Language as a means of communication, has a system which can be understood by users of language. The users of language are not homogeneous but they are heterogeneous. So, there are many varieties of concrete language because of this condition. A such variety of language may be increased when a language is used by many users and in society at large.
Many countries, includes Indonesia, have regarded the development of a single national language as a way of symbolizing the unity of a nation. “one nation and one language” has been a popular and effective slogan.
In this paper, the writer would like to discuss about the definition of a variety of language according to the experts, such as Hudson, Sumarsono and Abdul Chaer. Further, the writer is interested in conducting a discussion about a variety of language and Indonesian language as a national language.
II. The definition of a variety of language
The defining a variety of language can be deduced from the ways in which a variety of language is defined by the experts. These definitions may be different from one another. But, in essence they imply basic similarities. There are three examples of defining a variety of language :
1. A variety of language is the very general nation ‘variety’ includes examples of what would normally be called languages, dialects and registers
2. All groups of society have a potency of language with certain characteristic that differentiate between one group to another group. If this potency is real, language of a group will be social at least has a variety of language itself.
3. In the language variety, there are two assumptions :
- Firstly, a variety of language can be seen as a consequence of social variety of users of the language and function of the language.
- Secondly, a variety of language exists to fulfil its function as a means of communication of heterogeneous society