Bahasa, Indonesia’s national language, was created to make communication easier across the country’s 17,508 islands and among its more than 300 ethnicgroups. However, it is rarely spoken in casual conversation, as many Indonesians find it inadequate for __1__ what they wish to say.
One of the main __2__ lies with the fact that Bahasa Indonesia has fewer words than most other languages. In fact, foreign translations of Indonesian novels are often said to read much better than the original. Original Bahasa works are often described as sounding verboseand repetitive, and as lacking in __3__ in the way sentences and paragraphs are structured. In addition, translators will generally have many more words and phrases to choose from when translating works into English or French.
However, there is also a political __4__ to the rare use of Bahasa Indonesia. Because Indonesians learn it in school as children, and hear adults use it when discussing politics, those who speak it are often looked upon as theatrical, bookish, or __5__. In addition, many reject the language due to the fact that it was heavily __6__ in the latter half of the 20th century during the Suharto dictatorship. At that time, individual expression and __7__ expression were heavily suppressed and censored.
Many Indonesians also view Bahasa Indonesia as too rigid or stiff. Oftentimes, Indonesians end up inserting words from other languages or simply __8__ Bahasa Indonesia altogether. Indeed, those who are __9__ with Bahasa Indonesia have plenty of other options when it comes to communicating with their countrymen. In fact, there are approximately 700 regional __10__ to choose from, including Javanese, Balinese, Malay, and Batak. In addition, foreign languages such as English, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese are widely spoken. On top of that, Indonesia’s youth continue to evolve Bahasa Indonesia by creating new words and borrowing or blending words from other languages.
