Since I becoma a lecturer, this is my first International Conference I ever attended. I have never knew, or event think that I have the opportunity to join an International conference on Language or literary matter. Instead bof curiousity, I came to the conference in a "blank". I am not a literary lecturer, I dont teach English, Im just a sport-science lecturer who incidentally join an English DIKTI program on ITB, a situation which obliged me to attend the conference, free of charge, just to sign the attendance list. However, I prefer to stay in the conference, with an intent to experience the "International Conference".
The conference itself was a long tradition of UPT Bahasa ITB, held every 2 year since 1995, on a joint cooperation with University of Leeds (UK) and British Council. Imagine, a "technical" institute like ITB held a conference in social matter ! On one side, I think that ITB such a greedy institutions which try to cover and held anykind seminar out of its core, but in another side, why ITB which do it, others dont? I proves that ITB is a strong institution which can make such a conference come true.
It was a shook in my head in the opening ceremony, when the Leeds reperesentative, someone called Polman greets us with Assalamualaikum and talk in a fluent Indonesian language! I was astonished and thought how many languages this man masters? He also a Muslim, and an UK professor, something that enligghted me that Islam, somewhat has satified him as a way of life (I assume that al UK professor are very logic therefore he must be has been critical thinking within his mind to accept Islam as his religion).
Then I realized that today, Indonesian language is as same as other language. Its only a language which someone can masters, eventhough that you are not an Indonesian. Languages is a fluid matter, it can be absobed and mixed easily, and also diminishid. The first lecturer by professor Tove-Stagnutt Kangas (that is a Finnih name) explore the sucess of Multilanguage learning in preserve mother tongue. What a long lecture, intersting but a bit boring... I have expected too much that foreigner professors always presenting their ideas in an innovative way (This is a seminar, it is scientific, not a theater, Kur!) However, she also gives us an idea that the corellation between mother tongue extinction and ecology disaster is positive. What a new paradigm! I never thought that natural and social matter are linked together. But she presented facts and evidences. This is a new suprising idea I never knew or even thought before. Other intriguing things are, that education in certain national language such in English is actually violates human rights, that such kind of education are mental harm to ITM children.
The next paralell session was concerned to the use of languanges in Indonesia, related to Identity. The first speaker presents a "premature" concept, about whether the english slogan in Bandung universities are really attract people in. i cannot get anything new, since PIO and "marketing of universities" was my master2s thesis. The second speaker is about how to promote disaster prevention on schools using certain slangs or native jargons. But I feel unsatisfied too because i thought that that was more about design, not language. The third speaker, speaks Indonesian and seem ordinary. He talked about how Indonesian language has been contaminated due to the development of certain terms in Kaskus community, a virtual community which has their own language, a mixture of Indonesia and English language. When it comes to examples, audience started to pay attention when he says that the meaning of "Afgan" in Kaskus is "sadis" (what...), then BB is for "buka-bukaan, blue film and black berry", then COD is "meet on reality to make transaction", what a funny terms! Today, that presentation is the most interesting, i thought.
Last plenarry session clesed by a presentation by Yasraf Amin Piliang, a well-known scholar. I never read his book, but I know that he is famous. He presented about irrational use of language in a democratoic sphere of Indonesia. At first I cannot understand what he said, at fisrt is aboput discourse, then about the construction of reality, then about democracy, then about how the language has been used as an "empty sigfnifier", a term when an icon, a picture, a word is used to construct unobjective reality. This is also happen in education, justice, government, all aspect in our country. This one, i have to say, very interesting, critical, yet irritating.
I feel that teachers and lecturers already construct a reality within students:s head. They perceive what we say as truths, instead of criticise it. I remember back then, when realize how my FIK students are struggling with their sleepiness while i explained statistical terms, while I also doubt does the knowledge itself is their objective? they learn in universitioes in order to get jobs, not study. they just take anything given, instead of self-searching. I really understand when Dr Yasraf said that "education has lost its meaning". yet this is irritating, i also see this as challenging. Why ? because sport is not yet regarded as science.
This is just the first day, and I found my mind strunggring. I can understan why people charge high admisiion fee to a seminar/conference like this. Its very mind-blowing.
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