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The Importance of Heritage Language for Chinese Indonesians

Posted by Teddy Nee on February 01, 2026

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9 Multilingual News Websites For Reading Practice

Learners learn languages in many different ways, such as attending language classes, playing games, or listening to audio. Whatever the methods are, they usually cover four aspects of language learning: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Mastering only one or two of these is not enough because, in reality, we read, listen, speak, and write.

5 Famous Polyglots and Their Learning Techniques

You may have watched videos of people speaking in multiple languages. Some of them even call themselves hyperpolyglots. Whether they really can speak fluently or not, we don't know unless we test them. However, here I shall present 5 renowned polyglots that have been on the news, in the community worldwide and have proved their exceptional linguistic capabilities.

I speak 4 languages in Penang Malaysia and I shall learn 1 more language

I spoke 4 languages: Hokkien, Indonesian, English, and Mandarin on my recent trip to Penang. There was no communication barrier since the Penangnites are mostly multilingual too, at least, they know a bit of each language. They are also familiar with the Indonesian language because of the many tourists from Indonesia, either for tourism or medical checkups. I had learnt Tamil before but it was not enough for me to have a conversation yet. I will learn Tamil more seriously from now on, so I can use it on my next trip to Penang.

6 Local Writing Systems in Indonesia

Indonesia is a vast country in Southeast Asia that anyone can recognize easily on the map because it borders the sea, thus its country border is also the sea border. Hundreds of ethnic groups and languages exist in Indonesia. Despite having numerous writing systems, the government recognizes the Latin alphabet as the official writing system, which was introduced during the colonization by the Europeans.

A unique group of Chinese Indonesian: Why are they still able to converse fluently in Hokkien after most areas have been "Indonesianized"?

Before visiting Medan, Indonesia, like many non-Indonesians who have never visited Medan, I thought that the local Chinese were highly Indonesianized, just like other parts of Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. Therefore, when I visited Medan for the first time in 2009, I was deeply surprised by the fact that most of the local Chinese, including children, speak fluent Hokkien, as Hokkien is also my father's native dialect.

Nauruan Language

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a two-day event promoting the Asia-Pacific culture in the capital city of Taiwan, Taipei City, on September 28-29th. The participants come from the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Vietnam, Tuvalu, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Palau, Nauru, Malaysia, Kiribati, Japan, Indonesia, India, Fiji, and Brunei. Apart from performing dances from each country, the participants also displayed a wide variety of handicrafts and artworks as well as authentic cuisine at each country's booth.

Teochew language: A Chinese language gone overseas

Teochew, also known as Chaozhou or Teochiu, is a Southern Chinese dialect belonging to the Min language group. Predominantly spoken in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province, as well as by overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Despite the increasing dominance of Mandarin in China and among the Chinese diaspora, efforts are being made to preserve and promote Teochew. Community organizations, cultural events, and language classes help keep the dialect alive among younger generations. Additionally, social media and digital platforms are being utilized to share Teochew culture and language with a broader audience. As a Hokkien speaker, I understand quite a lot of Teochew since Teochew and Hokkien still belong to the same language group. The most noticeable difference is the tones whereas the vocabulary and grammar are similar.

Chavacano language: The Spanish language of Asia

Chavacano is a Spanish-based Creole language spoken primarily in Zamboanga City and parts of the Philippines. Originating during the Spanish colonial era, it blends Spanish vocabulary with local Philippine languages like Tagalog and Cebuano. Approximately 70% of its lexicon comes from Spanish, yet it features unique grammatical structures. Chavacano is a vital cultural identifier for its speakers and is used in local media and education. Despite challenges from dominant languages like Tagalog and English, efforts to preserve and promote Chavacano continue, highlighting its importance in the Philippines' linguistic heritage. I had the chance to learn this beautiful language on a language-learning platform called Italki. My teacher was the only Chavacano teacher so I felt fortunate to have found her. I find this language easy to learn because I already know Spanish. Chavacano sounds like the Filipino version of the Spanish language.

Bisindo: One of two Indonesian sign languages

Bisindo, short for "Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia," is the sign language used by the deaf community in Indonesia. Recognized as an official language, Bisindo plays a crucial role in facilitating communication for individuals with hearing impairments across the archipelago. Bisindo incorporates regional signs, reflecting the diverse cultures and languages found in Indonesia. This characteristic allows it to adapt and evolve, making it relevant to various communities while maintaining a cohesive linguistic identity. On the other hand, SIBI, or "Sistem Isyarat Bahasa Indonesia," is a system of Indonesian sign language that was developed to standardize communication among the deaf community in Indonesia. It was introduced to facilitate education and communication for deaf individuals, especially in formal settings. To simplify them, SIBI is the standard language and Bisindo is the colloquial language. I chose to learn Bisindo because this is what they use in daily life. Luck...

Meeting Chabacano and Esperanto friends in the Philippines

My trip to the Philippines was special because I not only explored the Philippines for the first time, but I also had friends there even before setting foot on the land. It was possible because of knowing foreign languages and being a part of those languages' communities. The benefit of being part of language communities is the possibility of meeting the members in other countries. On this trip, I met two friends from the Chabacano and Esperanto communities. Neither of them knew each other, so I had separate days to meet both of them. Another reason is that I would definitely be speaking Chacabano and Esperanto. I know both languages, and they don't. I really enjoyed the time with them, speaking both Chacabano and Esperanto. We talked about each other's experiences learning and living with the languages and their development. The Chabacano friend is a book author, she gave me her Chabacano book and a fridge magnet as souvenirs. The Esperanto friend works in the Information...

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