Sahid speaking Indonesian, Padang

This video was recorded by Fiel Sahir in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where he and Sahid met. Indonesian, known natively as Bahasa Indonesia, is spoken by more than 150 million people, primarily in the archipelago nation of Indonesia, where it is the only official language, and also by diaspora communities worldwide. A standardized variant of Riau Malay, it has long been the lingua franca of the Indonesian archipelago, but only grew as a widely-spoken mother tongue after Indonesia's independence in 1945. Minangkabau is spoken by more than 5 million people, principally in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, where it is a regionally official language, and neighboring North Sumatra, where it functions as a lingua franca between a diverse array of communities. It is also spoken in parts of Malaysia, especially the state of Negeri Sembilan, where it is also official and sometimes referred to as a local variety of Malay. It is the mother tongue of the eponymously identifying Minangkabau people, who are among Indonesia’s matrilineal societies. They are also known internationally for their traditional ‘rumah gadang’ or ‘big house’ architecture, defined by dramatically curved roof structures.

Polyglot Indonesia, a Wikitongues partner, is a collective of language enthusiasts from around the archipelago coming together to celebrate diversity.