The use of the javanese-tegal dialect by Tegalese Migrants in Jakarta and Depok

Migrants who live in an area where their language is not spoken either maintain their language or adopt that of the place where they reside. This study examines patterns of language usage among male and female migrants from the Central Java city of Tegal who were residing in Jakarta and Depok. Tegalese people use a variety of Javanese, which this study denotes as Tegal language or Bahasa Jawa Tegal (BJT). By identifying factors influencing language choice by Tegalese people living in Jakarta and Depok, this study can contribute to our understanding of language choice and language maintenance, thus enhancing language planning and management. The data for this study were collected from internet questionnaires administered to 44 respondents (21 males and 23 females), all of whom claimed Tegal as their first language. The questionnaire was distributed via the internet. The respondents answered questions about the language(s) they used to discuss both daily and formal topics with their family, friends, and other people from Tegal. The collected data demonstrate that more than half of male and female respondents continued to use the Tegal language. More female than male respondents are reported using Tegal when discussing daily topics with family members; however, male respondents are reported using this language at a higher rate than females when speaking with friends and others from Tegal. The findings indicate that the use of Tegal among males is closely related to ethnolinguistic identity maintenance, whereas for females, it serves as a means to strengthen family relationships. Conversely, more female respondents are reported using Indonesian when discussing formal topics with friends and other people from Tegal, which suggests that those participants tended to be more prestige-oriented than the males. There have been many studies on language choice and language maintenance. By comparing patterns of language use among males and females, this study aims to uncover gender-based motivations of language choice(s).