Text Production in Indonesian
Core concepts
Text production tests control of genre, register, structure and accuracy. You should be able to write an artikel, a surat resmi and a surat pribadi, a laporan, a pidato and an esai argumentatif. Each genre carries conventions: a formal letter uses Dengan hormat, a clear hal, a closing Hormat saya; a speech addresses Bapak/Ibu hadirin and closes with thanks; an argumentative essay needs a tesis, argumen and kesimpulan.
Language control
Use imbuhan accurately: meN- verbs, ber-, ter-, ke-...-an, peN-...-an. Watch the meN- assimilation rules (mem- before b/p, men- before c/d/j, meng- before vowels and g/k, meny- before s). Distinguish di- as a prefix (written together: ditulis) from di as a preposition (written apart: di rumah). Use formal connectors (selain itu, dengan demikian, sehubungan dengan) rather than colloquial fillers (terus, gitu).
Traps
- Mixing registers: slang inside a formal letter.
- Omitting the hal or the signature block in a formal letter.
- Writing an essay with no explicit thesis.
- Translating English idiom word-for-word (membuat keputusan is acceptable but mengambil keputusan is more idiomatic).
- Ignoring the word limit or the specified audience.
Worked example
Prompt: 'Write a formal letter to a school principal requesting permission to hold a cultural event.' Opening: Dengan hormat, / Sehubungan dengan rencana kegiatan Pentas Budaya yang akan diselenggarakan pada 12 Mei, kami selaku pengurus OSIS mengajukan permohonan izin penggunaan aula. Note the fixed formula, the passive diselenggarakan, and the polite pronoun kami. Rule of thumb: write the closing formula first (Hormat saya, + name), then draft the body so the register stays consistent.
Method
Plan with a skeleton in Indonesian, draft, then proofread specifically for affixes, prepositions and register.