With Teguh Fatchur Rozi
- In your view, what are the biggest opportunities and threats facing Indigenous Languages in today’s digital world?
Indigenous languages can be promoted in the digital realm through interesting content, such as content invoking the nostalgia of the audience. On the other side, the biggest threat faced by Indigenous languages is the erosion of dialect/regional pronunciation. The typology of the Javanese language spoken in East Java is divided into four: Matraman, Arek, Tapal Kuda, and Madura. Each of them has its own characteristics and uniqueness. However, lately, the youth have begun to be contaminated with other typologies, which causes them to more or less leave their original dialect/pronunciation. Many factors cause this, but one of them is just because they want to adapt the ‘cooler’ pronunciation. - How can digital tools—such as social media, mobile apps, or AI—be effectively used to preserve and promote Indigenous Languages?
With the variation and advancement of current digital tools, which are also supported by AI, it can be used to help visualise content. Content accompanied by images or videos attracts the attention of audiences across age groups faster. - What role should governments, educational institutions, or international organizations play in supporting Indigenous language communities?
The government is highly responsible for providing facilities and access to whoever needs them, because its authority makes anything possible. For example, the Provincial Government in DI Yogyakarta created policies about putting [the Javanese] traditional script on letters and government offices. They also gave bigger portions to education materials in the Javanese language.
For educational institutions, teachers at school play a highly important role in socialising Indigenous languages since they are the first people who provide information to students in the context of formal education. With the curriculum changes in schools that return teaching materials to the local condition, it also supports the preservation of Indigenous languages. - Based on your experience, what are the most successful local or global initiatives that have helped revitalize Indigenous Languages?
Every social media platform has its own plus side. For example, Twitter (X) makes its users read more, Instagram is used for socialising, and TikTok is used to watch short videos that need less reading. Since Indonesia is dominated by people who don’t like to read long writings, TikTok or YouTube can be the main social media platform that is successfully educating people. - What concrete steps can younger generations take to keep their Indigenous language alive—especially in increasingly digital and globalized societies?
The trend of people leaving their hometowns for other cities, either for work or study, will naturally change their language or dialect, so more people can understand them. But when they return to their hometown, they better use their first languages. One of the ways to return their language or dialect faster is by hanging out/gathering with the local people.
