International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 48

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
Misuse of gerund
The study also shows the use of the gerund when it is not really necessary.
(8)

Ini jadwal Lesmils launching di Jatomi Kuningan City.
[This is the schedule of the launch in Jatomi Kuningan City.]

(9)

Guys, besok jangan lupa launching yaaa!!
[Guys, don’t forget the launch (of our event) tomorrow!!]

(8) and (9) display how a gerund (verb + -ing) has become a new noun. In English, ‘launch’
can function as either a verb or a noun. Not knowing that ‘launch’ is also a noun, some
Indonesians in this study add –ing and invent their own version of noun.
Missing subjects and verbs
In colloquial Indonesian, it is common to have a conversation as the following:
i
A:

Lagi

apa?

[(indicating present activity) what]
[What are you doing?]
B:

Lagi

makan.

[(indicating present activity) eat.]
[I’m eating]
The subjects and verbs are sometimes dismissed because they are not seen necessary. The
same pattern shows in this study.
(10)

1Had a great time working on a special project in Surabaya and Malang for three
weeks. A big thanks to friends, colleagues, and students who always welcome me in
these cities. 2Get ready for another adventure in Banyuwangi before going back to
Jakarta. 3Have a great weekend. 4Stay active, positive, and productive.
#ExploringEastJava

Example (10) displays a confusion about which subjects the speakers is talking about.
Sentence 1, 2, 3 or 4 might have different subjects, yet the speaker does not clearly state it.
It might reflect the sentence structure in Indonesian which often relies on the context.
Missing ‘be’
Another frequent occurrence in this study is that the auxiliary verb ‘be’ is sometimes missing
as in:
(11)

I know you (…) worried about me.

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