The Acehnese Language and Society: Language and Linguistics

Book excerpt: Indonesia is a pluralistic nation, consisting of various ethnic groups throughout the country. Each tribe has its own language to communicate, both among ethnic and inter-ethnic groups. Language has an important role as a means of communication for humans to convey their intentions, and ideas, and express themselves in interactions in society. The Acehnese language is one of the regional languages in Aceh Province, one of the provinces out of 37 provinces in Indonesia. This language is one of the languages with the largest number of speakers in the province. It dominates in the acquisition of the language of the people in Aceh. However, until now, few people know about the fundamentals of the Acehnese language. Structurally, the Acehnese language has many unique features. One of its uniqueness is the phonological aspect or the sound of the language. The Acehnese language has a higher number of phonemes when compared to other regional languages in Aceh, even Indonesian. Another of its uniqueness, for example, is in the aspect of vocabulary and how some word differences are seen in the varieties of Acehnese spoken throughout the province, country, and even those speakers who reside in other countries. There are also many social factors in Acehnese society that affect the meaning of a particular word or phrase in this language. Therefore, we had invited researchers and practitioners to contribute to writing the book ‘The Acehnese Language and Society’, as part of the Universitas Syiah Kuala Press Book Series ‘Language and Linguistics’.