Indonesian, aka Bahasa Indonesia, an Austronesian language, is the official language of Indonesia. The language evolved from the Malay language, which has been spoken in the archipelago for centuries. Malay served as a lingua franca across Southeast Asia, facilitating trade and communication among diverse ethnic groups and regions. The arrival of Islam in the 13th century and European colonization in the 16th century further influenced the language, introducing Arabic, Dutch, and Portuguese loanwords. During the colonial period, Dutch became the official language, but Malay continued to be widely spoken among Indonesians. In the early 20th century, as the push for Indonesian independence grew, there was a strong movement to adopt a unified national language.

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After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, the use of Malay was formalized as Bahasa Indonesia and became a symbol of national unity, bridging the vast linguistic diversity of the archipelago. The language was promoted in schools, media, and government institutions, gradually replacing regional languages and dialects in many areas. Over time, Bahasa Indonesia absorbed more vocabulary from indigenous languages, as well as global languages, adapting to modern needs while maintaining its role as a unifying force in the country. 

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Around 300 million people speak this language between native and second language speakers. As there are so many speakers, Indonesian is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Due to the geographic location of Indonesian, the language's vocabulary has been affected by Javanese, Bujinese, Banjarese, Arabic, Dutch, and English.

Additionally, most Indonesians speak one of the 700+ indigenous local languages alongside Indonesian. 

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To learn more about this language, Click Here and Here. 

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To hear the 1st paragraph of the first book in Indonesian, Click Here.