The Writing and Numeral System of the Indonesian Language: A Comprehensive Overview

Introduction

The Indonesian language, known as Bahasa Indonesia, serves as the official language and lingua franca of Indonesia. With its roots in the Austronesian family, Bahasa Indonesia has undergone a series of changes throughout its history. This article delves into the writing and numeral system of the Indonesian language, exploring its alphabet, numerical expressions, and other important characteristics.

Writing System

The Indonesian Alphabet

The Indonesian alphabet is based on the Latin script, consisting of 26 letters identical to the English alphabet. This adoption of the Latin script can be traced back to Dutch colonial influence and the broader movement to unify Indonesia through a standardized language.

Special Letters and Sounds

Unlike English, which has variations in the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, the Indonesian alphabet has a more phonetic quality; each letter typically corresponds to one specific sound. While it doesn’t contain any special characters or diacritics, the language does use several diphthongs such as ‘ai’ in ‘kain’ (cloth), ‘au’ in ‘mau’ (want), and ‘oi’ in ‘koin’ (coin).

Script Transitions

Before the standardization to the Latin alphabet, a form of the Pallava script was used, and later, during the era of Islamization, the Arabic script (Jawi) was adopted. However, the Latin script has been the official writing system since the country’s independence in 1945.

Orthographic Rules

The 1972 spelling reform, known as “Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan” (Perfected Spelling), simplified many aspects of the language. Several Dutch-influenced spellings were replaced. For example, ‘oe’ became ‘u’ (as in ‘hoed’ to ‘hud’), and ‘dj’ became ‘j’ (as in ‘Djakarta’ to ‘Jakarta’).

Numeral System

Cardinal Numbers

The Indonesian numeral system is a decimal-based system, akin to most modern numeral systems. The numbers one to ten are: ‘satu,’ ‘dua,’ ‘tiga,’ ’empat,’ ‘lima,’ ‘enam,’ ‘tujuh,’ ‘delapan,’ ‘sembilan,’ and ‘sepuluh.’

Ordinal Numbers

Indonesian ordinal numbers are formed by adding the prefix “ke-” to the cardinal numbers. For example, ‘pertama’ (first) is derived from ‘satu’ (one) and becomes ‘ke-satu’.

Number Structure

Numbers beyond ten are structured logically, making the system easy to learn. For instance, twenty-one is ‘dua puluh satu’ which literally translates to ‘two tens one’.

Numeral Expressions

The Indonesian language also has unique expressions for numerals, such as ‘setengah’ for half and ‘perempat’ for a quarter. Numerical expressions also extend to dates and times, employing a system not entirely dissimilar to English.

Punctuation and Syntax

In written Indonesian, standard punctuation marks such as full stops, commas, question marks, and exclamation marks are used. One notable difference is the use of a comma as a decimal separator and a dot to separate thousands, which is the opposite of the American system.

Conclusion

The writing and numeral system of Bahasa Indonesia serves as an important cornerstone for Indonesia’s national identity. Adopting the Latin alphabet for its phonetic capabilities and straightforwardness, it has been significantly standardized and simplified over the years. The numeral system, with its decimal base and logical structure, complements the language’s overall simplicity. As Indonesia continues to develop and modernize, Bahasa Indonesia and its writing and numeral systems are sure to evolve, adapting to new words, technologies, and cultural influences.