Indonesian slang language
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Indonesian Slang Language (Bahasa Gaul or Bahasa Prokem) is a non-formal language of Indonesia mainly spoken in urban areas.
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History
Indonesian Slang Language, or natively known as Bahasa Gaul or Bahasa Prokem, is an informal branch of Indonesian Language.
Its native name Bahasa Gaul means Language for socialization, as gaul means to be socialised. This terms is coined in late 90s.
Whereas Bahasa Prokem, which was coined in early 80s, means Language of gangsters or free-man, as prokem is a slang form of preman derived from Dutch word of free-man which means gangster.
Indonesian Slang Language is mainly in spoken form in social mileu and in popular media (Radio, TV, Movies), and to certain extent is used in publications such as teen magazines or pop culture magazines. One can say, Indonesian Slang Language is the primary language for oral communication spoken by everybody in the daily life, except for formal speeches. It would be very unusual to communicate orally to people using formal Indonesian Language.
Indonesian Slang Language is an ever-evolving language, as many words quickly become outdated and obsolete because of trends.
Classification
There is no formal classification of Indonesian Slang Language, except perhaps that it is a subclass of Indonesian language.
Geographic distribution
Indonesian Slang Language is mainly spoken in urban areas. There are different variations of slang language depending on which city you are in, mainly characterised by derivatives of different local ethnic languages. For example, in Bandung, West Java, the slang language contains vocabulary from Sundanese language (See Region Specific Slang below)
Official status
Indonesian Slang Language is not the official language of Indonesia, although it is widely used for oral communication in daily life.
Sounds
The way Indonesian Slang Language is pronounced is the same as Indonesian Language. Words borrowed from other language such as English or Dutch are transliterated in Indonesian pronunciation, for example, Please written as Plis, or, Married written as 'Merit.
For more, and to listen to examples, see SEASite Guide to Pronunciation of Indonesian (http://www.seasite.niu.edu/flin/pronunciation/guide_to_pronunciation_of_indone.htm)
Grammar
Indonesian Slang Language structure and grammar are not so much different from formal Indonesian Language, albeit in many cases sentences are simplified or shortened when necessary. The major differences between Indonesian Language and Indonesian Slang Language are mainly vocabulary.
Vocabulary
Indonesian Slang Language structure is derived mainly from formal Indonesian Language. Its vocabulary expands from a combination of derivatives or borrowing from other languages such as Hokkien, English, Dutch, or local ethnic languages such as Betawi, Sundanese, or Javanese. In many cases, even, the vocabulary is not derived from anywhere at all.
According to Nyoman Riasa (http://www.ialf.edu/bipa/march2002/bahasaabg.html), some of the slang language vocabulary was transformed from formal Indonesian Language through several way:
- Nasalisation of active verb and adding -in at the end of the word, for example:
- pikir (to think) into mikir
- menanyakan (to ask) into nanyain
- Adding -in at the end of the passive transitive verbs, for example:
- diajari (to be taught) into diajarin
- dipukuli (to be beaten) into dipukulin
- Adding ke- at the beginning of passive intransitive verbs, instead of using ter-, for example:
- tertangkap (to be caught) into ketangkep
- terpeleset (to accidentally slip) into kepeleset
- Eliminating one or few letters of the word, for example:
- habis (depleted) into abis
- tahu (know) into tau
- Contraction of two or more words into one word, for example:
- terima kasih (thank) into makasih
- jaga image (to safeguard one's social image) into jaim
- Replacing letter a into e in some words, for example:
- benar (correct) into bener
- pintar (smart) into pinter
- Contracting diphtong into monosyllabic letter, for example:
- kalau (if) into kalo
- pakai (use) into pake
Some words are transliteration of english language, for example:
- Sorry into sori
- Friend into pren
- Swear into suer
Many words also emerged without following the above rules at all. Sometime the words have their own unique history or origin.
- Cuek (to ignore or to take something easy) - its origin unknwon, popularized by Ruth Sahanaya in her 80s hit Astaga!
- Do'i (boyfriend / girlfriend) - originated from the word dia (him/her) transformed by inserting letter o in the middle and deleting the last letter a. It is later transformed into Doski.
- Bokep (pornographic film) - originated from abbreviation BF which means Blue Film. BF is read Be-Ef, which in its pidgin form is read as Be-Ep. The word Bokep obtained by inserting ok in between Be-Ep.
- Jayus - A joke that is meant to be or sound funny, but it is not. It roughly means Lame in English.
General Words and Phrases
This entry will list words and phrases that are accepted formally as Indonesian Slang, which are not Region Specific (See below), and which are never considered as outdated.
- Banget - (Formal: Sangat, Amat) Very
- Bokap - (Formal: Bapak, Ayah) Father
- Bonyok - (Formal: Orang Tua) Parents. Originated from a combination of Bokap and Nyokap
- Gua, Gue, Wa - (Formal: Aku, Saya) I. Originated from Hokkien Wa which means I
- Garing - A joke that is not funny. Literally means dry or crispy
- Lu, Lo, Elu, Elo - (Formal: Engkau, Kau, Kamu) You. Originated from Hokkien Li which means You
- Nggak, Gak - (Formal: Tidak) No
- Nyokap - (Formal: Ibu, Bunda) Mother
Particles
- Deh
- Dong
- Kan
- Lah
- Sih
Sexual Slangs
- Belok - Gay
- Bencong, Binan - Transvestite, Cross Dresser
- Hombreng - Gay
- Kontol, To'ol - Penis
- Lines - Lesbian
- Memek, Meki - Vagina
- Ngentot - fornication, Fuck (also a swear word)
Swear Words
- Anjing, Jing, Asu - Bitch. Literally means dog, and it is often used as an interjection.
- Goblok - Stupid
- Ngentot - Fuck
- Tai - Shit
Vocabulary Evolution
Before 1980s
List of words and phrases commonly used in the 1980s:
- Kumpul Kebo - Living together but not married, as in domestic partners
- Bau Tanah - Old, Dying, Close to the end of use
1980s
1980s is the era of Bahasa Prokem. In this era, slang language vocabulary was formed by inserting '-ok-' at the first syllable of a word, and deleting off the last syllable, creating totally new word.
For example, the word Bapak is broken into B-ok-apak and the last -ak is deleted, and the resulting word is Bokap which used as a slang for Father, even until now.
The word Sekolah (School) is transformed into Skokul, but this word is slowly become outdated and by 1990s the word is not used anymore. (currently transformed into simply: skul)
Notable words like memble, kece, sentence attribute Nih ye, exclamation Alamakjan! emerged in the 1980s decade.
List of words and phrases commonly used in the 1980s:
- Do'i / Doski - Girlfriend / Boyfriend
- Kece - Cute
- Kuper - Acronym of Kurang Pergaulan which literally means not well socialised
- Memble - Ugly, Sombre, Sad, Disappointed
- Ngokar - To smoke
- Ngegele - To smoke pot
- Spokat - Shoes
- Rokum - House or Home
- Bo'il - Automobiles
- Rese or Resek (both pronounced the same way) - Annoying, Intrusive
1990s
List of words and phrases commonly used in the 1990s:
- Bete - Bad mood, upset
- Bo! - Exclamation word of no meaning
- Dugem - Nightlife, an acronym of Dunia Gemerlap literally means Flashy World
- Gile! - Exclamation word equals to crazy
- Lagi - Exclamation word that is used at the end of a sentence as emphasis
- Ngebo'at - To use drugs
- Tajir - Rich
2000s
A genre of slang language in the 2000 originated from the Indonesian gay community, and popularized by Debby Sahertian in her Kamus Bahasa Gaul or Slang Language Dictionary. The method of transforming a word is to use a different word which has a similar sound. For example, the word mau (want), is replaced by the word mawar which originally means rose. Hence the sentence became quite complicated to understand:
Akika tinta mawar Macarena originated from Aku tidak mau makan which means I do not want to eat
List of words and phrases commonly used in the 2000s:
- Akika - I, me, myself
- Ember - (Emang Bener) Exclamation word to confirm something, means It is true or Indeed
- Jayus - A joke that is meant to be or sound funny, but it is not. It roughly means Lame in English.
- Gak asik - Literally means uncool or not fun
- Gak penting - Literally means not important or trivial
- Gitu loh! - Exclamation word that is used at the end of a sentence as emphasis
- Kacian deh lo! - Pity you!
- Pembokat - Literally means maid or servant
- Plis dong ah! - Oh, Please!
- Secara - Literally means a la, but is used to substitute karena which means because
- Sutra - Done
- Borju - Rich, Pampered, Spoiled, or Show Off, a shorter form of the word Borjuis which came from the French word Bourgeois
Region Specific Slangs
The region specific slangs are arranged in alphabetical order.
Bandung Slang
Bandung, is the city in west java with predominantly Sundanese culture. Sundanese language has three levels: High (polite), Normal, and Low (rough and impolite). Bandung Slang mostly uses derivative of Low Sundanese words such as Aing, Maneh, etc.
One distinct characteristic in Bandung Slang grammar is generous insertion of the word Anjing in a sentence. The word Anjing means Dog or Bitch, but its usage in Bandung Slang is merely for emphasis and not as swearword.
For example: Nasi Goreng Jalan Madura ngeunah pisan, anjing! which means Fried Rice in Jalan Madura is really delicious, gosh!
However, Anjing is also used as swearword if used independently in a sentence. For example: Anjing Siah! means You Biatch!
- Aing - I
- Anjing, Anying, Njing - Bitch, generously used by inserting it in sentences NOT as swearwords but only as emphasis (see above)
- Maneh - You
- Ngeunah - Nice
- Ngewe - To fuck
- Siah - You
Jakarta Slang
To be written
Manado Slang
Manado Slang or also known as Logat Manado is widely used all over the North Sulawesi province. It is used casually in everyday life and sometimes used in formal occasions.
Many words are similar to the national language Bahasa Indonesia, the technical information can be found in Manado Malay section of this encyclopedia.
Some of the simple words that visitors should know when they travel to Manado are:
- oto; car
- doi; money
- kous; t-shirt
- calana; pants
- koi; bed
- slop; sandals, flip flops
- spatu/capatu; shoes
- maitua ; girlfriend, a girl friend
- paitua ; boyfriend, a guy friend
Some words and phrases that are more temporary mostly used by young people:
- ba jao jo; go away!, get away!
- ba ilang jo; get lost!
- so gila stou; are you nuts!?
- ajus ; mother (used among peers, not to parents)
- sebe ; father
- Tambio ; Hustler, Prostitute or Call Girl
- oi to po?; right dude?!
- Sepang ; Setan Panggilan (Evil, Devil)
- Ichat ; Iblis Catok (Devil Boy)
- Alot ; Anak Lonte (Son/daughter of Hustler/Bitch)
- Budo ; Budak Dosa (Slave Of Sin)
Some cuss words are:
- pemar, pemai, cuki, cuki mai, pendo; there are no specific meanings to these words, they're just straight up cuss words
- lonte; slut, hoe, whore
- keode; damn!
Medan Slang
To be written
Pontianak Slang
Pontianak slang is influenced by bahasa malaysia, teo chew and dayaknese. It is spoken in malay dialect.
- oto; literally means auto which is car
- bujur; (pronounced bujo) means straight (as in direction)
- kam sia; derived from teo chew which means thank you
- plaza; means the verb slap
- tadak; (Bahasa Indonesia form tidak) which means no
- lempok; (Bahasa Indonesia means dodol) which means cakes from cooked fruit.
Surabaya Slang
Dancuk, dancik, cuk, dancrit = fuck
Yogyakarta Slang
According to Aksara Jawa Site (http://hanacaraka.fateback.com/plestJogja.htm), Yogyakarta Slang is also known as Basa Walikan. It is a transformation from Javanese language, in which Javanese traditional character sequences are being switched with one another, using the formula below:
- ha na ca ra ka =======> pa dha ja ya nya
- da ta sa wa la =======> ma ga ba tha nga
- pa dha ja ya nya =====> ha na ca ra ka
- ma ga ba tha nga =====> da ta sa wa la
Using the above manner, the exclamation word Matamu! (which means: Your Eyes!) is transformed into Dagadu!
See also
External links
- Indonesian Tutorial from Wikibooks (http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Indonesian)
- Indonesian Slang Tutorial by Fairy (http://geocities.com/fairymahdzan/lesson-a.htm)
- Teen Language in Teen Literature (http://www.ialf.edu/bipa/march2002/bahasaabg.html)
- Learning Indonesian in 7 Days (SEAsite) (http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/percakapan/indonesia7days/indo7days_fs.htm)
- Free online resources for learners (http://www.sprachprofi.de.vu/english/ind.htm)
- Indonesia-English dictionary in one page (Sprachprofi) (http://www.sprachprofi.de.vu/english/ind.htm)
- Indonesia-English dictionary in one page (SEAsite) (can save to disk) (http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indodict/diction.htm)
- Indonesian dictionary (All free dictionaries) (http://www.dicts.info/di1.php?k1=1&k2=47)
- Ethnologue report for Indonesian (http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=ind)ca:indonesi
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