222 LANGUAGE PREFERENCES WITHIN ACEHNESE DOMESTIC EXTENTS Maryanti*, Kismullah, Meta Keumala, Nurul Habsah & Malahayati Depa

Proceedings of the 2nd English Education International Conference (EEIC) in conjunction with the 9th Annual International Conference (AIC), Universitas Syiah Kuala, September 18-19, 2019, Banda Aceh, Indonesia ISSN: 2527-8037

LANGUAGE PREFERENCES WITHIN ACEHNESE DOMESTIC EXTENTS

Maryanti*, Kismullah, Meta Keumala, Nurul Habsah & Malahayati

Department of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract Language use may reveal how one chooses a language or a language variety for communication purpose and show his/her communicative competence as well as communicative performance. According Ervin- Tripp (1964), verbal behavior, and thus the choice of language of a person, can be associated with a number of factors which include (1) setting (time and place) and situation; (2) participants in the interaction; (3) the topic of the conversation, and; (4) interaction functions. This research studied 10 families in Banda Aceh to understand the contexts of their language choice and preferences. The authors purposively chose mothers as the interviewees because they are considered as the main role model of their children especially in acquiring their first language (mother tongue). This is a qualitative descriptive study using structured interviews as the method for data collection. The interview guide contained a set of standard, predetermined, and sequenced questions to inquire about the participants’ contexts of language use and preferences. The results show that most of the interviewees choose to use Indonesian or Acehnese language based on the situation and the participants with whom they interact. The findings also reveal common code-mixing practices among the participants back and forth the two languages.

Keywords: Language choice, code mixing, vernacular language, Acehnese, Indonesian, domestic extents.

INTRODUCTION In every region in Indonesia, there is a local language used by the community as a means of communication and interaction within the group. Each of these local vernaculars usually represents an ethnic group. Generally, these local vernaculars are the first language of their respective speakers as the medium to express their feelings and thoughts. There are a lot of vernacular languages, and therefore ethnic groups, in every region in Indonesia and Acehnese is one of them. The Acehnese people originally live in the Aceh Province and speak the Acehnese language (henceforth, Acehnese). The assessment of Acehnese speakers in Aceh revealed that speakers of Acehnese live in areas that include (1) Banda Aceh; (2) Great Aceh; (3) Sabang; (4) Pidie; (5) Bireuen; (6) North Aceh; (7) Lhokseumawe; (8) East Aceh District; (9) Langsa; (10) Aceh Jaya Regency; (11) West Aceh; (12) Nagan Raya; (13) part of Southwest Aceh; and (14) part of South Aceh District (Alamsyah, 2007). In Southwest Aceh and South Aceh Districts Acehnese speakers live side by side with speakers of another local language, namely the Jamee language, a variety of Minangkabau. However, over the years, the use of Acehnese language in Banda Aceh has shown a declining trend, from the only language used for all purposes to the language used only within a family at home or with certain circles (e.g. friends in informal occasions). This has raised concern among the public and some even made effort to write their opinion in the mass media. Nurliza (2015), for example, wrote in Serambi Indonesia, a local newspaper in Aceh, that most of the Acehnese parents in Banda Aceh, especially mothers, tend to use Indonesian language when they speak to their children rather than Acehnese, her own mother tongue, because they think that their schools use Indonesian language as the language of instruction. In line with this idea, Aziz, Windasari, et.al. (2016) in her thesis showed that Acehnese intermarriage couples chose Indonesian language as the tool of communication at home because it is considered that the Indonesian language could accommodate spouse, ease the sharing of ideas, to broaden the social network, and Indonesian language is considered as the community language. Such a phenomenon is quite common in a bilingual or a multilingual society where several codes such as languages, dialects, variations, and styles are available to use in social interaction. With those codes, a person can or will choose a code according to some factors. This process called language choice. According to Sumarsono and Paina (2002), language choice depends on some factors such as participants, setting,

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LANGUAGE PREFERENCES WITHIN ACEHNESE DOMESTIC EXTENTS by Maryanti, Kismullah, Meta Keumala, Nurul Habsah & Malahayati topic, and so on. Much earlier, Ervin-Tripp (1964) has identified four main factors that can be associated with language choice. They are setting (time and place) and situation, participants in the interaction, the topic of the conversation, and interaction functions. The first factor, setting, and situation can be exemplified by situation during the dining time with family, meeting with the client, and a market. The second factor includes something like gender, job, age, social status, etc. The third factor depends on the topic like family matters, some actual news, etc. The fourth factor is interaction function like request, habit such as for saying thank you, apologies, telling information, etc. Language choice is “a language as a whole” in communication. The emergence of language selection is caused by the occurrence of language, social, and cultural contact so that a growing group of speech communities who have the ability to choose language or a language code in a particular event, is either maintaining the first language or shifting language to a new language or mixing the first language and a new language. In line with this, Tanner (1976) in his research exposed that there was a small community of twenty- six members made up of Indonesian graduate students, their wives, and their children in an American University town, used vernacular language, Indonesian language, and foreign language with different purposes. They use local language with the same ethnic group, the Indonesian language for different ethnic groups, while foreign language was only used to communicate with a foreigner. Ridwan (1996, in Usman, 2006) reported that in an informal meeting, Acehnese people dominantly used Indonesia language than Acehnese language. On the contrary to the meeting, in a non-formal meeting, Acehnese people mixed their language either Aceh language or Indonesian language. The Acehnese people usually use Acehnese language to communicate with each other especially with older people. Usman (2006) also made an analysis of language choice in his thesis entitled ‘The Use of Vernacular Language Among The Gayo Students at North Sumatera University’. It was found that most Gayonese students mixed both languages (Gayonese language and Indonesian language). In conclusion, they used different language for different circumstances. An interesting thing to be observed and studied in connection with this phenomenon is to find out and describe the language choice of the Acehnese families who have had children and live in Banda Aceh for at least five years. Therefore, this research is intended to answer this question: “What language is mostly used or chosen for communication by Acehnese domestic extents who live in Banda Aceh?”

METHODS This research was conducted in 10 families in Banda Aceh. The authors purposively chose mothers as the interviewees because they are considered as the main role model of their children especially in acquiring children’s first language (mother tongue). In relation to this, Putrawan (1990) stated that purposive sampling is a sampling technique used by researchers if they have certain considerations in taking the sample or determining the sample for a particular purpose. Moreover, the authors collected the data through a structured interview where the interviewer asks a set of standard, predetermined questions about particular topics, in a specific order. The interviewer may provide clarification on some questions. Structured Interviews are typically used in surveys (Easwaramoorthy & Zarinpoush, 2006). The interview guide sheet of this research is based on Evan Tripp (1972) in Fathurrokhman (2009). The authors created the list of questions about (1) setting (time and place) and situation; (2) participants in the interaction; (3) the topic of the conversation, and; (4) interaction functions. The research method is qualitative descriptive where researchers analyze the events that occur at the time of the research and to describe an overview of the circumstances that occur in the present or ongoing.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results of this study are described based on the main variables as follows: First, setting (time and place) and situation including dining with family, meeting with friends and in the traditional market. Second, participants in the interaction including job, age, and social status. Third, the topic of the conversation including family matters, actual news, and social media interaction. Last, interaction functions including request, expressing madness and praying. The detailed description of the research results will be shown in the following tables.

Table 1. Setting (time and place) and situation. Ini- Dining with Family Meeting with Friends In the Traditional Market tial Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others FD √ √ - √ - - √ √ - LA √ √ - √ - - √ √ -

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KU - √ - - √ - - √ - MR √ √ - √ √ - √ √ - MY √ - - √ - - √ √ - NI √ - - √ √ - √ - - NE √ - - √ - - √ - - TZ √ - - √ - - √ √ - YM - √ - √ √ - - √ - ZP √ √ English √ √ English √ √ -

Table 1 shows three variables of setting (time and place) and situation. First of all, there are 4 interviewees who use the Indonesian language rather than Acehnese language during dining activity with their families and only 2 who use Acehnese language. Meanwhile, 4 interviewees answered that they mix the languages, even sometimes they use English. As stated by NI, one of the interviewees, that she uses the Indonesian language because her husband origin is Gayonese who can not speak Acehnese. As stated by Alamsyah (2007), an old phenomenon is seen in the Acehnese community, Acehnese speakers in Aceh were predispositions choose Indonesian as the first language for children in the family. This phenomenon is particularly apparent in urban areas and in recent times this has also begun to be seen in rural areas. Secondly, there are 5 interviewees answered that they mostly use the Indonesian language when they meet their friends/colleagues. As stated by NE, “Indonesian language is the official language of this country and it is the lingua franca among people who live in Banda Aceh.” Meanwhile, 4 of them choose to mix the languages based on the situation they face. However, there is also 1 respondent who only use Acehnese when she meets her friends. It is because she lives in an Acehnese neighborhood in one of the Banda Aceh areas Thirdly, in the traditional market, most people mix their languages. This is because they adjust to the merchants during shopping. Some merchants are Acehnese, while others speak Indonesian because they are not from Aceh. There are 2 persons use only Indonesian language and 2 others only use Acehnese. NI said, “I feel more comfortable in talking through the Indonesian language because I always use the Indonesian language with my family, especially my husband.” There is also one interviewee with initial ZP who stated that she sometimes uses English with her daughter because she is an English lecturer and her daughter is able to understand what her mother says. It can not be denied that the setting of time and place and situation may influence the choice of language that will be used by someone. The moment when dining together with the main family influences the speaker to use language that can create a comfortable situation in communication. Hymes (1964) said, “the setting and scene are the places, occasions, or natural situations that can influence the people in choosing the code and setting also refers to the physical condition of speech.” The ability to use the language well is a sign of good interaction because the message in question will be forwarded and understood well. The choice of language in communicating is an important thing that must be considered by the speaker. The idea or desire of the speaker is sometimes accepted based on the choice of language.

Table 2. Participants in the Interaction. Initial Job Age Social Status FD English Lecturer 30 yo High Class Economy LA Civil Servant 42 yo Middle Class Economy KU Housewife 35 yo Middle Class Economy MR English Teacher 30 yo Middle Class Economy MY English Lecturer 30 yo High Class Economy NI English Teacher 30 yo Middle Class Economy NE Civil Servant 44 yo High Class Economy TZ Housewife 30 yo Middle Class Economy YM Housewife 32 yo Middle Class Economy ZP English Lecturer 30 yo High Class Economy

The description of participants in the interaction is only focused on their background. Table 2 shows that there are 3 English lecturers as the samples of this research, 3 of them are housewives, 2 English teachers and 2 of them are housewives. The oldest participant is 42-44 years old while the younger ones, who were dominant in this research, were 30 years old. Most of the participants are of the middle-class economy while there 4 of them are not the middle-class economy. Participants are the people involved in the communication found in the setting. According to Hymes (1964), participants can be used to refer to at least two parties to speak. The first part is the first of the speakers, and the second is the partner speech. In time and certain situations can also happen that the

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LANGUAGE PREFERENCES WITHIN ACEHNESE DOMESTIC EXTENTS by Maryanti, Kismullah, Meta Keumala, Nurul Habsah & Malahayati number of participants is more than two, namely the presence of a third party. He also stated that code selection in speaking involves speakers and listeners, including the relation between speakers and interlocutors who have previously been adjusted based on age, rank and participants’ social status speech. In line with this, job status can more or less determine the choice of language by someone when facing the other person. A person who works professionally tends to choose words, tones, and intonations that are different from someone who might not work professionally. Munzir (2017) stated that class, ethnicity, and gender are three social factors that play a role in language variation. Class is a structure that displays relationships between groups. The class also classifies people based on their education, employment and income. According to Bentahila (1983), one’s language choices are influenced by factors related to individual speakers, specific languages and associations, or even aspects of social situations.

Table 3. Topic of the conversation. Ini- Family Matters Actual News Social Media Interaction tial Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others FD √ √ - √ √ - √ √ English LA √ √ - √ - - √ - - KU - √ - √ √ - - √ - MR √ √ - √ - - √ √ English MY √ √ - √ √ - √ √ English NI √ - - √ - - √ - - NE √ - - √ - - √ - - TZ √ √ - √ √ - √ √ English YM - √ - - √ - - √ - ZP √ √ - √ √ - √ √ English

In this part, the topic of the conversation is divided into three parts including (1) family matters; (2) actual news; and (3) social media interaction. To begin with, conversation topics in the family scope such as when talking to family members, 6 interviewees chose to do code-mixing between Acehnese Language and Indonesian Language. Only 2 interviewees choose to use the Acehnese language only when conducting conversations. As KU said, “For me, Acehnese language makes me feel more comfortable to express my ideas, opinions, and thoughts.” Next, in talking about actual news, 6 interviewees tend to mix the languages both Acehnese and Indonesian. As mothers, most of them talk with their friends whether around the neighborhood or on other occasions. There are 4 interviewees choose to use the Indonesian language because they spend their spare time to talk about actual news with their colleagues in the offices. As stated by ZP, “Indonesian language is the lingua franca in my offices, especially in the classroom. That is why I choose the Indonesian language to talk about anything including actual news.” However, there is also 1 person still using the Acehnese language in discussing actual news considering the environment in Aceh and she spends time in her home environment. In the current era of Android, where most mothers in the city have used social media to interact with friends in the virtual world both those they know and those who don’t. Half of the interviewees chose to mix Indonesian and Acehnese languages while using social media. There are even two people who also sometimes use English because of their ability to use English. There are 3 interviewees using Indonesian language while using social media. However, there are 2 people who still use Acehnese. In relation to this, Crystal (2000) suggested that a minority language can be promoted and maintained “if its speakers can make use of electronic technology.” In addition, Galla (2016) stated that technology and social media might be powerful tools to foster indigenous language learning and teaching. Technology can be used to connect and communicate members of the same community in distinct parts of the world.

Table 4. Interaction functions (habitual expressions). Ini- Request Expressing Anger Praying tial Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others Indonesian Acehnese Others FD √ √ English √ √ English √ √ Arabic LA √ √ - √ √ - √ √ Arabic KU - √ - - √ - - √ Arabic MR √ √ - √ √ - √ √ Arabic MY √ √ English √ √ English √ √ Arabic NI √ - - √ - - √ - Arabic NE √ - - √ - - √ - Arabic TZ √ √ - √ √ - √ √ Arabic

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YM - √ - - √ - - √ Arabic ZP √ √ English √ √ English √ √ Arabic

Table 4 exposes about habitual expressions used by the speakers. It can be seen that in requesting something, 6 interviewees would like to mix the languages (Acehnese and Indonesian). There are only 2 persons who use Indonesian in requesting and as the same as Acehnese. YM stated, “It happens spontaneously that I use Acehnese in requesting something.” Habitual expressions include expressions of anger where 6 interviewees mix their language. As NI said, “If I am angry with my children, I will use Acehnese because that language comes out automatically from my head. But if I’m expressing anger at my husband who can’t be Acehnese, then I use Indonesian.” Moreover, 2 speakers use Indonesian language and 2 speakers use Acehnese language to vent their emotions. Lastly, the interviewees who are all Moslems do the prayers as an obligation activity where they must use the Arabic language. But in terms of praying in general, most of them mix the languages (Indonesian and Acehnese). There are 2 interviewees use the Indonesian language when they pray. In the same case, 2 interviewees choose Acehnese during praying. As stated by TZ, “If I do prayer in the mosque, most of the Acehnese priests say prayers in Arabic or Acehnese.” Researchers have found that the preferred language for the expression of strong emotions, including anger, is often the speaker’s first language (Pavlenko, 2002). In line with this idea, Harris, Ayçiçegi and Gleason (2003) analyzed the emotional impact of words in the L1 and L2 through their effect on autonomic reactivity. It is clear that the first language is a language that is emotionally embedded than a second language because the first language is learned in the most consistently emotional context.

CONCLUSION The findings of this reveal that the use of Acehnese is quite limited among the ten mothers being interviewed. In almost every domain of language use, Acehnese is used with a certain degree of mixing with Indonesian, especially in public spaces and workplaces where Indonesian is certainly used with only occasional mixing with Acehnese. This is indicated by the result of our analysis of language use of the ten mothers using Ervin-Tripp’s framework (1964) which is summed up as follows. (1) Based on the first variable regarding Settings (time and place) and situation, data is obtained that code-mixing occurs predominantly when shopping in traditional markets. At the time of dining with family, some interviewees admit to using Indonesian and some of them mix Acehnese with Indonesian. When gathering with friends, some interviewees choose Indonesian; (2) In the next variable, participants in the interaction, most interviewees were career women who work and take care of households with an age range of more than 30 years old. The social status of interviewees is mostly middle-class economy; (3) In the variable on the topic of conversation, some interviewees choose to mix the use of Indonesian with Acehnese based on the situation they are facing; and (4) in the last variable, habitual expressions, most interviewees code-mixing when overflowing their emotions because this happens spontaneously. As aforementioned earlier in this article, when there are alternatives or choices of the forms of language that can be used within a society, code-mixing phenomenon emerges. This is a common phenomenon in bilingual or multilingual societies and it can lead to either maintaining the local, non-official language or shifting from it into a more dominant language form. The competition between the two languages to occupy the domain of language use indicates that one of the two will eventually, however slowly, lose ground. Our data, which have been summarized above, show the decreasing domain Acehnese language use, which is not promising for its future maintenance.

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