Shifting Languages: 19 (Studies in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Language, Series Number 19) - Softcover

Errington, J. Joseph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521634482 ISBN 13: 9780521634489

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1998

Synopsis

Indonesian is the national language of a vast, plural nation state, the world's fourth-largest country with a population of over 200 million. Although its use is growing rapidly, and is now spoken by nearly everyone over the age of six, it has almost relatively few native speakers. This remarkable growth, unprecedented in the development world, is largely due to the forceful presence of state institutions that use, promote, and disseminate a language first introduced by the Dutch colonial administration. Joseph Errington's third book on language in Indonesia is a detailed analysis of 'shifting languages' in two small Javanese communities. A key figure in this area of research, he examines changing conversation practices in relation to questions of ethnicity, nationalism, and political culture. Errington concludes that the Javanese story has theoretical implications beyond the two villages to other parts of Indonesia, South East Asia, and to the developing world in general.

About this title

Review:

"This book is a major contribution that shows how such work can be done. It succeeds as a fully realized study of socially, culturally, and politically grounded language phenomena. This rich accomplishment is itself the very best argument for Errington's analytic position." Language in Society

Book Description:

In this book, Joseph Errington analyses the role of language in development in Indonesia. His analysis of 'shifting languages' in two Javanese villages examines changing conversational practices in relation to questions of ethnicity, nationalism, and political culture. The theoretical implications extend beyond Indonesia and South East Asia, to the developing world in general.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0521634482
• ISBN 13: 9780521634489
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236