Language rights and legal identity: a sociolinguistic study of indigenous language representation in Indonesian law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67490/ijll.v1i1.528Keywords:
discourse analysis, indigenous languages, language policy, legal identity, sociolinguisticsAbstract
Background: Indonesia is one of the world’s most linguistically diverse nations, yet indigenous languages remain marginalized in legal frameworks that privilege Bahasa Indonesia as the sole language of governance. Objective: The aim of this research is to examine how Indonesian law represents, protects, or silences indigenous languages in constructing legal identity. Method: Using a qualitative design, this study employed sociolinguistic textual analysis, critical language policy analysis, and ideological discourse analysis on constitutional provisions, statutory laws, regional bylaws, and judicial decisions. Results: The results show three main findings: first, indigenous languages are inconsistently represented in national legal texts, with recognition largely symbolic and confined to cultural or educational domains; second, there are significant policy gaps, as constitutional guarantees of cultural rights lack enforcement mechanisms and regional protections remain fragmented; third, legal discourse reflects an ideology of centralism that elevates Bahasa Indonesia while relegating local languages to folklorized or peripheral roles. Implication: These findings imply that without systemic integration, indigenous languages risk symbolic survival but functional exclusion, underscoring the need for inclusive legal reforms that embed linguistic rights into governance and justice. Novelty: This study exposes how Indonesian legal discourse simultaneously recognizes and marginalizes indigenous languages, revealing a tension between symbolic acknowledgment and their exclusion from functional domains of governance.
Downloads
References
[1] K. Belarbi and L. Belaid, “Multilingual Practices in the Linguistic Landscape: Insights into Linguistic Repertoires and Language Policy,” International Journal of Multilingual Education, May 2025, doi: 10.22333/ijme.2025.9075.
[2] S. W. Fitriati and E. Rata, “Language, Globalisation, and National Identity : A Study of English-Medium Policy and Practice in Indonesia,” Journal of Language, Identity and Education, pp. 1–14, 2020, doi: 10.1080/15348458.2020.1777865.
[3] A. Frank, “Language Policy and Its Legal Implications,” IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.59298/idosrjah/2025/1135358.
[4] A. Fawaid, M. Huda, and H. bin Jali, “Politics of Representation in Indonesian Textbooks: The Impacts of Educational Narrative Reforms on the Formation of National Identity in Post-Reform Era,” Paedagoria: Jurnal Kajian, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan Kependidikan, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 23–33, 2026, doi: 10.31764/paedagoria.v17i1.35750.
[5] B. Suwarno, “Acquisition Planning for Regional Indigenous Heritage Languages in Indonesia,” SAGE Open, vol. 10, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.1177/2158244020948843.
[6] A. Fawaid, D. P. Arum, and M. Huda, “Othering dan Self-Branding: Subalternitas dan Politik Representasi Indonesia dalam Buku Ajar BIPA,” Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Indonesia, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 1–13, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.30659/jpbi.13.2.1-13.
[7] S. Isra and H. Tegnan, “Legal syncretism or the theory of unity in diversity as an alternative to legal pluralism in Indonesia,” International Journal of Law and Management, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 553–568, 2021, doi: 10.1108/IJLMA-04-2018-0082.
[8] A. Suharsono, N. Prasetyoningsih, and S. Usman, “Women’s Inheritance Rights in Indonesia from the Perspective of the Triangular Concept of Legal Pluralism,” El-Mashlahah, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 259–280, 2024, doi: 10.23971/el-mashlahah.v14i2.7657.
[9] D. Sumardi, R. Lukito, and M. N. Ichwan, “Legal pluralism within the space of Sharia: Interlegality of criminal law traditions in Aceh, Indonesia,” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 426–449, 2021.
[10] M. Sanka, “Collective Linguistic Rights, Endangered Languages And Indigenous Peoples: An International Legal Perspective,” Dec. 2020, doi: 10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.02.17.
[11] S. S. A. Huque and C. U. Maheshwari, “Importance of language rights of indigenous tribal minorities & their protection under the ambit of Human Rights Law,” Revista de Direito Internacional, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.5102/rdi.v19i3.8407.
[12] V. Nemechkin, “Formation and development of international standards in the field of linguistic rights of indigenous peoples: historical and legal aspects,” Finno-Ugric World, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.15507/2076-2577.012.2020.02.194-202.
[13] N. Ntlama-Makhanya, “Revisiting the Debate on the Constitutionalised Status of Indigenous Languages as Language of Record in South African Judicial Proceedings,” Beijing Law Review, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.4236/blr.2021.124055.
[14] N. Seminario-Hurtado, B. Manuel, and J. Avellaneda-Vásquez, “Indigenous languages in Latin American constitutionalism 1 Las lenguas indígenas en el constitucionalismo Latinoamericano,” SSRN Electronic Journal, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5313121.
[15] E. Ferruzola-Gómez, C. Chávez-Morales, M. Del Carmen Méndez-Carrillo, and J. Duchimaza-Supliguicha, “Intergenerational gaps and linguistic decline in Ecuador’s indigenous communities: A socio-legal analysis,” International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.53894/ijirss.v8i2.6182.
[16] G. M. Maroko, C. S. Nganga, and A. N. Ong’Onda, “A Discursive Analysis of the Treatment of English and Indigenous Languages in Post-Colonial Language Policies in Kenya,” Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.15294/lc.v20i1.16304.
[17] A. Vaivade, “Claiming Indigeneity in Europe: Livonian activism for language protection,” Journal of Baltic Studies, vol. 56, pp. 1–21, May 2024, doi: 10.1080/01629778.2024.2339875.
[18] E. Subowo, I. Bukhori, and Warto, “Corpus Development and NER Model for Identification of Legal Entities (Articles, Laws, and Sanctions) in Corruption Court Decisions in Indonesia,” Transactions on Informatics and Data Science, Jun. 2025, doi: 10.24090/tids.v2i1.13592.
[19] N. Fairclough, Media discourse. Edward Arnold London, 1995. [Online]. Available: https://reviewbooku.com/review/norman-fairclough-media-discourse-4951969
[20] T. A. Van Dijk, “Principles of critical discourse analysis,” Discourse & society, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 249–283, 1993.
[21] Jusdalyana et al., “Representation of Patriarchal Ideology and Its Negative Effects on the Characters in Naomi Alderman’s The Power,” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.17507/tpls.1409.23.
[22] A. Z. Munibi, “Language as a Catalyst for Shaping Religious Identity and Political Ideology in the Era of Social Media,” Jurnal Multidisiplin West Science, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.58812/jmws.v4i07.2439.
[23] R. Wodak, The Discourse of Politics in Action. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2009. doi: 10.1057/9780230316539.
[24] A. Fawaid, Z. Zamroni, and H. Baharun, “Contesting Sacred Architecture: Politics of ‘Nation-State’ in the Battles of Mosques in Java,” QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies), vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 129–172, 2019, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v7i1.4365.
[25] A. Fawaid, W. Udasmoro, S. Margana, and B. T. A.-Z. Hussen, “Politics of Islam in Javanese Aesthetics: R. Ng. Yasadipura I’s Poe(li)tical Imagination of Islam in Babad Tanah Jawi,” Religious: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama dan Lintas Budaya, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–12, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.15575/rjsalb.v6i1.14718.
[26] P. Bollettin and F. C. Servelati, “LANGUAGE IDEOLOGY IN BRAZILIAN INDIGENOUS ACADEMIC PRODUCTION,” Revista de Letras Norte@mentos, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.30681/rln.v18i54.13324.
[27] D. Griffin and D. Roemling, “Signs of Legal and Pseudolegal Authority: A Corpus-Based Comparison of Contemporary Courtroom Filings,” International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique, vol. 38, pp. 1397–1432, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11196-024-10183-7.
[28] X. Lin, M. Afzaal, and H. S. Aldayel, “Syntactic complexity in legal translated texts and the use of plain English: a corpus-based study,” Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, vol. 10, pp. 1–9, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1057/s41599-022-01485-x.
[29] J. W. Creswell, Research Design, Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methode Approach, (Research Design, Pendekatan Kualitatif, Kuantitatif, dan Mixed, Edisi Ketiga) terj. Achmad Fawaid. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://digilib.ub.ac.id/opac/detail-opac?id=139455
[30] T. D. Jick, “Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action,” Administrative science quarterly, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 602–611, 1979.
[31] A. Rayhan, W. T. Putri, and F. A. Nugroho, “The Urgency of Special Legislation for Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia,” Indigenous Southeast Asian and Ethnic Studies, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.32678/iseaes.v1i1.18.
[32] A. Karso, “Natural resources governance and the vulnerability of indigenous communities in Indonesia,” Frontiers in Political Science, Nov. 2025, doi: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1601480.
[33] C. Laude, “Balancing acts and breakthroughs: Canada’s journey with linguistic diversity, indigenous rights, and the UN Declaration to inspire public service innovation,” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, vol. 31, pp. 154–174, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1080/11926422.2025.2458884.
[34] A. Kyomugisha, “Language as a Human Right: Legal Perspectives,” IDOSR JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND ENGLISH, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.59298/idosr/jce/101.3238.20250000.
[35] K. Chahbane and H. Zrizi, “Language and Politics: Framing the Use of Conceptual Metaphors in Political Discourse,” International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.32996/ijllt.2023.6.11.15.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Putri Lu'lua Faiza Dwany (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License