Kata Pinjaman

Tabiati, S.E. & Yannuar, N. 2012.
The Borrowed Words in Jakarta Post Newspaper: A Case of

Varieties of English. In Cahyono, B.Y. & Yannuar, N. 2012. (Eds). Englishes for
Communication and Interaction in the Classroom and Beyond. Malang: UM Press.

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The Borrowed Words in Jakarta Post Newspaper: A Case of English Varieties
by
Sri Endah Tabiati
and
Nurenzia Yannuar

Abstract: When using English to describe local-based concepts, events, phenomena, local cultural
practices and tradition, and local flora and fauna, it is common practice to adopt local languages. The
adopted local languages will enrich the varieties of English, for example, Malaysian English has laksa
to describe a spicy coconut noodle soup dish and Japanese English has kimono to describe traditional
Japanese clothes. It goes without saying that Jakarta Post, one of the English newspapers in Indonesia,
uses borrowed words in informing news specifically related to Indonesian context and culture. This
paper, therefore, discusses the borrowed words used in the aforementioned newspaper from three
different perspectives: (1) translation strategy; (2) borrowing process; and (3) cross linguistic
lexicalization. It is expected that the persistent use of Indonesian words in English texts will produce
Indonesian English varieties.

Key words: borrowed words, Jakarta Post, translation strategy, borrowing process, cross linguistic
lexicalization, cultural practices and tradition, Indonesian English

1. Background
Nowadays, English is a global context. Labeled as the international language, English has
spread to different parts of the world and its speakers can be found almost everywhere including in
Indonesia. In general Indonesian context, English is spoken as a foreign language. However, for certain
areas in the big cities in Java, English has been like a second language. English is spoken by educated
urban middle class excessively mostly to enhance prestige, and people are exposed to advertisements
containing some or full English words (Sneddon, 2003). Indonesian media have overexposed their
readers with many English words; as a result, a great number of Indonesian words are derived from
English. A comparative study of the media has identified a massive borrowing in 30 years (from 1966
to 1996); more than 600 adjectives and more than 500 verbs are derived from English in the 1996
specimen, compared to only 126 adjectives and 39 verbs in the 1966 samples (Sneddon, 2003).
Tabiati, S.E. & Yannuar, N. 2012. The Borrowed Words in Jakarta Post Newspaper: A Case of

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The Center for Language Development (Badan Pengembangan dan Pemberdayaan Bahasa) has
introduced and promoted the Indonesian equivalents to avoid excessive borrowings; however, people
still seem to be more comfortable using the borrowed words. We can still hear many students prefer to
say website instead of laman, download instead of mengunduh, and upload instead of
mengunggah (Suwarno, 2011). In this paper, we examine if similar phenomena also take place
whenever English media reported cultural specific news. The paper aims at finding and analyzing
Indonesian words used by English media in Indonesia. In the long run, persistent use of Indonesian
words could produce Indonesian English varieties. As for now, there are some Indonesian borrowed
words, which have been frequently and conveniently used in English: orangutan, bamboo, agar, amok,
rattan, proa (type of boat), and paddy.

2. Indonesian Borrowed Words in Media
In Jakarta Post, one of the English newspapers in Indonesia, borrowed words specifically
related to Indonesian context and culture are commonly used to inform news. There are many
possibilities in the process of writing articles in the paper related to the use of Indonesian borrowed
words. If the writer of the article relies on ready-made news written in Indonesian, there is a great
possibility that the Indonesian borrowed words occur because of foreignization approach adopted by
the writer when translating the Indonesian text into the English text. The writer does this because the
words are so locally specific that their equivalent in English cannot be found, and forcing to use
English words reflecting similar contexts or phenomena will mislead the readers. There is also a
possibility that the writer, being an Indonesian multilingual person, directly writes the article in
English, and when coming across the words featuring Indonesian events, contexts or phenomena he or
she simply uses Indonesian words unconsciously in spite of using English words having semantic
equivalents because of their habit of doing code switching in communicating.
Regardless the writing process adopted in producing the article, this paper will focus on the
sample of Indonesian borrowed words and discuss them whether they are inevitable or whether they
can be expressed in English without distorting their intended meaning. The former case implies that the
Indonesian borrowed words have a possibility to enrich the varieties of English vocabulary similar to
the case of the word laksa from Malay and the word kimono from Japanese. The latter case, however,
implies that the writer is suggested to use English without mixing it with other languages if it is not
necessary because they are supposed to communicate in English. This paper will discuss the borrowed

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words found in Jakarta Post daily newspaper from three perspectives: (1) translation strategy; (2)
borrowing; and (3) cross linguistic lexicalization.

3. Analyzing the Indonesian Borrowed Words from Translation Strategy Perspective
There are two strategies in translating text, domestication and foreignization (Venuti, 1995). In
the case when the target language (TL) is English and the source language (SL) is Indonesian, the
former refers to bringing the SL text to be completely expressed in the TL, while the latter refers to
keeping some parts of the text expressed in the SL. In domestication, the translator leaves the reader in
peace while in foreignization, the translator is sending the reader abroad, to face the SL environment
and culture (Venuti, 1995). If the writer of an article in Jakarta Post uses an Indonesian article as the
source they might maintain some of the Indonesian words and thus they can be said to use a
foreignization strategy. However, it interesting to find out whether or not the decision taken is
appropriate. It is necessary therefore to discuss this phenomenon in the discussion part of this paper.

4. Analyzing the Indonesian Borrowed Words from Borrowing Perspective
Borrowing is the adoption of words by the users of one language from different languages and
this process has been practiced by English users in the history of the development of English
vocabulary. English speakers have borrowed a great deal of words from almost all languages in the
world (Curzan & Adams, 2009). This case is natural because English has been spoken in many
different regions, which Kachru (1985, in Kirkpatrick, 2007) calls three circles: (1) the inner circle (the
traditional cultural and linguistic bases of English); (2) the outer circle (the institutionalized non-native
varieties (ESL) in the regions that have passed through extended periods of colonization); and (3) the
expanding circle (the regions where the performance varieties of the language essentially in the EFL
context). In the past, the development of borrowed words in the outer circles were more productive
than that in the expanding circle, but due to the increasing strength of the role of English in many of the
expanding circles, the growth of borrowed words in the regions classified as the expanding circle is
faster than that in the outer circle. The Indonesian borrowed words found in Jakarta post are the
examples of such phenomena.
According to Grosjean (1982), borrowing can be classified into three: loanwords, loan blends
and loan shifts. Loanword is the type of borrowing in which all parts are used and adapted
morphologically and phonologically to the base language (pizza, spaghetti). The second one, loan blend

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a is borrowing in which one part is borrowed from another language while the other part is the base
language (gumbaum is a blend from English gum and Greek baum meaning gum tree), while
loan shift is borrowing by taking a word in the base language and extending its meaning to produce a
new meaning (the Portuguese humoruse which previously meant capricious is shifted into
humorous). Borrowing occurs when an appropriate equivalent cannot be found. Thus, in the case of
borrowing in Jakarta Post, this study will analyze whether the equivalents of those borrowed words
cannot be found in English.

5. Analyzing the Indonesian Borrowed Words from Cross Linguistic Lexicalization Perspective
Kadarisman (2010) underlines that language is a culture entity, and this idea refers to the
thought that people use language arbitrarily to communicate with others of the same culture in daily
activities (Sapir and Whorf, 1921, in Kadarisman, 2010). The word culture used here indicates that
language is not simply name giving, but as de Saussure (1916, in Kadarisman, 2010) asserts that every
word is an arbitrary sign consisting of signifier (form) and signified (meaning). Investigating the
borrowed words in Jakarta Post can be referred to cross linguistics lexicalization because the form of
the words and their meaning exist simultaneously. In this context, there are three kinds of cross
linguistic lexicalization (Kadarisman, 2010). The first is equal lexicalization (bumi =earth, langit=sky),
the second is inequal lexicalization (padi, gabah beras, nasi = rice), and the third is incompatible
equivalent in which the sign in one language has no equivalent in another language (memedi, thuyul =
the borrowed words from Indonesian). Therefore, it is interesting to find out the result on how the
borrowed words from Jakarta Post can be categorized in terms of cross linguistic lexicalization.

6. Method
In the study the writers investigate the existence of the Indonesian borrowed words found in
Jakarta Post, and by referring to the context, the discussion aims at finding out whether the use of such
words are inevitable or are better expressed in English. The discussion is conducted with reference to
the features to classify words and the three different perspectives: translation strategies, borrowing and
cross linguistic lexicalization.

7. Data
The data are randomly taken from the Indonesian borrowed words found in the Jakarta Post

issued in January 2012. There are 21 Indonesian borrowed words used in the analysis, as shown in
Table 1.
Table 1
Indonesian Borrowed Words

1. salak 8. PERPANI 15. dangdut
2. sengon 9. halal 16. durian
3. tebangbutuh 10. adek 17. rambutan
4. dihukum 11. untung 18. gamelan
5. kue ranjang 12. selamatan 19. wayang
6. kue mangkok 13. Insya Allah 20. pesantren
7. Apindo 14. Sharia 21. raskin

The context and data source are presented in appendix.

8. Data Analysis and Discussion
8.1. The Analysis of the Indonesian Borrowed Words Based on Features
Referring to the features, the 21 Indonesian borrowed words can be classified into certain
features: local-based concepts, events, phenomena, local cultural practices and tradition and local flora
and fauna.
Table 2
The Classification of the Indonesian Borrowed Words in terms of Features

Local based
concepts
Events,
phenomena
Local cultural practices and tradition Local flora and Fauna
Kue keranjang,
kue mangkok,
Apindo,
PERPANI,
Adek, raskin
Tebangbutuh Gamelan, wayang, Pesantren, sharia,
selamatan, Insya Allah
Salak, sengon, durian,
rambutan


b
The words classified under the heading of local based concepts in Table 2 are those reflecting
specific Indonesian concepts. The words classified under the heading of local events are those
reflecting events happening in Indonesia. The words classified under the heading of local cultural
practices and tradition are those reflecting the cultural practices in Indonesian of which if their English
equivalents are used, the reader will be misled (selamatan is different from party or pesantren cannot
be simply translated into Islamic boarding house). Local flora and fauna are those which can only be
found in Indonesia, not in English speaking countries.
Among the 21words found, some of them are considered inevitable, while others are better
expressed in English.

8.2. The Result of Data Analysis Based on Translation Strategy Perspective
Table 3
The result of Borrowed Words in Terms of Translation Strategy Perspective

No The Words Foreignization Domestication
1 Salak V -
2 Sengon V -
3 Tebangbutuh V -
4 Dihukum V -
5 Kue keranjang V -
6 Kue mangkok V -
7 Apindo V -
8 PERPANI V -
9 Halal V -
10 Adek V -
11 Untung V -
12 Selamatan V -
13 Insya Allah V -
14 Sharia V -
15 Dangdut V -
16 Durian V -

17 Rambutan V -
18 Gamelan V -
19 Wayang V -
20 Pesantren V -
21 Raskin V -
Total 21 -

The results of the data analysis show that all the Indonesian borrowed words are foreignization.
This confirms that the writer who might play a role as a translator bring the readers to the local context
by retaining the SL. This is very necessary as in the following cases:
1. pesantren; if the writer uses domestication strategy, he or she will write a religious
institution, which is not appropriate because of the different religious context between
Indonesian and English, the readers will have an image of a seminary or a church when reading
a religious institution"
2. gamelan; if the writer translates it into musical instrument/orchestra, the readers will have an
image of trumpet, violin, piano, etc.
3. selamatan; if the writer translates it into party, the readers will have an image of western
party serving wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks. That does not convey the religious aspect
of the word.
4. dangdut; if the writer translates it into folk music, the readers will have an image of western
folk music like blues, jazz, etc.
5. halal; if the writer translates it into Kosher, the readers will have an image of food catered for
Jewish, instead of that for Muslims.
6. wayang; if the writer translates it into shadow puppet, the readers might have an image of
Thai or Cambodian shadow puppet instead of Indonesian wayang.
However, that does not apply to Indonesian borrowed words such as dihukum, which must not
be retained, and better be domesticated into is /was punished. Similarly, the word untungnya must
not be retained either. Instead, the word fortunately or thank God is better used.


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The table below clarifies the discussion:
Table 4
Appropriate Inappropriate
Foreignization 19 words 2 words

8.3. The Result of Data Analysis Based on Borrowing Process Perspective
Using the three types of borrowing process, the result of the analysis is presented in the
following table.
Table 5
The Results of the Analysis of the Borrowed Words in Terms of Borrowing Process Perspective
No The Borrowed Words Loan word Loan Blend Loan shift
1 Salak V - -
2 Sengon V - -
3 Tebangbutuh - - V
4 Dihukum - - -
5 Kue keranjang V - -
6 Kue mangkok V - -
7 Apindo V - -
8 PERPANI V - -
9 Halal V - -
10 Adek V - -
11 Untung - - -
12 Selamatan V - -
13 Insya Allah V - -
14 Sharia V - -
15 Dangdut V - -
16 Durian V - -
17 Rambutan V - -
18 Gamelan V - -
19 Wayang V - -

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20 Pesantren V - -
21 Raskin - - V
The summary of the process is presented in the following table:
Table 6
Loan words Loan blends Loan shifts Non loan words
17 words 0 2 words 2 words

The application of the tree types of borrowing process indicate that among the 21 borrowed
words, 17 of them can be categorized as loanwords, two of them are not borrowed words (dihukum and
untung) because they must be expressed in English. Meanwhile there are two words tebangbutuh and
raskin that can be categorized into loanshift. Tebangbutuh receives a new meaning: logging because of
an urgent need of money, as a result of the combination between tebang (logging) and butuh (need).
Meanwhile, raskin, which is literally a short of poor rice, has also got a new meaning, i.e. rice for the
poor.

8.4. The Results of Data Analysis Based on Cross Linguistic Lexicalization Perspective
Applying the three categories of cross linguistic lexicalization perspectives, it is found out that
among the 21 borrowed words, 19 of them can be categorized as incompatible cross linguistic
lexicalization, while two of them must be expressed in English as shown in Table 7 below:
Table 7
The Results of the Analysis of the Borrowed Words in terms of Cross-linguistic Lexicalization
No The Borrowed
Words
Equal
Lexicalization
Inequal
Lexicalization
Incompatible
Lexicalization
1 Salak - - V
2 Sengon - - V
3 Tebangbutuh - - V
4 Dihukum - - -
5 Kue keranjang - - V
6 Kue mangkok V - V
7 Apindo - - V

10
8 PERPANI - - V
9 Halal - - V
10 Adek - - V
11 Untung - - -
12 Selamatan - - V
13 Insya Allah - - V
14 Sharia - - V
15 Dangdut - - V
16 Durian - - V
17 Rambutan - - V
18 Gamelan - - V
19 Wayang - - V
20 Pesantren - - V
21 Raskin - - V

The words classified under the heading of incompatible lexicalization (19 words) are the
Indonesian words that do not have equivalent in English.
For clarity see the table below:
Table 8
Equal lexicalization Inequal lexicalization Incompatible lexicalization
0 0 19 words

The incompatible lexicalization found in the study happens because of different reasons:
1. The words show natural local products from Indonesia which are grown in Indonesia (salak,
sengon, durian, rambutan).
2. Kue keranjang and kue mangkok are locally Indonesian food product of which their use reflects
locally made products from Indonesia.
3. The words specifically reflect local phenomena only found in Indonesian context.
a. Tebangbutuh reflects a special term of the reason for cutting trees before the appropriate
time requirement, i.e. an urgent need for money.

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b. PERPANI and Apindo are the abbreviations of associations in Indonesia (see appendix). In
the beginning of the text, the words are explained in English in brackets , the Indonesian
Archery Association for PERPANI and the Indonesian Employers Association for
Apindo. However, it is more practical to use the Indonesian abbreviation in the discussion
that follows.
c. Halal, Insya Allah and pesantren are words reflecting specifically Islamic practices, which
need to be maintained to give an Islamic feeling and nuance. Among the three words
mentioned, halal has been commonly used in English speaking countries, usually in the
phrase halal meat.
d. Dangdut reflects specific music in Indonesia which is formerly popular especially among
the low and middle class society. The word does not have equivalent in English because it is
a name or an attribute of a certain kind of music in Indonesia, which cannot be changed.
e. Raskin is a specific term referring to one of the programs of Indonesian government to help
Indonesian poor society. Maintaining the Indonesian term raskin will highlight the locality
of the phenomenon.

9. Implication to Language Teaching
According to Singleton (2000), writing reinforces thinking and imagining. In the production of
creative writing, for example a short story, a writer thinks and imagines a phenomenon before
expressing it in writing. Therefore, in a course training students to write creatively (creative writing
course), a teacher has to encourage students to give clear imagination of what they want to express in
their writing. For example, if the students write a short story of which the setting is Indonesia and its
phenomena is local context, they must not hesitate to use Indonesian term if its exact equivalent cannot
be found in English.

10. Conclusion
Indonesian borrowed words represent Indonesians existence in the world. Writing which
employs many Indonesian borrowed words significantly contributes to the role of Indonesian in
enriching English varieties. The 21 borrowed words discussed and analyzed in the study are among the
many other borrowed Indonesian words used either in Jakarta Post, or other media. They are simply
meant to raise an awareness of the existence of such words, which give a challenge for linguistic

12
researchers to conduct further investigation.

11. References
Curzan, A. &Adams, M. 2009. How English Works. New York: Pearson Longman.

Jakarta Post English Newspaper in Indonesia. January 2012 issues.

Kadarisman, A.E. 2010. Mengurai Bahasa Menyibak Budaya,Bunga Rampai Linguistik Puitika dan
Pengajaran Bahasa. Malang: UIN Maliki Press.

Groesjean, F. 1982. Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press.

Kirkpatrick, A. 2007. World Englishes: Implication for International Communication and English
Language Teaching. Cambridge: CUP.

Singleton, J, & Luckhurst, M. 2000. The Creative Writing Handbook: Techniques for New
Writers (2
nd
ed). New York: Palgrave.

Sneddon, J. 2003. The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society. New South
Wales: A UNSW Press Book.

Suwarno, P. 2011. Prescriptive versus Descriptive Linguistics for Language Maintenance: Which
Indonesian should Non-native Speakers Learn? In the First International Seminar Language
Maintenance and Shift: Diponegoro University (Proceedings), July 2011.

Venuti, L. 1995. The Translators Invisibility: A History of Translation, London and New York:
Routledge.


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Appendix

The Data and Data Source

No Borrowed words Context Title Edition
1 Salak
2 Sengon
Meanwhile,
Kalimendongs
community forest is
now packed with
sengon and salak trees,
the latter coming after
planted under sengon.
A professor of
the forest
Friday, January
20, 2012
3 Tebangbutuh But APHR-Wonosobo
still faces that
constraint of
tebangbutuh or needy
logging, which is the
practice of felling trees
less than 24 centimeters
in diameter to sell in
order to meet urgent
needs.
A professor of
the forest
Friday, January
20, 2012
4 Dihukum Youve been dihukum
(punished) long
enough, I joked.
Dihukum also means
doing the legal beat
and she had been doing
it for too long and it
was time for her to
move on
The smiling
journalist
Friday, January
20, 2012
5 Kue keranjang
6 Kue mangkok
Gods and humans alike
are offered desserts too
in the form of sticky
glutinous cakes (kue
keranjang) and springy
red-tinted cup cakes
(kue mangkok)-the
heralds of lifes
sweetness that they
hope to experience in
the year ahead
Celebrating the
New Year in
Belitung
Friday, January
20, 2012
7 Apindo In Tangerang, some
10,000 protested in
front of the Tangerang
Massive
congestion as
workers stage
Friday, January
20, 2012

11
office of the Indonesian
Employers Association
(Apindo)
rallies
8 PERPANI the head of athlete
development at the
Indonesian Archery
Association
(PERPANI),.
RI archers aim
sharper and
faster for London
Games
Friday, January
20, 2012
9 Halal For food, I eat anything
as long as it is halal
Being a good girl Sunday,
January 15,
2012
10 Adek Mom, adek (little
sister) fell into the
well
Best of Luck:
The good fortune
of feeling
fortunate
Sunday,
January 15,
2012
11 Untung Untung (fortunately),
your daughter could
hold onto the rope
Best of Luck:
The good fortune
of feeling
fortunate
Sunday,
January 15,
2012
12 Selamatan A few days later, I
called my mother in
law, who was
organizing a selamatan
(a Javanese ceremony
to give thanks) at her
home
Best of Luck:
The good fortune
of feeling
fortunate
Sunday,
January 15,
2012
13 Insya Allah Pardon me, during the
doctoral exam I got an
A and Insya Allah (God
Willing) I will..
Actress-
Politician
Marissa finally
secures PhD
Tuesday,
January 18,
2012
14 Sharia The enforcement of
sharia-based regulations
in South Sulawesi
began with demands
from the Committee for
the Preparation of
Islamic Sharia, which
has campaigned for the
provinces special
autonomy from 2001.

Makassars
sharia bylaws
see a decline in
enforcement
effort

Tuesday,
January 18,
2012
15 Dangdut I am astounded by the
statement of dangdut
star
RhomaIrama:namely.
Insult added to
injury
January 16,
2012
16 Durian, Manggunan grows Turning a barren January 16,

1

17 rambutan
various fruits, such as
durian, mangos,
rambutan, sapodilla,
oranges, and guava
land into an
appealing,
fruitful enterprise
2012

18 Gamelan
19 Wayang
He has staged gamelan
concerts in over 40
countries and taught the
art in almost every
country he visited while
collaborating with
artists ranging from
musicians, designers
and choreographers to
wayang performers and
film directors.

People
Rahayu
Supanggah:
Solos
Gamelan
Maestro going
global
January 5,
2012
20 pesantren The burning and
destruction of a
pesantren (Islamic
boarding school)
belonging to a Shiite
community in
Sampang, Madura, was
shocking.

Opinion: The
Desacralizing
history

January 5,2012,
21 Raskin
In addition to a
shortage in the rice
harvest, residents are
also running out of
cassava, a local staple
food typically
harvested before the
rainy season.They are
now depending on
raskin (rice for the
poor) distributed by the
local administration
1,400 Sumba
residents face
food shortages
January 5, 2012

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The Borrowed Words in Jakarta Post Newspaper: A Case of

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