Most of the Indonesian domestic workers speak more than one language. Did they naturally learn to be bilinguals, trilinguals or multilinguals? As being bilinguals or trilinguals, code-mixing or code-switching are commonly founded in Hong Kong people’s speech. Are there same things occurring in Indonesian domestic workers’ speech? Are code-mixing or code-switching observable in their speech?
To gear toward working in Hong Kong, Indonesian domestic workers acquire new languages intensively in their hometown, or more commonly, learn after their arrival in Hong Kong. In order to be eligible for Hong Kong family’s employment, the domestic workers must learn how to speak Cantonese as it is mother language of most of the employers. In addition, English courses are complementary in Indonesian schooling and so most of them can master English. Besides, most agencies’ training centers in their hometown offer intensive English courses with a view to make me available for Singaporean employers. While since their childhood, they acquire Java from their parents and were taught Bahasa in public schooling. As a result, most of them were trained while also naturally learn 3-4 languages to cope with employment or daily conversation need.
Surprisingly, our two consultants - and Yuni stated that they restrain themselves from doing code-mixing or code- switching in speech.
"My madam doesn't want me to do code-mixing,she is fear that it will make the children confuse and worsen their English."
iyem recalled that she used to code-mix Cantonese with English when she just arrived the family as she just knew limited amount of vocabulary of Cantonese.Nevertheless,her madam forbid her from doing so for fear that it will deteriorate her children' s English level.After that,iyem confined herself to use merely Cantonese or English in the conversation with the family members.
What languages would they choose when there is no restrictions?
Sunday is the holiday of the Indonesian domestic worker and they are no limitation for them to choose their languages,however,code-mixing and code-switching is still unobservable in their speech.Why? We discovered that the Indonesian domestic worker speak Java with their fellow without any insertion or alternation with another language. e.g Cantonese or English despite the fact that they are all proficient in these foreign languages.They reported that Java gave them a sense of belonging and security to their home country ,they continue to use this language to communicate with each other after a long-period stay in a globalized countries where Cantonese and English are vastly important.
"We speak Java to each other.It is the language that we learn from our family."
iyem told us that she would swtich from one language to another when there is a change of the interlocutor.All her utterance with Sir,Madam and their chlidren are in English while she said she has to switch her language to Cantonese when she has to communciate with the grandma of the children whom does not know English.
"I 'll say "食飯啦婆婆"(eat dinner, popo) to children' grandma when the dinner is ready.
It is observed that code-mixing and code-switching is uncommon within the Indonesian domestic worker's community and it is derived from the disapproval of masters and their strong tie to their mother language-Java.
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