Language & society in Southeast Asia
Writing tradition in Indonesia: Past, present, and future

The Indonesian archipelago is home to hundreds of languages written in dozens of scripts. The writing traditions of these languages evolved differently and shifted in their use of scripts. To mention one, historically, the Malay language used to be written in Kawi, Javanese, Ulu, and Jawi scripts. Nonetheless, like most local languages in Indonesia, it tended to shift to Latin script post-independence of Indonesia.

This research explores the writing traditions in the Indonesian archipelago through different perspectives within the framework of time: past, present, and future. Focusing on users as a central part, this project examines the connection between people, languages, and scripts – examining how they act as tools for communication and/or cultural identity. It addresses critical questions: how and why did writing traditions in the archipelago shift from one script to another? What factors prevent communities from writing their languages in scripts beyond Latin today? And, most importantly, how can these challenges be addressed in the digital era? Using an interdisciplinary approach, this research draws insights from multiple fields, including linguistics, history, area studies, design, and computer science.

This study begins by investigating historical perspectives on Indonesian writing traditions through inscriptions, manuscripts, archives, and publications. Then, it examines the current state of these conventions, juxtaposing present conditions with their historical context and neighboring regions. India, for instance, continues to actively use different scripts for different languages within the country. The final phase of this project focuses on the potential revitalization of these scripts in the future. Building on findings from the earlier phases, it analyzes the necessary environments to support revitalization in an era when writing traditions are globally shifting to digital.