INDONESIAN LANGUAGES AS A MEANING OF CULTURAL CROSS-CULTURE COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the largest multicultural countries in the world. The plurality, horizontally various groups of people who are now categorized as Indonesian people can be divided into various ethnic groups, groups of speakers of certain languages, or into groups of adherents of different religious teachings. Whereas vertically, the various community groups can be distinguished based on modes of production which lead to differences in their adaptability. The truth of this statement can be seen from the socio-cultural and geographical conditions that are so diverse and broad. From the perspective of communication, as part of a multicultural society, so far there has been no meaningful cross-cultural communication, which can provide space for human relations in minimizing cultural errors. The interaction between individuals and between cultural groups so far has been nothing more than pseudo, not genuine communication. In such circumstances, communication is just lip service. Communication does not convey the true message. The demand for meaningful cross-cultural communication requires the need for language engineering that leads to the vitality of codes, status, and language education. Language engineering is expected to be able to provide its function and role in creating cross-cultural communication in multicultural societies. Its implementation is expected to be seen especially in the realm of education which respects pluralism, democracy, and humanism. Meaningfulness in communication occurs when a person: (1) pays attention to situations and contexts, (2) is open to new information, and (3) realizes that there is more than one perspective.