Southeast Asia in the Ancient Indian Ocean World; Combining Historical Linguistic and Archaeological Approaches

This PhD dissertation examines the role of insular Southeast Asia in the trans-regional networks of maritime trade that shaped the history of Indian Ocean. The work brings together data and approaches from archaeology, historical linguistics and other disciplines, proposing a reconstruction of cultural and linguistic contact between Southeast Asia and its maritime neighbours to the west in order to advance our historical understanding of this part of the world. Numerous biological, commercial and technical items are examined. The study underlines that the analysis of lexical data is one of the strongest tools to detect and analyse contact between two or more speech communities. It demonstrates how Southeast Asian products and concepts were mainly dispersed by speakers of Malay varieties, although other communities played a role as well. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the study offers new perspectives on the role of insular Southeast Asian agents on cultural dynamism and interethnic contact in the pre-modern Indian Ocean World

Urban Dynamics an Impression of Surabaya's Sociolinguistic Setting

This paper examines the sociolinguistic situation in the city of Surabaya, bypresenting an impression of various phenomena unique to Indonesia's secondlargest city. A surprisingly little amount of linguistic research has heretofore beencarried out on this subject, whereas it transpires from this study that enoughintriguing and unique things can be found in this Southeast Asian metropolis,both among its Javanese majority as well as its Madurese and Chinese inhabitants.Due to the lack of earlier relevant publications, this research is largely based onthe results of several fieldwork trips, which included the pleasant activities ofwatching television, interviewing people and making excursions in and aroundSurabaya to experience how languages are used in daily life. Additionally,concepts such as “language mixing”, “slang” and “attitudes towards language”are involved and considered very significant in disentangling the role andfunction of language in an urban setting

Some Introductory Notes on the Development and Characteristics of Sabah Malay

This is a preliminary description of the Malay variety used as a lingua franca in the Malaysian state of Sabah at the northernmost top of Borneo. The paper discusses a number of common linguistic features that distinguish Sabah Malay from other Malay varieties and analyses these features from a historical linguistic perspective. While it is argued that Sabah Malay has a close historical relation with other Malay dialects spoken in Borneo, especially Brunei Malay, the vernacular is also influenced phonologically and lexically by Sabah's indigenous and immigrant speech communities. Words and sentences recorded or elicited during fieldwork in various parts of Sabah illustrate these points

Tracing the Linguistic Crossroads Between Malay and Tamil

Speakers of Malay and Tamil have been in intermittent contact for roughly two millennia, yet extant academic work on the resultant processes of contact, lexical borrowing, and language mixing at the interface of these two speech communities has only exposed the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This paper presents an historical overview of language contact between Malay and Tamil through time and across the Bay of Bengal. It concludes with a call for future studies on the lexicology, dialectology, and use of colloquial language of both Malay and Tamil varieties

Urban dynamics An impression of Surabaya's sociolinguistic setting

This paper examines the sociolinguistic situation in the city of Surabaya, by presenting an impression of various phenomena unique to Indonesia’s second largest city. A surprisingly little amount of linguistic research has heretofore been carried out on this subject, whereas it transpires from this study that enough intriguing and unique things can be found in this Southeast Asian metropolis, both among its Javanese majority as well as its Madurese and Chinese inhabitants. Due to the lack of earlier relevant publications, this research is largely based on the results of several fieldwork trips, which included the pleasant activities of watching television, interviewing people and making excursions in and around Surabaya to experience how languages are used in daily life. Additionally, concepts such as “language mixing”, “slang” and “attitudes towards language” are involved and considered very significant in disentangling the role and function of language in an urban setting

The psychology of ethical leaders

The collateral damage to companies caused by unethical behaviour can be enormous, especially when it is perceived to be systemic within an organisation. We look to leaders to set an example. So how can they be encouraged to set aside selfinterest and provide an ethical role model for those they lead

Youth culture and urban pride The sociolinguistics of East Javanese slang

This study offers an overview of the characteristics and social functions ofyouth slang in the Indonesian province of East Java. It examines Boso Walikan and various types of Surabayan slang. Boso Walikan emerged in Malang as a secret language that was deliberately made unintelligible to outsiders. Over the decades, large parts of Malang’s urban population developed proficiency in the language and appropriated it as an identity marker. The situation in nearby Surabaya is different. While lacking a uniform local slang comparable to that of Malang, several communities make an effort to differentiate themselves through specific linguistic habits, which are briefly introduced. These case studies tell us not only how young people shape their speech, they illustrate how the East Javanese dialect deals with linguistic variety, lexical borrowing and innovation.KeywordsSlang, youth language, Boso Walikan, East Java, Malang, Surabaya