I heard “hunedresit?”: Uncovering Language Barriers Among Indonesian Diasporas in Glasgow

https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v19i1.16040
Abstract views: 115 , PDF downloads: 162
Keywords: diaspora, Glaswegian, Indonesian, International student, Language barrier

Abstract

Despite the history of the 30th of September Movement (Gerakan Tiga Puluh September, G30S) incident and the Indonesian diasporas' status as exiles with feelings of being haunted and separated from their homeland, many Indonesians currently reside abroad. This current study aims to uncover and scrutinize language barriers among Indonesian diasporas in Glasgow, focusing on language barriers encountered, the effects of the language barriers, and adaptation strategies to face the language barriers. The findings of this study uncover that the Indonesian diasporas in Glasgow encompass the language barriers in Glaswegian accents, vocabularies or slang, and the fast pace of Glaswegian speech. The language barrier has significantly affected their living in Glasgow, especially regarding their communication with the locals and their emotional responses. In navigating the language barriers and adjusting to their new environment, the Indonesian diasporas employ various strategies, such as engaging with locals and learning through entertainment. In shedding light on the language barriers experienced by the Indonesian diasporas in Glasgow, this study highlights the imperative to learn and understand the cultures of host countries aimed at mitigating the challenges and obstacles while living over there.

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Author Biographies

Hurrotul Firdausiyah, Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281

HURROTUL FIRDAUSIYAH is a Master’s student at Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. Her research interests include applied linguistics, such as sociolinguistics, linguistic landscape, language policy, and linguistic anthropology.

Ahmad Abu Rifai, Applied Linguistics, School of Critical Studies, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ

AHMAD ABU RIFAI is a Master's student in Applied Linguistics at the School of Critical Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. His interests primarily focus on Critical Discourse Analysis, Forensic Linguistics, and Corpus Linguistics.

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Published
2025-05-31
How to Cite
Firdausiyah, H., & Rifai, A. A. (2025). I heard “hunedresit?”: Uncovering Language Barriers Among Indonesian Diasporas in Glasgow. OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 19(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v19i1.16040
Issue
Vol. 19 No. 1 (2025): OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra (In Progress)
Section
Articles

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