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Javanese language should be used on daily basis: Governor
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Souvenirs at a market in Yogyakarta. (Shutterstock.com/kravka )
T
he diminishing use of the Javanese language for everyday communication deeply concerns Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is worried that future generations of Javanese people will encounter difficulties in understanding and speaking their own dialect.
“Javanese has almost faded away because it is beginning to be spoken very rarely,” Ganjar said during the 6th Javanese Language Congress in Yogyakarta on Wednesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Many people struggle to pronounce or comprehend texts in Javanese, he said, particularly kromo inggil, the highest level of Javanese, because they are not used to speaking the language on a daily basis.
In an effort to tackle this matter, Ganjar will demand that every Thursday, government events or occasions be conducted and spoken entirely in Javanese. Aside from that, he will also oblige all employees in Central Java to dress up in cultural clothing distinct to an Indonesian region or province on the 15th of every month.
(Read also: Only half of Yogyakarta's students use Javanese properly)
Ganjar, while visiting Suriname, noticed that Javanese was well preserved because it was regularly spoken there, both by the Surinamese and Indonesians. “When I speak in Javanese, they understand, even some of them reply in kromo inggil."
The Javanese Language Congress is a conference that discusses Javanese language and culture, held in turns between Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta. (mra/kes)
