Language Choice in Interethnic Interaction: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Balinese Transmigrants in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to describe the language choices of Balinese transmigrants and the factors underlying their selection of a language in interethnic interactions in transmigration areas of Southeast Sulawesi Province. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher selected a sample of 66 respondents from four Balinese transmigrant villages, encompassing a range of ages, genders, and educational backgrounds. Data collection methods included surveys (using a sociolinguistic questionnaire), interviews, and participatory observations. The findings indicate that Balinese ethnic groups in transmigration areas predominantly use a localized variety of Indonesian in interethnic interactions. The variety of Indonesian used tends to align more closely with Tolaki and Bugis dialects. This suggests that Balinese transmigrants prefer a neutral language—Indonesian—to accommodate all ethnic groups they interact with. Their neutral stance is also reflected in their passive comprehension of other local ethnic languages. Indonesian serves as the primary lingua franca, predominantly used in cross-ethnic communication to enhance communicative effectiveness, build social relationships, and avoid conflict. Convergence toward Indonesian is strongest in occupational and economic domains, particularly in transactions and social interactions outside their own community. However, divergence occurs in certain situations, where Balinese continues to be used in intraethnic communication, particularly in intimate domains and the agricultural sector, as a means of maintaining cultural identity. The factors influencing language choice include the communicative context (formal vs. informal), social relationships, participant status, and pragmatic needs. Balinese transmigrants tend to accommodate the dominant language flexibly. These findings suggest that in multiethnic communities, a language with official status and broad reach is more likely to serve as a tool for convergence, while ethnic languages persist in limited domains as markers of social and cultural identity. 

Highlights:

1. Demonstrates that Balinese transmigrants in Southeast Sulawesi predominantly choose a localized variety of Indonesian as the primary lingua franca in interethnic interactions.

2. Reveals patterns of language accommodation through convergence and divergence, in which Indonesian is used to facilitate interethnic communication, while Balinese is maintained in intraethnic domains and as a marker of cultural identity.

3. Explains the main factors influencing language choice, including communication effectiveness, the development of social and professional relationships, social closeness, and respect for ethnic diversity.

4. Shows that Balinese transmigrants possess passive comprehension of several local languages, enabling flexible interethnic communication despite limited active proficiency in those languages.

5. Provides an empirical contribution to sociolinguistic studies on language choice and linguistic adaptation in multicultural transmigration areas in Indonesia, particularly in Southeast Sulawesi, which remains relatively underexplored.