MANDARIN AS OVERSEAS CHINESE'S INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (CASE IN INDONESIA)

Abstract

Overseas Chinese have long stayed and become one of the indigenous groups in the country where they exist and survive for years. Even they adjust their nationality. In Indonesia, Overseas Chinese have ‘melted’ with other tribes here. Today, Overseas Chinese is the third biggest indigenous groups in Indonesia. They live, act and appear like Indonesia indigenous people. However, many of them still use mandarin for daily conversation among their families or in group. Even Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, Hakka, Canton, Tio Ciu and many more are still used. Each dialect shows the identity of the person. Some of them speak Mandarin only, some are able to speak Mandarin and one of the dialects, some even can speak mandarin and more than one dialects. Mandarin was forbidden to be used during Suharto’s regime. In that period, many Overseas Chinese children didn’t have opportunity to learn it. Though, the language and dialects survive. For Overseas Chinese, Mandarin and the dialects are their indigenous languages. This paper will discuss about how do the mandarin and other Chinese dialects still been spoken and well- maintained till today.