The Uniqueness of Indonesian Language Use by Foreign Workers in the Industrial Sector: A Sociopragmatic Analysis in Java, Indonesia

This study analyzes the distinctive use of the Indonesian language by foreign workers (FW) in the manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure project sectors on the island of Java. The primary aim of this research is to reveal communication strategies, linguistic deviations, and sociopragmatic adaptations that emerge in cross-cultural workplace interactions. The research method employed is a qualitative approach with ethnography of communication, conducted through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and the documentation of workplace conversations. The findings show that foreign workers’ use of Indonesian is characterized by first-language interference, sentence structure simplification, the use of technical vocabulary mixed with English terms, and pragmatic adaptations influenced by their native cultural norms. Phenomena related to politeness, forms of address, and meaning negotiation demonstrate noticeable shifts due to differing social interaction norms. The sociopragmatic analysis indicates that although worker-to-worker communication is often effective for technical purposes, there remains a potential for misunderstanding, particularly in contexts involving work instructions, negotiations, and hierarchical relations. This study carries implications for the development of contextualized Indonesian as a Foreign Language (BIPA) programs tailored to industrial sectors, while also contributing to the broader fields of sociolinguistics and cross-cultural pragmatics in Indonesia.