/10.26499/li.v32i2.22
Collins, J. T. (2022). Language death in Indonesia: A sociocultural pandemic. Linguistik Indonesia, 40(2), 141–164. https://doi.org/10.26499/li.v40i2.347
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Dominguez-Whitehead, Y., Liccardo, S., & Botsis, H. (2016). Language, identity, and ideology: High achieving scholarship women. South African Journal of Higher Education, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.20853/27-3-262
Fauziyah, H. Z., & Rohmah, Z. (2025). Between tradition and hierarchy: Language policy in preserving linguistic uniqueness in East Java Islamic boarding schools. Lingua Didaktika: Jurnal Bahasa dan Pembelajaran Bahasa, 19(1), 94. https://doi.org/10.24036/ld.v19i1.129315
Fitriati, A., Nirwinastu, D. G., & Tantio, H. A. (2025). Exploring teenager’s language attitudes towards Javanese language. Journal of Language and Literature, 25(1), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.24071/joll.v25i1.10539
Han, H., & Varghese, M. (2019). Language ideology, Christianity, and identity: Critical empirical examinations of Christian institutions as alternative spaces. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 18(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2019.1569525
Hornberger, N. H. (2008). Introduction: Can schools save Indigenous languages? Policy and practice on four continents. In Can schools save Indigenous languages? (pp. 1–12). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582491_1
Kertiasih, N. N. (2018). Bahasa Indonesia dan nasionalisme di Indonesia. Kulturistik: Jurnal Bahasa dan Budaya, 2(1), 187. https://doi.org/10.22225/kulturistik.2.2.808
Kushartanti, B. (2020). The linguistic choice by Indonesian-speaking adolescents: A case study in Tangerang. Linguistik Indonesia, 38(1), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.26499/li.v38i1.141
Li, L., & Huang, J. (2021). The construction of heterogeneous and fluid identities. Internet Pragmatics, 4(2), 219–246. https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00046.li
Misnadin, M., & Yuliawati, S. (2023). Language attitudes of the Madurese community toward Madurese, Indonesian, English, and other foreign languages. Humaniora, 35(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.22146/jh.81884
Muhammad, F. R., & Purbani, W. (2024). The imbalance case in multilingualism practices at pesantren: Students’ voices. Indonesian Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 1(1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.61251/ijoep.v1i1.42
Noveintine, D. K. (2024). Javanese language shift to Indonesian among young people in Sleman, Yogyakarta. ULIL ALBAB: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, 4(2), 464–478. https://doi.org/10.56799/jim.v4i2.6729
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Pramuniati, I., Mahriyuni, M., Hardini, T. I., & Hidayati, F. (2025). Language shift between generations: Regional-speaking parents raise Indonesian-speaking children in North Sumatra. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 102–115. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.66704
Putra, J. R., & Musigrungsi, S. (2022). Indonesian EFL teachers’ beliefs about incorporating cultural aspects in their multilingual and multicultural EFL classrooms. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 28(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2022-2801-06
Samuel, J. (2025). Education and regional languages in Indonesia: Between necessity, indifference and regret. Moussons, 45, 61–89. https://doi.org/10.4000/147jp
Sofyan, A., Bayu Firmansyah, M., Muta’allim, M., Markiano Solissa, E., & Rosikh, F. (2022). Islamic boarding school linguistic landscape in the development of Arabic language skills and Islamic knowledge. International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences, 3(6), 2178–2185. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v3i6.563
Stroupe, R., & Halimi, S. S. (2025). A preliminary report: Examining pre-service teacher education, teaching practices, and linguistic diversity in the Indonesian context (pp. 97–114). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2336-2_6
UNESCO. (2021). Youth empowerment through skills development.
Wulandari, A., Mulyana, D., Hadisiwi, P., & Rizal, E. (2025). Digital learning communication to preserving Javanese: The role of digital media in education of local language in high schools, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Educational Process International Journal, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.16.287
Copyright (c) 2025 Aulia Valentina, Trya Minda Insari, Dhea Yuniar Yuninta
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
