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Island in focus: Refined Javanese fading among Yogya youth
A local government-sanctioned survey revealed that only 50 percent of students in Yogyakarta can speak the refined version of the Javanese language, creating concerns regarding the preservation of Javanese culture in the near future
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local government-sanctioned survey revealed that only 50 percent of students in Yogyakarta can speak the refined version of the Javanese language, creating concerns regarding the preservation of Javanese culture in the near future.
'This is an emergency situation. The Javanese language could simply disappear among younger generations,' Yogyakarta Education, Youth and Sport Agency head Kadarmanta Baskara Aji said recently.
He said mastery of the refined Javanese language, or kromo inggil, was important for building character, ethics and tolerance among young people.
'The refined Javanese language teaches one how to show respect to older people and how to be tolerant of others,' said Kadarmanta, adding that a breakthrough was needed to preserve the refined Javanese language among students.
The same survey, conducted over the past two years, also found that 90 percent of Yogyakarta students were still able to speak ngoko (the colloquial version of the Javanese language).
Separately, head of the Yogyakarta Education Communication Technology Center, Singgih Raharja, said his office had developed an information technology-based application on Javanese language learning that could be accessed through smart phones.
'We will continue developing cultural-based applications according to the demands of the era to maintain the attractiveness of Javanese culture and language as a subject to learn,' Singgih said.
