Letter: Broken language in public places

When we talk about public places, they can be restaurants, airports, buildings and so forth. We know that in Indonesia, there are some languages normally used in public places such as Indonesian, English and local languages.

The problem is about the use of those languages which is not appropriate in terms of grammar and the situation. I call it “broken language” when language is used by people without paying attention to those issues.

I happened to notice a sign that announced: “A shop which provides accessories HP, electronic, etc.” I smiled seeing the sign’s text, which combined English with Indonesian.

In my opinion, it was a silly thing. I believe that the owner of the shop would do much better in using Indonesian because the shop is located in Indonesia and the customers mostly are Indonesian.

When we are communicating with people who understand Indonesian, let us speak Indonesian. On other occasions, we deal with people who are from overseas.

In such situation, we must use a global language, such as English. When we are at home, we communicate with our family. Let’s use our local language.

In brief, we must put the right thing in the right place.

Pahmi
Pekanbaru, Riau