ABSTRACT
It was only with the arrival of nationalism at the beginning of this century that the numerous ethnic groups and nations moved towards the formation of one Indonesian nation.
Language and Script
The national language is Indonesian, a close relative of Malaysian, the national language of Malaysia. Indonesian is now widely used in all social situations and, generally speaking, has pushed the other languages of Indonesia (about 250 different languages and an equal number of dialects which are spoken as first languages) into the role of merely regional, provincial languages. Ethnic and linguistic borders generally coincide.
