Indonesian Arabic

From a historical perspective, Arabic language and culture have been known since the introduction of Islam to the Malay Archipelago, or better known in Classical Arabic as {{lang|ar|الجزائر الجاوي}}, {{lang|ar|al-Jazaʿir al-Jawi}}, {{lit|Java Archipelago}},{{cite book|last=Sudirman|first=Adi|title=Ensiklopedia Sejarah Lengkap Indonesia dari Era Klasik Sampai Kontemporer|language=id|publisher=Diva Press|year=2019|isbn=978-602-391-657-3|quote=Sementara itu, bangsa Arab menyebut tanah air kita dengan Jazair al-Jawi (Kepulauan Jawa)}}{{cite book|last=Oentoro|first=Jimmy|title=Indonesia Satu, Indonesia Beda, Indonesia Bisa|language=id|publisher=PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama|year=2010|isbn=978-979-22-5814-1|location=Jakarta}} which means that long before Indonesia's independence, Arabic was already becoming familiar to the indigenous peoples. When examining the relationship between Arabic and Islam in Indonesia, it is clear that Arabic culture and language have had a significant influence on the life of the society and the culture of Islam Nusantara (Indonesian Islam). For example, in terms of the language used daily by the people, Arabic is one of the foreign elements that has contributed a substantial amount of vocabulary to the native languages in Indonesia, including standard Indonesian, the official language of Indonesia.{{Cite web |last=Masyrufah |date=2020-01-07 |title=Bahasa Arab di Indonesia |trans-title=Arabic language in Indonesia |url=https://fitk.uin-malang.ac.id/bahasa-arab-di-indonesia/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=FITK |publisher=Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University Malang |language=id}} The development of the Arabic occurred due to the arrival of Arab and Persian traders in Indonesia over a long period. It is known that Arabic language and literature are estimated to have been present in Indonesia since the early 7th to 8th centuries AD and began to develop rapidly during the 9th to 12th centuries AD. This theory is supported and agreed upon by Hamka, van Leur, and T.W. Arnold.

The Arabic spoken in Indonesia is generally used by people of Arab descent and Islamic students (santri), primarily based on Hadhrami Arabic brought by Arab traders from Hadramaut, Yemen. This language has a unique feature, which is the mixture of vocabulary from Arabic and Indonesian, as well as other regional languages.{{Cite web|url=http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=naqobatul&id=I016|title=RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Naqobatul Asyrof Al-Kubro|website=wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com|access-date=2017-04-18}}{{cite web|url=https://www.neliti.com/publications/266483/metode-pembelajaran-bahasa-asing-arab-di-pondok-pesantren-modern|title=Metode Pembelajaran Bahasa Asing Arab di Pondok Pesantren Modern|trans-title=Methods of Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language in Modern Pesantren|website=www.neliti.com|access-date=9 July 2024|language=id}} This is notably different from the Modern Standard Arabic used by 21st-century Arab expatriates. The language is commonly used in Islamic educational institutions or pesantren and in villages inhabited by people of Arabs descent, often referred to as Kampung Arab 'Arab village'.{{Cite journal |last1=Evi Nurus Suroiyah |last2=Dewi Anisatuz Zakiyah |date=2021-06-07 |title=Perkembangan Bahasa Arab di Indonesia |trans-title=Development of Arabic in Indonesia |url=https://ejournal.iaiskjmalang.ac.id/index.php/muhad/article/view/302 |journal=Muhadasah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=60–69 |doi=10.51339/muhad.v3i1.302 |issn=2721-9488|doi-access=free |language=id}}{{Cite web|last=Maulana|first=Arif|date=29 December 2020|title=Bahasa Arab Berperan Besar dalam Pengembangan Bahasa Indonesia|trans-title=Arabic Plays a Significant Role in the Development of Indonesian|url=https://www.unpad.ac.id/2020/12/bahasa-arab-berperan-besar-dalam-pengembangan-bahasa-indonesia/|publisher=Padjadjaran University|language=id-ID|access-date=2023-11-22}}

File:Indonesia provinces blank map-AR.png in the 21st century with names in Arabic.]]

Arabic in Indonesia is generally spoken by Arab descendants in Bogor (Empang and Cisarua), Surabaya (Ampel), Bangkalan (Kamal), Jakarta, Gresik, Pekalongan, Kediri, Pasuruan (Bangil), Bondowoso, Banjarmasin, Surakarta, Palembang, Palu (Talise), Ambon, Martapura, Yogyakarta, and other areas with a significant Arab-descendant population in Indonesia.{{Cite journal |last1=Indraswara |first1=Mohammad Sahid |last2=Hardiman |first2=Gagoek |last3=Rukayah |first3=Siti |last4=Firmandhani |first4=Satriya W. |date=2022-04-13 |title=Karakteristik Kampung Arab di pesisir dan pedalaman (Kasus : Kampung Arab Pekojan, Pasar Kliwon Surakarta dan Sugihwaras Pekalongan) |url=http://jurnal.unissula.ac.id/index.php/psa/article/view/19767 |journal=Jurnal Planologi |language=id |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=1–18 |doi=10.30659/jpsa.v19i1.19767 |issn=2615-5257|doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |first1=Saifuddin Ahmad |last1=Husin |first2=I Dewa Putu |last2=Wijana |date=2009 |title=Pemakaian Bahasa Arab oleh masyarakat Arab di Martapura Kabupaten Banjar Kalimantan Selatan |url=https://etd.repository.ugm.ac.id/home/detail_pencarian/49384 |journal=AUNILO: Libraries of ASEAN University Network |language=id |volume= |issue= |pages= |doi= |issn= |doi-access= |location=Yogyakarta, Indonesia |publisher= Universitas Gadjah Mada }} Even the Arab descendants and their language are also found in Fakfak, a small town on the west coast of Papua, the easternmost island of Indonesia, their presence there can be traced back to the 1800s, where their Arabic surnames became their trademark.{{cite journal|url=https://ocs.brin.go.id/index.php/ifsr/ifsr2022/paper/downloadSuppFile/43/39|title=Fakfak Dalam Jaringan Maritim Nusantara Pada Abad XVIII–XX|journal=Faculty of Teacher Training and Education|publisher=Cenderawasih University|location=Jayapura, Indonesia|first1=Ester|last1=Yambeyapdi|first2=Susanto|last2=Zuhdi|first3=Didik|last3=Pradjoko|date=|language=id}}

Currently, the number of speakers is approximately half of the Arab descendants, or perhaps even less. This number does not include the santri who use it as a formal language. Based on rough estimates, this language had about 60,000 speakers in 2010. Rather than maintaining their Arabic language, younger generations typically prefer to use Malay-based creole languages, where they actually play a significant role in contributing Arabic vocabulary, but it is then adapted to local pronunciation. A prominent example is Betawi, where the majority of Arab descendants in urban Jakarta currently use this language.{{Cite journal |last=Rahman |first=Lina Aulia |date=2021-01-01 |title=Kebudayaan Masyarakat Keturunan Arab Di Jakarta, Studi Kasus di Kampung Arab Condet |url=https://www.academia.edu/61389887 |journal=Program Studi Magister Kajian Timur Tengah dan Islam|language=id|publisher=Universitas Indonesia|location=Jakarta, Indonesia}} Indonesian Arabic also has a big influence on the Condet dialect, a dialect of Betawi language, where Arabic vocabulary is mostly found, more pronounced than other Betawi dialects. Also with some Malay influence.{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308723673|title=Hubungan Bahasa Melayu dengan Bahasa Betawi di Wilayah Condet|publisher=University of Indonesia|journal=Program Studi Indonesia, Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya|language=id|date=2015|first=Khairina|last=Diar|volume=|number=|location=Jakarta, Indonesia}}{{cite journal|url=https://ejournal.atmajaya.ac.id/index.php/kolita/article/view/5780|title=Analisis Makna dan Tatanan Gramatikal Bahasa Arab Pada Masyarakat Condet|publisher=Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia|journal=Konferensi Linguistik Tahunan Atma Jaya|language=id|date=2021|author1=Husin|first2=Rizka|last2=Andini|volume=|number=|pages=173–177 |location=Jakarta, Indonesia|issn=2828-5034}} Arabic-Malay script (Jawi) was also quite often used by the indigenous people of Condet in East Jakarta, especially during the Dutch colonial era.{{cite thesis|url=https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123456789/62973|title=Tsanā'iyyah al-lughah fī mujtama' condet ('arab-betawi) dirāsah 'ilm al-lughah al-ijtimā'i|publisher=UIN Syarif Hidayatullah|journal=Fakultas Adab dan Humaniora|language=ar|date=2016|first=Ahmad|last=Rifai|volume=|number=|location=Jakarta, Indonesia|issn=}}

Because of its influence on the native languages in the areas where it is used and its considerable influence on the official language, Indonesian, also because of the fluent assimilation of its speakers since long ago.{{cite journal|url=https://etd.repository.ugm.ac.id/penelitian/detail/195286|title=Ekspresi Budaya Islami Masyarakat Pekalongan: Hasil Akulturasi Budaya Warga Keturunan Arab (Islam) dengan Warga Setempat (Jawa) dalam Kehidupan Sehari-hari di Kota Pekalongan|publisher=Universitas Gadjah Mada|journal=Fakultas Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik|language=id|access-date=2024-09-11|date=2021|first1=Patria|last1=Annisa|first2=Muhammad Najib|last2=Azca|volume=|number=|location=Yogyakarta, Indonesia}} Indonesian Arabic began to mix with native languages in Indonesia to form Para-Arabic or Pseudo-Arabic varieties, because the grammar mostly deviates from Arabic rules and looks very small, but its influence can be seen especially in terms of the vocabulary used, especially also mixed with the native languages that are more dominant in the region. This code mixing then formed a mixed language used by groups of Arab descendants who assimilated with the indigenous peoples.{{cite journal|url=https://repository.unej.ac.id/handle/123456789/26650|title=Campur kode Bahasa Arab dalam komunikasi lisan pada masyarakat Kampung Arab di Kota Bondowoso|publisher=Universitas Jember|journal=Repository UNEJ|language=id|access-date=2024-09-11|date=2014-01-28|first=Yunita Dwi|last=Safitri|volume=|number=|location=Jember, Indonesia}} For example, in the Klego subdistrict in Pekalongan, the Arab people there speak Arabic with influences from Javanese grammar and a broader vocabulary.{{cite journal|url=https://journal.iainkudus.ac.id/index.php/Edukasia/article/view/807|title=Kontribusi Konvensi Bahasa Arab – Jawa Terhadap Harmonisasi Sosial|publisher=Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kudus|journal=Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam|language=id|access-date=2024-09-11|date=2016|first=Muhandis|last=Azzuhri|volume=11|number=1|location=Kudus, Indonesia|doi=10.21043/edukasia.v11i1.807|doi-broken-date=2024-11-02 |doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|url=https://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/komunitas/article/view/2372|title=Interaksi Masyarakat Keturunan Arab Dengan Masyarakat Setempat di Pekalongan|publisher=MA NU Banat Kudus|journal=International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture|language=id|access-date=2024-09-11|date=2013|first=Dian|last=Kinasih|volume=5|number=1|location=Kudus, Indonesia|doi=10.15294/komunitas.v5i1.2372|doi-access=free}}

There are two varieties of Arabic that are usually used in Indonesia, namely Amiyah or colloquial Arabic, especially by Arab descendants in Indonesia in daily communication among their communities.{{cite journal|url=https://prosiding.arab-um.com/index.php/semnasbama/article/view/192|title=Bahasa Arab Fusha dan 'Ammiyah Serta Cakupan Penggunaannya|journal=Konferensi Nasional Bahasa Arab|publisher=Universitas Negeri Malang|location=Malang, Indonesia|language=id|date=2018|first1=Azizah|last1=Fithriyyahni|first2=Mar’atus|last2=Sholikah|doi=|doi-access=|volume=2|number=}} Also Fusha, which is standard Arabic which is usually used by students in formal activities at Islamic boarding schools, or also by Arab descendants, for example in their worship or formal activities.{{cite journal|url=https://journal.uinmataram.ac.id/index.php/cordova/article/view/9064|title=The Development of Fushah Arabic in Indonesia|journal=Cordova Journal: Language and Culture Studies|publisher=Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram|location=Mataram, Indonesia|language=en|date=2024|first1=Syaiful|last1=Mustofa|first2=Azka|last2=Kamilaini|first3=Ahmad Zaini|last3=Dahlan|doi=10.20414/cordova.v14i1.9064|doi-access=free|volume=14|number=1|pages=1–8 }}{{cite journal|url=https://jurnal.iaibafa.ac.id/index.php/tafaqquh/article/view/133|title=Fenomena Penggunaan Bahasa Arab oleh Masyarakat Keturunan Arab di "Embong Arab" Malang|journal=Tafáqquh: Jurnal Penelitian dan Kajian Keislaman|publisher=Universitas K.H. Abdul Wahab Hasbullah|location=Jombang, Indonesia|language=id|date=2018|first1=Afif Kholisun|last1=Nashoih|first2=Hilyah|last2=Ashoumi|doi=10.52431/tafaqquh.v6i1.133|doi-access=free|volume=6|number=1|pages=90–106 |issn=2549-1873}} From the results of the acculturation between Arabic of Fusha and Amiyah, as well as their everyday language, at the Darussalam Gontor Modern Islamic Boarding School, have created their own Gontor Arabic dialect which is used by the students there.{{cite journal|url=https://journal.ipmafa.ac.id/index.php/islamicreview/article/view/27|title=Pembentukan Kosakata Bahasa Arab Oleh Santri Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor|journal=Islamic Review: Jurnal Riset Dan Kajian Keislaman|publisher=Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga|location=Yogyakarta, Indonesia|language=id|date=2013|first=Hisyam|last=Zaeni|doi=10.35878/islamicreview.v2i1.27|doi-access=free|volume=2|number=1|issn=|pages=171–202|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }} Apart from that, there is also the Martapura Arabic dialect which is used by Arab descendants in Martapura, South Kalimantan. It is heavily influenced by the Banjar language in its language, especially its loanwords and pronunciation, and is also influenced by Indonesian.

It has been revealed that the use of Arabic is significantly influenced by syntax in Indonesian, particularly among santri in pesantren. Phrases such as lâ mâdza-mâdza (لا ماذا ماذا, meaning 'it's okay') or maujûd-maujûd faqath (موجود موجود فقط, meaning 'seriously') are examples of syntactic errors in Arabic among santri that result in word reduplication. In reality, when looked at word by word in Indonesian, these examples are not incorrect, but when combined, they become less accurate and hard to understand, and they cannot be found in other varieties of Arabic, as these expressions do not exist in their language. The correct expression in Modern Standard Arabic for 'it's okay' is lâ ba’sa (لا بأس) or laisa musykilah (ليس مشكلة). Meanwhile, the expression 'just there' essentially responds to something considered a joke or something unusual, and it can be translated into Modern Standard Arabic as laqad mazahta (لقد مزحت, meaning 'you are just joking') or hâdzaâ sya’un jadîd (هذا شيء جديد, meaning 'this is something new').{{cite journal |last=Iqbal |first=M. |date= |title=Pengaruh Bahasa Arab dan Penggunaanya di Indonesia |url=https://mahadali.umy.ac.id/pengaruh-bahasa-arab-dan-penggunaanya-di-indonesia/ |journal=Ma'had Ali Bin Abi Thalib |language=id |location=Bantul |publisher=Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta |access-date=10 July 2024}}

The inaccuracy in using expressions like these in this variation of Arabic is certainly influenced by Indonesian, or more precisely, by colloquial Indonesian. Another possible cause could be a lack of understanding of Arabic rules and knowledge about them, or it could be because such expressions have become common in forming Arabic sentences among santri. Native speakers of other Arabic varieties might consider or view this as Arabic with poor pronunciation and grammar. This also includes, for example, changes in pronunciation and sound in Arabic vocabulary that are adapted to local pronunciation in Indonesia, as in the case of Colloquial Arabic-Javanese.

Arabic is recognized as a foreign and minority language in Indonesia, without the status of an official or regional language.{{cite journal|url=https://karya.brin.go.id/22531/1/2088-9593_12_2_2022-5.pdf|title=Efektivitas Pembelajaran Mufradāt Dalam Meningkatkan Keterampilan Berbicara Bahasa Arab Santri Kelas VII MTs Jamaluddin Lekong Rembuk Tahun Pembelajaran 2021/2022|journal=Jurnal Al-Fawa'id: Jurnal Agama Dan Bahasa|language=id|date=2022|issn=2774-3748|first1=Lalu Baharudin|last1=Shadiq|first2=Nur Cholis Agus|last2=Santoso|publisher=STAI Ali bin Abi Thalib|location=Surabaya, Indonesia|volume=21|number=2}}{{cite journal|url=https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/lisanuna/article/download/6731/4044|title=Orisinalitas dan Elastisitas Kosakata Dalam Bahasa Arab|journal=Fakultas Tarbiyah Dan Keguruan|language=id|date=2019|issn=|first=A.|last=Mualif|publisher=Universitas Islam Kuantan Singingi|location=Kuantan Singingi, Indonesia|volume=9|number=1}} But it remains an important language in Indonesia, especially by Indonesian Muslims there, where Arabic is considered as one of their religious language used in prayers and recitation of the Quran.{{cite journal|url=https://journal.universitaspahlawan.ac.id/index.php/jpdk/article/view/5432|title=Bahasa Arab Bagi Muslim Indonesia antara Identitas dan Cinta pada Agama|journal=Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Konseling|language=id|date=2022|issn=|first1=Iis|last1=Susiawati|first2=Dadan|last2=Mardani|publisher=Institut Agama Islam Al-Azis Indramayu|location=Indramayu, Indonesia|volume=4|number=5|doi=10.31004/jpdk.v4i5.5432|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |doi-access=free}} The position of Arabic is also considered important for the Indonesian government, especially in relation to diplomacy with foreign countries, especially Arabic-speaking countries. Arabic also played an important role in diplomacy between Indonesia and Egypt, especially in the early period of Indonesian independence and Egypt's support for it. Mastery of Arabic, especially by accomplished diplomats such as Agus Salim, was key to building close diplomatic relations and gaining international support.{{cite journal|url=https://japendi.publikasiindonesia.id/index.php/japendi/article/download/2335/1183/9098|title=Pentingnya Bahasa Arab dalam Pendidikan Diplomasi dan Hubungan Internasional|journal=Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia|language=id|date=2023|issn=2746-1920|first1=Nailil|last1=Huda|first2=Juwika|last2=Afrita|publisher=Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah|location=Jakarta, Indonesia|volume=4|number=11|pages=1242–1252 |doi=10.59141/japendi.v4i11.2335|doi-access=free}}

Ferguson (1970) in The Role of Arabic in Ethiopia: a Sociolinguistic Perspective explains that the area where Arabic is used includes Morocco in the west to the Persian Gulf, across the Red Sea to Ethiopia and Somalia in the Horn of Africa, then to the Gujarat in India and a small part of Xinjiang in China, up to the Southeast Asian region including Indonesia. In Indonesia, based on its geographical varieties, Arabic is grouped into:{{cite journal|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11716321.pdf|title=Pemilihan Kode Pada Masyarakat Keturunan Arab di Noyontaan, Kota Pekalongan: Kajian Sosiolinguistik|publisher=Universitas Diponegoro|journal=Tesis Magister Linguistik|language=id|date=2008|first=Anis|last=Sholihatin|volume=|number=|location=Semarang, Indonesia|doi=|doi-access=}}

• North Coast of Java – including Tuban, Gresik, Semarang, Pekalongan, Tegal, Cirebon, which is influenced by Javanese, then Tanjung Priok (also includes Pekojan and Condet) which is influenced by Betawi, and Ampel which is influenced by Javanese and Madurese.
• East Coast of Java (Tapal Kuda) – Bangil and Situbondo, which are heavily influenced by Javanese and Madurese.
• Interior of East Java – Malang and Jember are heavily influenced by Javanese, and also, to a certain extent, by Madurese influence, especially in Jember.
• Interior of Central Java – Bumiayu, Surakarta, and Yogyakarta, which are influenced by Javanese. However, in Surakarta and Yogyakarta, it is very influenced by standard Javanese, unlike in Bumiayu, which is influenced by the Banyumasan dialect.

Other varieties also cover areas outside Java, such as in Sumatra, the Palembang variety, which is influenced by Palembang.{{cite journal|url=https://www.syekhnurjati.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/tamaddun/article/view/8174|title=Membaca Keturunan Arab di Palembang: Dari Kedatangan Hingga Kini|publisher=IAIN Syekh Nurjati|journal=Tamaddun: Jurnak Sejarah Dan Kebudayaan Islam|language=id|date=2021|first1=Aulia Novemy|last1=Dhita|first2=Sesilia Dwi|last2=Putri|volume=9|number=1|location=Cirebon, Indonesia|doi=10.24235/tamaddun.v9i1.8174|doi-access=free|issn=}} Also the Banjar-speaking regional variety in Kalimantan, especially in Banjarmasin and Martapura. Apart from that, other geographical variations were also found, such as Bangkalan to Sumenep with Madurese influences, as well as the Kangean variety with Kangean, Bugis, and Madurese influences.{{cite journal|url=https://www.ejournal.warmadewa.ac.id/index.php/jret/article/view/5756/3957|title=Dialect Identification on Kangean Island and Madurese Island: Dialectology Study|publisher=Universitas Negeri Jember|journal=Retorika: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa|language=en|date=2022|first1=Mochammad Minladun|last1=Hakim|first2=Agus|last2=Sariono|author3=Asrumi|volume=8|number=2|location=Jember, Indonesia|doi=10.55637/jr.8.2.5756.129-143|doi-access=free|issn=2443-0668|pages=129–143}} Also the Empang and Cisarua varieties in Bogor which are influenced by Sundanese.{{cite journal|url=https://journal.unpak.ac.id/index.php/wahana/article/view/4548|title=Etnografi Komunikasi Pada Etnis Arab dan Etnis Sunda di Kelurahan Empang Kota Bogor|publisher=Pakuan University|journal=Sinta: Science and Technology Index|language=id|date=2021|first=Prameswari|last=Handayani|volume=27|number=2|pages=598–604 |location=Bogor, Indonesia|doi=10.33751/wahana.v27i2.4548|doi-access=free|issn=2656-8306}}

• Varieties of Arabic
• Arab Indonesians
• Hadhrami Arabic

• [https://ps.uinib.ac.id/perpustakaan/index.php?p=show_detail&id=2804&keywords= Kamus Bahasa Arab : Arab – Indonesia – Indonesia – Arab]

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

Category:Languages of Indonesia

Category:Languages attested from the 9th century

Category:Peninsular Arabic