Even though there has been extensive research on bilingualism and cultural identity, however, in the context of Indonesia, this topic seems rarely investigated, especially among Chinese-Indonesian students. This research aims to examine language attitudes to bilingualism and cultural identity of Chinese Indonesian bilingual students who are raised in Indonesia and have never stayed in English speaking countries. The study aims to recognize the influence of language in the identity
construction of bilinguals. The theoretical section of this work discusses research on bilingualism and identity construction, with a focus on language, identity, and the awareness of Indonesian cultural identity. 73 students are voluntarily available to fill in the questionnaire and 17 of them are available to be part in-depth interview. A qualitative approach is employed as semi-structured interviews are analyzed using descriptive analysis. The analyses uncovers the participants’ diverse language perception towards bilingualism and multiple dimensions of their cultural identity. A conspicuous number of the participants claimed that being able to speak English is
part of an investment for them as they intend to pursue their study abroad. Overuse of English compared to bahasa Indonesia tend to cause subtractive bilingualism which leads to language especially loss of their Bahasa Indonesia. What does seem to be common to all participants, however, is the notion
that their Indonesian cultural identity is threatened, whether in the form of language or cultural knowledge and allineation from the mainstraim. There seems to be a strong sense of pride in them of being an Indonesian. They believe that they are
born and raised in Indonesian and they belong to the Indonesian land; this binding could not be separated in their life. |