The language policy of Indonesia

Abstract

The Bahasa Indonesia is not a tailored language. Neither was it existing as any other language in the world. But it has a part of living pattern, adopted, developed and is still developing and growing for a national purpose.

The Bahasa Indonesia is closely allied to Malay, the two languages stemming from a common ancestor, another descendant of which is still spoken in the Riauw Islands and in the coastal areas of Northern Sumatra. Another of these variants, called the "Pasar Malay" was also used in port town and became the lingua franca for commerce in the Indonesia-Malay region for some centuries.