Abstract:
This study focuses on looking at how Indonesian students
view themselves as Indonesians and as members of certain ethnic
groups concerning their ability to speak in the local/heritage
languages. This article also covers their attitude towards their
heritage languages in comparison to English, as a foreign language.
The data for this study were collected through paper-based
questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It is found that
participants with the ability to speak in their local language felt more
confident in stating their ethnic identity. There was also a lead to
confusion of their ethnic identities, for those few who can't speak
any local language. These youths are proud Indonesians, with their
Indonesian languages. However, as predicted by Rini (2014), among
other languages in Indonesia, English will still be a more important
foreign language. This study adds that English appears to be more
important than any local language to these Indonesian students.