Nggak, nggak, saya nggak akan nyebut-nyebut mbak CL dulu kok 🙂
Beberapa tahun terakhir, saya selalu dikerjain diminta tolong oleh pihak kemahasiswaan fakultas untuk membantu pemilihan Mahasiswa Berprestasi. Peranan saya, menilai kompetensi Bahasa Inggris para calon mahasiswa berprestasi tersebut. Dua tahun terakhir, penilaian kompetensi Bahasa Inggris diperluas menjadi Lomba Bahasa Inggris dan terbuka bagi seluruh mahasiswa.
Setiap tahun, pasti muncul bakat-bakat terpendam, hidden jewels, mahasiswa-mahasiswa yang memiliki kompetensi Bahasa Inggris yang di atas rata-rata. Hal yang lebih menggembirakan lagi adalah bahwa peminat lomba setiap tahun meningkat. Makin banyak mahasiswa FMIPA yang bilingual. Tahun ini peserta dari Dept Biologi yang lolos ke final ada 5 orang (dari 12 orang finalis). Sungguh, sebagai seorang dosen, hati saya berbunga-bunga, cieeeee. Belum lagi mahasiswa-mahasiswa yang belajar menulis Bahasa Inggris lewat blognya. Sangat membanggakan!
Sayangnya rasa berbunga-bunga itu sedikit dirusak dengan kehadiran celebrity muda yang meskipun cantik, tapi penguasaan bahasanya, ampun-ampunan deh. Generasi muda celebrity Indonesia saat ini memang kental dengan International flavor. Coba saja lihat nama-nama ini: Marsha Timothy, Richard Kevin, Andrew White, Ben Joshua, dll, dll.
And then we have, just like Snow White, the fairest of them all: Cinta Laura.
Anak ini, konon besar di LN, mengikuti tugas sang ayah sehingga dia lebih menguasai Bahasa Inggris ketimbang Bahasa Indonesia. Analoginya mungkin Ida Iasha (remember her, generation 80s?). Jadinya, kalau sedang berbahasa Indonesia, logat baratnya sangat kental.
And wouldn’t you know, Indonesian people just looove her accent. The “hujan-becek-ngga ada ojek” thing became a big hit. People (read: tabloids) make her say those words during interviews, eeeww.
The first time I heard her speak, I thought it was cute. She reminded me of my niece living in the UK. But after a hundred times it became annoying. I cringe every time I hear her speak. Look, she is not the only bilingual person in this huge metropolitan. All of my bilingual friends can manage two different languages without the heavy English accent. *I* managed to maintain my bilingual capabilities. So why can’t she do it?
My theory is now the accent is her gimmick/thing. She gets endorsement and advertising deals based on speaking English-accented-Indonesian so she’s got to keep up the act of talking like that, eventhough it makes her sound like a cartoon. What makes me more worried is that more and more Indonesian kids will sound like her. Is that what we want?
So kids, if you’re reading this, please, please, don’t use Cinta Laura’s language skills as a model. You can be bilingual without the accent!
Sita's musings 
I’m not writing to defend CL. I’m actually defending people like myself, whom is not very gifted at languanges. I do speak and write Indonesian and English fluently (and if I try hard, almost perfectly), and not mixing these 2 languages when I speak (well, maybe sometimes *wink*). But I guess it was due to the fact that I learned both languanges very early in my childhood (pre-schooler). My problem came when I started learing my 3rd language (German) at the age of 23, and my 4th language (French) at the age of 30. Then, I started mixing these 2 languages when I speak. I do think that this has something to do with brain develpment. I mean, I’m that old that my neurogenesis is just not keeping up with 2 new languages anymore. So, could this be the case for CL? I don’t know how she spent her childhood but I assume that she grew up with German as first language, and learned English and Indonesian later after she moved to Indonesia. In this case, even if she’s way younger than I was, she might just be too old for 2 new languages. She is probably just not as gifted with languages, like me. Who knows?
Hehe, who knows indeed? But I think you are underestimating your language competence. Just like CL, you started early and that shows. Nowadays a lot of Indonesian kids are learning english early, and that makes a difference.
I don’t think she’s too old for another language. She needs some serious vocal coaching, especially since she’s in the field of acting!
Kebetulan ibu dan alm (ayahku) ahli bahasa. Saya pernah membahas hal begini dengan beliau-beliau. Ini sebetulnya interferensi bahasa dan bisa dihindari kalau dibiasakan. Hanya mental block aja kok. Bisa kalau mau. Mungkin masalah di CL adalah memang dia pengen menjaga aksennya agar dia tetap laku. Barangkali lho.
agree.. you can be bilingual without the accent! 😀
kinten-kinten inggih mekaten..leres sanget..panci saged kok sakjatosipun wasis ing mawerni-werni basa lan trep anggenipun ngecakaken..
Sumonggo dipun lajengaken
ingkangtaksihngucapakenbasapunapakemawonkanthilogatjawi
that subject (CL) remind me about Indonesia people behavior. we must learning another language. and when some people doing something (positive) supporting them. i think CL doing something with her choice. and she’s already knew what’s the consequent ion with her spelling