Pendidikan bahasa Arab sangat dibutuhkan dewasa ini di Indonesia. mengingat sedikitnya lembaga pedidikan yang mengajarkan bahasa Arab dibandingkan dengan bahasa asing lainnya di negri yang mayoritas penduduknya muslim dan populasi muslim terbesar di dunia saat ini.
Tidak perlu diragukan lagi, memang sepantasnya seorang muslim mencintai bahasa Arab dan berusaha menguasainya. Allah telah menjadikan bahasa Arab sebagai bahasa Al-Qur’an karena bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang terbaik yang pernah ada sebagaimana firman Allah:
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
“Sesungguhnya Kami menurunkannya berupa Al Quran dengan berbahasa Arab, agar kamu memahaminya.”
Ibnu katsir berkata ketika menafsirkan surat Yusuf ayat 2 di atas: “Yang demikian itu (bahwa Al -Qur’an diturunkan dalam bahasa Arab) karena bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang paling fasih, jelas, luas, dan maknanya lebih mengena lagi cocok untuk jiwa manusia. Oleh karena itu kitab yang paling mulia (yaitu Al-Qur’an) diturunkan kepada rosul yang paling mulia (yaitu: Rosulullah), dengan bahasa yang termulia (yaitu Bahasa Arab), melalui perantara malaikat yang paling mulia (yaitu malaikat Jibril), ditambah kitab inipun diturunkan pada dataran yang paling mulia diatas muka bumi (yaitu tanah Arab), serta awal turunnya pun pada bulan yang paling mulia (yaitu Romadhan), sehingga Al-Qur an menjadi sempurna dari segala sisi.” (Tafsir Ibnu Katsir, Tafsir surat Yusuf).
Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah Berkata: “Sesungguhnya ketika Allah menurunkan kitab-Nya dan menjadikan Rasul-Nya sebagai penyampai risalah (Al-Kitab) dan Al-Hikmah (As-sunnah), serta menjadikan generasi awal agama ini berkomunikasi dengan bahasa Arab, maka tidak ada jalan lain dalam memahami dan mengetahui ajaran Islam kecuali dengan bahasa Arab. Oleh karena itu memahami bahasa Arab merupakan bagian dari agama. Keterbiasaan berkomunikasi dengan bahasa Arab mempermudah kaum muslimin memahami agama Allah dan menegakkan syi’ar-syi’ar agama ini, serta memudahkan dalam mencontoh generasi awal dari kaum Muhajirin dan Anshar dalam keseluruhan perkara mereka.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Syaikh Utsaimin pernah ditanya: “Bolehkah seorang penuntut ilmu mempelajari bahasa Inggris untuk membantu dakwah ?” Beliau menjawab: “Aku berpendapat, mempelajari bahasa Inggris tidak diragukan lagi merupakan sebuah sarana. Bahasa Inggris menjadi sarana yang baik jika digunakan untuk tujuan yang baik, dan akan menjadi jelek jika digunakan untuk tujuan yang jelek. Namun yang harus dihindari adalah menjadikan bahasa Inggris sebagai pengganti bahasa Arab karena hal itu tidak boleh. Aku mendengar sebagian orang bodoh berbicara dengan bahasa Inggris sebagai pengganti bahasa Arab, bahkan sebagian mereka yang tertipu lagi mengekor (meniru-niru), mengajarkan anak-anak mereka ucapan “selamat berpisah” bukan dengan bahasa kaum muslimin. Mereka mengajarkan anak-anak mereka berkata “bye-bye” ketika akan berpisah dan yang semisalnya. Mengganti bahasa Arab, bahasa Al-Qur’an dan bahasa yang paling mulia, dengan bahasa Inggris adalah haram. Adapun menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai sarana untuk berdakwah maka tidak diragukan lagi kebolehannya bahwa kadang-kadang hal itu bisa menjadi wajib. Walaupun aku tidak mempelajari bahasa Inggris namun aku berangan-angan mempelajarinya. terkadang aku merasa sangat perlu bahasa Inggris karena penterjemah tidak mungkin bisa mengungkapkan apa yang ada di hatiku secara sempurna.” (Kitabul ‘Ilmi).
Hukum Orang Yang Mampu Berbahasa Arab Namun Berbicara Menggunakan Bahasa Selain Bahasa Arab
Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah Berkata: “Dibenci seseorang berbicara dengan bahasa selain bahasa Arab karena bahasa Arab merupakan syiar Islam dan kaum muslimin. Bahasa merupakan syiar terbesar umat-umat, karena dengan bahasa dapat diketahui ciri khas masing-masing umat.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Asy-Syafi’iy berkata sebagaimana diriwayatkan As-Silafi dengan sanadnya sampai kepada Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Al Hakam, beliau berkata: “Saya mendengar Muhammad bin Idris Asy-syafi’iy berkata: “Allah menamakan orang-orang yang mencari karunia Allah melalui jual beli (berdagang) dengan nama tu’jar (tujjar dalam bahasa Arab artinya para pedagang-pent), kemudian Rosululloh juga menamakan mereka dengan penamaan yang Allah telah berikan, yaitu (tujjar) dengan bahasa arab. Sedangkan “samasiroh” adalah penamaan dengan bahasa `ajam (selain arab). Maka kami tidak menyukai seseorang yang mengerti bahasa arab menamai para pedagang kecuali dengan nama tujjar dan janganlah orang tersebut berbahasa Arab lalu dia menamakan sesuatu (apapun juga-pent) dengan bahasa `ajam. Hal ini karena bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang telah dipilih oleh Allah, sehingga Allah menurunkan kitab-Nya yang dengan bahasa Arab dan menjadikan bahasa Arab merupakan bahasa penutup para Nabi, yaitu Muhammad shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Oleh karena itu, kami katakan seyogyanya setiap orang yang mampu belajar bahasa Arab mempelajarinya, karena bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang paling pantas dicintai tanpa harus melarang seseorang berbicara dengan bahasa yang lain. Imam Syafi’iy membenci orang yang mampu berbahasa Arab namun dia tidak berbahasa Arab atau dia berbahasa Arab namun mencampurinya dengan bahasa `ajam.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Abu Bakar bin ‘Ali Syaibah meriwayatkan dalam Al Mushanaf: “Dari Umar bin Khattab, beliau berkata: Tidaklah seorang belajar bahasa Persia kecuali menipu, tidaklah seseorang menipu kecuali berkurang kehormatannya. Dan Atho’ (seorang tabi’in) berkata: Janganlah kamu belajar bahasa-bahasa ajam dan janganlah karnu masuk gereja - gereja mereka karena sesungguhnya Allah menimpakan kemurkaan-Nya kepada mereka, (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim). Diriwayatkan bahwa Imam Ahmad berkata: “Tanda keimanan pada orang ‘ajam (non arab) adalah cintanya terhadap bahasa arab.” Dan adapun membiasakan berkomunikasi dengan bahasa selain Arab, yang mana bahasa Arab merupakan syi’ar Islam dan bahasa Al-Qur’an, sehingga bahasa selain arab menjadi kebiasaan bagi penduduk suatu daerah, keluarga, seseorang dengan sahabatnya, para pedagang atau para pejabat atau bagi para karyawan atau para ahli fikih, maka tidak disangsikan lagi hal ini dibenci. Karena sesungguhnya hal itu termasuk tasyabuh (menyerupai) dengan orang `ajam dan itu hukumnya makruh.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Khurasan, yang penduduk kedua kota tersebut berbahasa Persia serta menduduki Maghrib, yang penduduknya berbahasa Barbar, maka kaum muslimin membiasakan penduduk kota tersebut untuk berbahasa Arab, hingga seluruh penduduk kota tersebut berbahasa Arab, baik muslimnya maupun kafirnya. Demikianlah Khurasan dahulu kala. Namun kemudian mereka menyepelekan bahasa Arab, dan mereka kembali membiasakan bahasa Persia sehingga akhirnya menjadi bahasa mereka. Dan mayoritas mereka pun menjauhi bahasa Arab. Tidak disangsikan lagi bahwa hal ini adalah makruh. (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Pengaruh Bahasa Arab Dalam Kehidupan
Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah berkata: “Merupakan metode yang baik adalah membiasakan berkomunikasi dengan bahasa Arab hingga anak kecil sekalipun dilatih berbahasa Arab di rumah dan di kantor, hingga nampaklah syi’ar Islam dan kaum muslimin. Hal ini mempermudah kaum muslimin urituk memahami makna Al-Kitab dan As-Sunnah serta perkataan para salafush shalih. Lain halnya dengan orang yang terbiasa berbicara dengan satu bahasa lalu ingin pindah ke bahasa lain maka hal itu sangat sulit baginya. Dan ketahuilah…!!! membiasakan berbahasa Arab sangat berpengaruh terhadap akal, akhlak dan agama. Juga sangat berpengaruh dalam usaha mencontoh mereka dan memberi dampak positif terhadap akal, agama dan tingkah laku.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Sungguh benar apa yang dikatakan oleh Syaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, bahasa Arab memiliki pengaruh yang sangat besar dalam kehidupan, akhlak, agama. Orang yang pandai bahasa Arab cenderung senang membaca kitab-kitab para ulama yang berbahasa Arab dan tentu senang juga membaca dan menghafal Al-Qur’an serta hadits-hadits Rasulullah.
Hukum Mempelajari Bahasa Arab
Syaikhul Islam Berkata: “Dan sesungguhnya bahasa Arab itu sendiri bagian dari agama dan hukum mempelajarinya adalah wajib, karena memahami Al-Kitab dan As-Sunnah itu wajib dan keduanya tidaklah bisa difahami kecuali dengan memahami bahasa Arab. Hal ini sesuai dengan kaidah:
مَا لاَ يَتِمٌّ الْوَاجِبُ إِلاَّ بِهِ فَهُوَ وَاجِب
ٌ
“Apa yang tidak sempurna suatu kewajiban kecuali dengannya maka ia juga hukumnya wajib.”
Namun disana ada bagian dari bahasa Arab yang wajib ‘ain dan ada yang wajib kifayah. Dan hal ini sesuai dengan apa yang diriwayatkan oleh Abu Bakar bin Abi Syaibah, dari Umar bin Yazid, beliau berkata: Umar bin Khattab menulis kepada Abu Musa Al-Asy’ari (yang isinya) “…Pelajarilah As-Sunnah, pelajarilah bahasa Arab dan I’roblah Al-Qur’an karena Al-Qur’an itu berbahasa Arab.”
Dan pada riwayat lain, Beliau (Umar bin Khattab) berkata: “Pelajarilah bahasa Arab sesungguhnya ia termasuk bagian dari agama kalian, dan belajarlah faroidh (ilmu waris) karena sesungguhnya ia termasuk bagian dari agama kalian.” (Iqtidho Shirotil Mustaqim).
Penutup
Bahasa Arab adalah bahasa Agama Islam dan bahasa Al-Qur’an, seseorang tidak akan dapat memahami kitab dan sunnah dengan pemahaman yang benar dan selamat (dari penyelewengan) kecuali dengan bahasa Arab. Menyepelekan dan menggampangkan Bahasa Arab akan mengakibatkan lemah dalam memahami agama serta jahil (bodoh) terhadap permasalahan agama.
Sungguh sangat ironis dan menyedihkan, sekolah-sekolah dinegeri kita, bahasa Arab tersisihkan oleh bahasa-bahasa lain, padahal mayoritas penduduk neger
2 hari lalu
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
URGENSI NAHWU SEBAGAI “THE GRAMATICAL OF ARABIC LANGUAGE
Forum Studi Mahasiswa Kebumen "Egypt"
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Gramatika Arab
OLEH: SYARIEF ISTIFHAM
“Ilmu Nahwu adalah prioritas utama. Tanpanya, apalah makna sebuah rangkaian kata.”
Al-syaikh Syarifuddin Yahya Al-Imrithy.
A. Prolog
Setiap bahasa (language) pasti memiliki kaidah-kaidah tersendiri.. Hal tersebut juga kita temukan dalam bahasa arab yang diakui sebagai bahasa yang kaya akan kosakata. Selanjutnya tujuan dari bahasa adalah mengungkapkan tujuan sang pembicara (mutakaallim) melalui perantaraan suara yang keluar dari lisan sang mutakallim. Pada hakikatnya kata-kata terletak di dalam hati. Adapun lisan hanyalah sebagai dalil (petunjuk) ‘al-kalam an-nafsy’ yang terdapat dalam hati. Untuk itu tidak mudah mengungkapkan apa yang tersirat dalam hati (al-kalam an-nafsy), kecuali dengan kaidah-kaidah yang dapat menjaga dari kesalahan-kesalahan dalam penyampaian esensi maksud yang diharapkan mutakallim.
Para ahli bahasa telah berusaha keras untuk menyusun sejumlah kaidah-kaidah untuk dijadikan patokan bagi siapa saja yang akan menggunakan suatu bahasa. Bahasa arab sendiri memiliki banyak sekali kaidah-kaidah yang sudah disepakati oleh para ahli bahasa arab. Diantaranya adalah ilmu Nahwu (grammatika), shorof (morfologi), balaghoh (rethorika), isytiqaq (etimologi), dan sebagainya. Disini penulis akan mecoba mengkaji seputar bahasa arab beserta kaidah-kaidahnya, tapi yang ditekankan oleh penulis di sini adalah khusus mengenai ‘Nahwu’ sebagai salah satu kajian terpenting dalam bahasa arab. Karena Nahwu adalah tempat bergantung dan bersandarnya bahasa arab.
Selain daripada itu, Ilmu Nahwu juga mempunya peran yang sangat penting dalam dunia islam. Yaitu membantu memecahkan permasalahan-permasalahan mengenai syari’at-syari’at islam dari segi kebahasaan. Karena semua syari’at islam yang ada, adalah berupa teks-teks yang termaktub dalam buku-buku bernuansakan ‘arabiyah seperti; Al-qur’an, Al-hadist, Bahkan sampai Ijma’ dan Qiyas. Sehingga orang yang akan memahami islam terlebih dahulu harus mengenal bahasa Arab beserta gramatikalnya.
Untuk menindak lanjuti kajian ini, terlebih dahulu penulis akan menjelaskan hubungan antara teks Al-qur’an sebagai sumber dari segala sumber hukum berupa syari’at islam dan bahasa arab sebagai pengantar untuk memahami pesan-pesan yang dikandung dalam kalamullah yang tidak mungkin bisa dipahami oleh manusia pada umumnya. Sebagai seorang muslim kita diperintahkan untuk mempelajari dan memahaminya sebagai pedoman hidup (way of life). Berikut adalah penjelasan sedikit mengenai tema yang akan kita bahas pada diskusi kali ini:
B. TEKS AL-QUR’AN DAN BAHASA ARAB
Allah berfirman dalam Al-qur’an yang artinya:
“Kami menurunkanya berupa Al-qur’an dengan berbahasa arab, supaya kamu memahaminya”.
Bertolak dari ayat di atas, telah kita ketahui bahwa bahasa arab adalah satu-satunya bahasa yang dipilih Tuhan untuk mengungkapkan kehendak-Nya kepada hamba-hamba yang tidak akan mampu memahami kalam an-nafsy Tuhan yang tidak berupa huruf maupun suara. Sebagaimana telah dijelaskan di atas bahwa tujuan dari bahasa adalah untuk mengungkapkan apa yang dimaksud mutakallim (pembicara), maka jikalau Tuhan berkehendak mengungkapkan maksud-Nya dengan bahasa Dia sendiri, niscaya tidak ada satu makhluk pun yang dapat memahaminya. Kecuali hanya orang yang telah dibuka hijabnya oleh Allah.
Sudah semestinya Tuhan menggunakan bahasa manusia untuk mengungkapkan kehendak-Nya. Untuk itu, dipilihlah bahasa arab sebagai perantara untuk menjelaskan maksud-maksud-Nya. Hal ini, pasti mengundang suatu pertanyaan; Mengapa harus bahasa arab? dan bukan yang lainnya saja?. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut, ada baiknya penulis terlebih dahulu menjelaskan tentang definisi Al-qur’an itu sendiri. Meskipun tidak mungkin mendefinisikan Al-qur’an bi haqiqatihi (secara tepat).
Para ulama berusaha mencoba mendefinisikan Al-quran dengan suatu pengertian yang membedakan Al-qur’an dari teks-teks lain. Yaitu; “Al-qur’an adalah kalam Allah yang diturunkan kepada nabi Muhammad SAW dengan lafadz dan ma’nanya yang mana dengan membacanya dinilai sebagai ibadah dan sekaligus untuk menentang argumen orang-orang kafir, sampai kepada kita secara mutawatir, tertulis di dalam mushaf-mushaf dan di awali dengan surat Al-fatihah dan di akhiri dengan surat An-naas”.
Dari definisi tersebut dapat kita pahami bahwa Alqur’an adalah kitab yang diturunkan kepada nabi terakhir yang berbangsa arab yaitu nabi Muhammad SAW. Dari situlah, kenapa Al-quran diturunkan berbahasa arab. Karena tidak rasioanal sekali, jika suatu kitab samawi diturunkan dengan bahasa selain bahasa orang yang menerimanya. Sehingga benar-benar terwujud tujuan dari diturunkannya Al-qur’an. Selain itu, juga telah kita ketahui bersama; bahwa bahasa arab adalah bahasa yang kaya akan kosakata dan sinonim. Luas akar katanya, mudah dipelajari dan dipahami.Itu semua menunjukan; bahwa hanya orang arablah yang pantas untuk menterjemahkan pengetahuan-pengetahuan islam kepada manusia.
Kemudian mengenai definisi bahasa arab itu sendiri, bisa kita uraikan sebagai berikut:“Bahasa adalah sejumlah suara yang digunakan setiap manusia untuk menerangkan tujuan mereka”. Sedangkan arab “adalah suatu komunitas manusia yang menduduki jazirah arab”. Kemudian suara ini dalam istilah orang arab disebut sebagai lafadz. Nah, lafadz ini dalam bahasa arab didefinisikan sebagai “Suara yang keluar dari mulut manusia yang mengandung salah satu dari hurf hijaiyyah yang diawali dengan huruf alif dan diakhiri dengan huruf ya”. Dari sini jelaslah bahwa bahasa arab adalah suara yang mengandung huruf hijaiyyah yang digunakan orang arab untuk menerangkan mereka.
Disadari ataupun tidak, bahasa adalah alat yang paling pokok dalam memahami dan meng-explore berbagai cabang keilmuan dan aturan-aturanya. Sebab bahasa adalah satu-satunya alat komunikasi yang paling mudah dimengerti. Berkaitan dengan itu, telah kita ketahui bersama bahwa Al-qur’an adalah sarana komunikasi antara kita dengan Tuhan. Oleh karena itu, Al-qur’an diturunkan dengan menggunkan bahasa yang dapat dipahami oleh manusia yaitu bahasa arab (bahasa yang paling mudah dipelajari dan dipahami). Dalam sebuah hadist disebutkan: “Cintailah bahasa arab karena tiga: karena aku berbangsa arab, Al-qur’an berbahasa arab, dan kalam ahlu al-jannah (penduduk surga) adalah bahasa arab”. Disebutkan oleh ibnu ‘asakir dalam terjemah zahir ibn Muhammad ibn ya’qub.
Terlepas dari pendapat siapapun, yang pasti bahwa Al-qur’an adalah teks yang berbahasa arab. Oleh karena itu, sarana yang paling penting dalam mehamami teks yang berbahasa arab termasuk Al-qur’an, adalah ilmu yang mempelajari tentang seluk beluk bahasa arab. Adapun hukum mempelajari Al-qur’an adalah wajib, begitu juga hukum mempelajari sarana (washilah) untuk memahami Al-qur’an adalah wajib adanya. Sebagaimana kaidah fikih mengatakan; “ Ma la yatimmu al-wajib illa bihi fahuwa wajibun”.
C. DILEMATIKA PELETAKAN GRAMATIKA BAHASA ARAB
SEJARAH PELETAKAN ILMU NAHWU
Bahasa arab berkembang di tengah-tengah jazirah arab secara murni (orisinil) semenjak bahasa itu lahir. Bersih dan terjaga dari segala sesuatu yang dapat menjadikan ia cacat. Misalnya, dengan adanya asimilasi dari bahasa lain; seperti bahasa paris, rum, ataupun lainnya. Sehingga membuat bahasa arab kacau balau serta bercampur dengan bahasa-bahasa tersebut. Ada dua faktor yang melatar belakangi peletakan ilmu Nahwu yaitu:
PERTAMA: Faktor agama
Yaitu karena keinginan keras untuk mendatangkan teks Al-qur’an dalam bentuknya yang asli (fasih dan terjaga), Khususnya setelah munculnya berbagai kekeliruan dalam pengucapan bahasa arab. Kejadian ini sudah mucul semenjak nabi masih hidup. Salah satu riwayat menyebutkan bahwa pernah ada seorang yang keliru bicara didepan rasulullah SAW, dia berkata “ " أرشدوا أخاكم فإنه قد ضل. Dia berbicara dihadapan nabi SAW dengan menggunakan dlomir jamak pada lafadz "ارشدوا أخاكم" , padahal yang ia maksud adalah Nabi. Ya jelaslah salah dengan menggunakan dlomir ‘jamak’ untuk ‘mufrod’ (satu orang).
Itu salah satu contoh kekeliruan yang terjadi pada zaman ketika Nabi masih hidup, namun kekeliruan-kekeliruan seperti di atas masih terhitung sedikit sekali bahkan jarang. Kemudian seiring waktu berjalan kekeliruan-kekeliruan tersebut mulai melebar dan meluas, khususnya pada saat terjadi arabisasi suku-suku yang kalah dalam perang yang mana mereka sangat menjaga sekali kebiasaan-kebiasaan mereka yang bersifat lughowiyah. Artinya meskipun mereka diharuskan mengikuti dan menggunakan bahasa arab, mereka tidak bisa lepas dari dialek bahasa mereka sendiri. Nah, dari sinilah bahasa arab mulai bercampur dengan bahasa ‘ajam (selain bahasa arab) sampai pada akhirnya bahasa arab mengalami kemerosotan yang sangat drastis, bahkan orang-orang yang diakui ahli dalam balaghoh dan khutbah juga ikut terkena virus-virus yang terdapat pada bahasa lain.
KEDUA: Faktor non agama
faktor non agama ini juga ada dua yaitu; pertama dari kaum arab sendiri dan yang kedua dari suku-suku lain yang berinteraksi dengan orang arab. Orang-orang arab sangat mengagung-agungkan bahasa mereka, sehingga mereka takut apabila bahasa yang mereka agung-agungkan itu musnah begitu saja. Hal itulah yang memicu semangat mereka untuk menyusun kaidah-kaidah bahasa arab, karena takut bahasa mereka akan hilang dan larut dalam bahasa-bahasa lain. Yang kedua ini juga bisa disebut bawa’its ijtima’iyah (faktor masyarakat). Mereka (suku-suku yang berinteraksi dengan orang arab), merasa sangat mengharapkan sekali lahirnya kaidah-kaidah bahasa arab. Sehingga kaidah-kaidah tersebut bisa dijadikan contoh sekaligus pedoman bagi mereka.
Faktor-faktor inilah yang menyebabkan munculnya ilmu nahwu sebagai solusi dari berbagai macam problem seputar bahasa arab. Sampai pada akhirnya peran ilmu ini juga sangat membantu sekali dalam memahami teks-teks Al-qur’an. Meskipun ilmu nahwu saja, belum cukup untuk memahami Al-qur’an secara keseluruhan, tapi paling tidak ilmu ini menduduki posisi yang penting dalam menggali makna-makna Al-qur’an.
KAPAN DAN DIMANA PELETAKAN ILMU NAHWU?
Di atas sudah kita singgung bahwa pada masa awal-awal islam; yaitu pada saat Nabi SAW masih hidup sudah diperhatikan betul masalah kekeliruan-kekeliruan dalam pengucapan bahasa arab. Sehingga ilmu Nahwu seperti halnya dengan qonun-qonun (pedoman) yang lain, dituntut dan dipengaruhi oleh kondisi lingkungan sekitar.
Artinya, karena terjadinya kekeliruan-keliruan itulah yang menuntut dan mendorong akan lahirnya ilmu ini. Sebelum islam tidak ada permasalan seperti diatas, kalau pun ada juga orang-orang sebelum islam (kaum jahily) tidak memerdulikan hal-hal seperti itu. Mereka berbicara semau mereka sendiri tanpa berbuat dan berfikir. Ilmu nahwu pertama digagas yaitu semenjak awal-awal pemerintahan islam. Adapun tempat lahir dan berkembangnya adalah di negara iraq, tepatnya di kota bashroh oleh Abul Aswad Ad-dualy.
D. NAHWU SEBAGAI SOLUSI MEMAHAMI TEKS ARAB
DEFINISI NAHWU
Ilmu Nahwu secara etimologi mempunyai banyak arti, diantaranya sebagai berikut:
1. Maksud dan jalan
Contoh: "نحوت نحوك" artinya:“Saya bermaksud seperti maksudmu/melewati jalanmu”.
2. Arah
Contoh: "توجهت نحو البيت" artinya: “Saya menghadap ke arah rumah”.
3. Ukuran
Contoh: "له عندي نحو مائة" artinya: “Saya berhutang ke dia kira-kira seratus”.
Adapun Ilmu Nahwu secara terminologi adalah Ilmu yang membahas tentang keadaan akhir suatu kalimat dari segi I’rob dan Bina-nya. Yakni mengetahui kalimat dari segi rofa’, nashob, khofadh, jazam dan kemudian mengetahui kalimat-kalimat yang terdapat harakat-harakat i’robnya dan kalimat-kalimat yang harakat akhrinya tetap (mabni). Itu semua termasuk dalam pembahasan Ilmu Nahwu. Dan Ilmu Nahwu ini juga memiliki orientasi penting yaitu untuk membantu dalam memahami teks-teks arab, menjaga lisan dari kesalahan dalam berbicara, dan khususnya untuk memahami Al-qur’an dan hadits.
PERAN RIIL NAHWU DALAM MENGGALI MAKNA AL-QUR’AN
Terdapat banyak sekali dalam Al-qur’an ayat-ayat yang membutuhkan campur tangan Nahwu didalamnya, seperti pada ayat "إذا أراد شيأ أن يقول له كن فيكون" kita dapatkan disana arti dari lafadz "كن فيكون" . Apabila kalimat ini kita terjemahkan secara sederhana, “Jadi! Maka jadilah,…; langsung terbayang dalam benak kita bahwa ketika Allah Swt menghendaki sesuatu dan lalu mengatakan “Jadilah! ; maka sesuatu itu dengan serta merta terjadi langsung.
Pemahaman ini tidak sepenuhnya salah, tetapi tidak tepat apabila kita melihatnya dari sudut yang lebih umum dan hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan sunnatullah. Bahkan makna sepintas itu menggambarkan tidak adanya proses. Padahal ayat itu berada dalam kontek umum dan mencakup semua kejadian termasuk yang ada proses padanya. Itulah rahasia yang terkandung dengan menggunakan "ف" sebagai jawab syarat, bukan dengan kata "يكن" dengan dijadikan berstatus Jazm. Sedangkan relasi antara syarat yakni kata Kun dan jawab syarat yakni "فيكون" mengandung makna kepastian.
kedua, baru-baru saja saya temukan, yaitu sebuah makalah yang ditulis di situs swaramuslim. Makalah tersebut berbicara tentang jimat dan hal-hal yang berbau klenik dan bagaimana hukumnya menurut pandangan Islam. Ada satu hadis Nabi s.a.w. yang berbunyi, "من تعلق تمامة فلا أتمه الله" Kalimat hadis ini diterjemahkan oleh penulisnya dengan “Barangsiapa menggantungkan jimat, maka semoga tidak disempurnakan oleh Allah (hajatnya).…; Secara sederhana, kita memang bisa mengerti makna hadis ini dan apa kandungan yang dimaksud. Namun saya mencoba memberikan perbandingan dengan terjemahan yang mencermati kaidah ilmu Sharaf, yaitu dasar kita memahami dalam level ini.
Hadis tersebut menggunakan kata ta’allaqa’ yang mengandung beberapa makna selain kata dasarnya. Beberapa makna yang relevan adalah ; مطاوعة, دلا لةعلي اتخاذ
معانة, والتكلف Makna-makna ini menunjukkan kandungan intransitif. Bisa dilihat terjemahan di atas menggunakan makna transitif yang sebenarnya lebih tepat jika digukana kata ;allaqa. Satu makna yang sedikit mengena dengan terjemahan tersebut adalah makna دلا لةعلي اتخاذ; yakni makna menjadikan sesuatu yang terkandung dalam kata dasar. Misalnya kata وسادة adalah bantal, maka tawassada-hu berarti menjadikan sesuatu itu sebagai bantal, atau kata ibnun adalah anak, maka تيني adalah menjadikannya sebagai anak. Jika hadis di atas kita terjemahkan sesuai dengan makna ini, maka secara literal adalah “Barangsiapa menjadikan jimat sebagai gantungan.
Bisa kita lihat sendiri, terjemahan tersebut hanya mengena pada sedikit dari kandungan yang dimaksud. Makna lain yang menurut saya lebih tepat adalah مطاوعة yakni jika kita menggantungkan sesuatu, maka sesuatu itu tergantung. Dengan makna ini, hadis di atas tidak sekadar menggantungkan jimat, tetapi siapa saja yang bergantung dengan jimat walau jimat itu sendiri hanya disimpan. Seharusnya kata ta’allaqa dalam hadis itu intransitif, tetapi digunakan secara transitif karena rahasia bahasa tertentu yang menjadi pembahasan level selanjutnya, yaitu level gramatikal.
Maksud hadis itu menjadi lebih tegas, bukan jimatnya yang tergantung, tetapi adalah oknum yang tergantung dengan jimat. Dan karena oknum, maka makna menjadi bergantung. Dan karena makna ketergantungan inilah, maka hal itu dilarang karena bagi seorang muslim, prilaku yang benar adalah berusaha dan menyerahkan semuanya yakni bergantung kepada Allah, bukan kepada benda-benda dengan membuatnya sebagai jimat-jimat.
E. Epilog
Tidak bisa kita pungkiri bahwa Ilmu Nahwu telah memberikan sumbang yang sangat besar kepada islam, khususnya dalam menyingkapkan makna-makna yang terkandung dalam rangkaian kata penuh makna yaitu Al-qur’an, hadist, dan teks-teks arab lainnya. Kalau setiap hari kita memabaca Al-qur’an, membaca buku-buku yang berbaha-sa arab, mendengarkan pengajian di TV, atau apa saja lah yang menggunakan bahasa arab kita akan membutuhkan apa yang disebut dengan Ilmu Nahwu. Orang yang sadar akan kebutuhan hidupnya, maka ia akan berupaya untuk mendapatkannya.
Tapi, tujuan yang paling utama dalam kita mempelajari Ilmu Nahwu ini adalah untuk berupaya memahami makna-makna yang terkandung dalam teks-teks Al-qur’an dan Hadis. Di atas sudah kita ketahui betapa erat sekali hubungan antara teks Al-qur’an dan bahasa arab, kemudian sejarah peletakan Ilmu Nahwu sampai pada Nahwu sebagai solusi untuk memahami Al-qur’an. Dari sini penulis sangat berharap sekali akan tumbuhnya kecintaan kita dalam mempelajari Ilmu Nahwu. Marilah kita dasari hidup kita dengan CINTA....!. Akhirnya, tiada tempat untuk bersandar dan bergantung dari segala permasalan selain Allah SWT.
Wallahu A’lamu Bi As-Showaab.....
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Gramatika Arab
OLEH: SYARIEF ISTIFHAM
“Ilmu Nahwu adalah prioritas utama. Tanpanya, apalah makna sebuah rangkaian kata.”
Al-syaikh Syarifuddin Yahya Al-Imrithy.
A. Prolog
Setiap bahasa (language) pasti memiliki kaidah-kaidah tersendiri.. Hal tersebut juga kita temukan dalam bahasa arab yang diakui sebagai bahasa yang kaya akan kosakata. Selanjutnya tujuan dari bahasa adalah mengungkapkan tujuan sang pembicara (mutakaallim) melalui perantaraan suara yang keluar dari lisan sang mutakallim. Pada hakikatnya kata-kata terletak di dalam hati. Adapun lisan hanyalah sebagai dalil (petunjuk) ‘al-kalam an-nafsy’ yang terdapat dalam hati. Untuk itu tidak mudah mengungkapkan apa yang tersirat dalam hati (al-kalam an-nafsy), kecuali dengan kaidah-kaidah yang dapat menjaga dari kesalahan-kesalahan dalam penyampaian esensi maksud yang diharapkan mutakallim.
Para ahli bahasa telah berusaha keras untuk menyusun sejumlah kaidah-kaidah untuk dijadikan patokan bagi siapa saja yang akan menggunakan suatu bahasa. Bahasa arab sendiri memiliki banyak sekali kaidah-kaidah yang sudah disepakati oleh para ahli bahasa arab. Diantaranya adalah ilmu Nahwu (grammatika), shorof (morfologi), balaghoh (rethorika), isytiqaq (etimologi), dan sebagainya. Disini penulis akan mecoba mengkaji seputar bahasa arab beserta kaidah-kaidahnya, tapi yang ditekankan oleh penulis di sini adalah khusus mengenai ‘Nahwu’ sebagai salah satu kajian terpenting dalam bahasa arab. Karena Nahwu adalah tempat bergantung dan bersandarnya bahasa arab.
Selain daripada itu, Ilmu Nahwu juga mempunya peran yang sangat penting dalam dunia islam. Yaitu membantu memecahkan permasalahan-permasalahan mengenai syari’at-syari’at islam dari segi kebahasaan. Karena semua syari’at islam yang ada, adalah berupa teks-teks yang termaktub dalam buku-buku bernuansakan ‘arabiyah seperti; Al-qur’an, Al-hadist, Bahkan sampai Ijma’ dan Qiyas. Sehingga orang yang akan memahami islam terlebih dahulu harus mengenal bahasa Arab beserta gramatikalnya.
Untuk menindak lanjuti kajian ini, terlebih dahulu penulis akan menjelaskan hubungan antara teks Al-qur’an sebagai sumber dari segala sumber hukum berupa syari’at islam dan bahasa arab sebagai pengantar untuk memahami pesan-pesan yang dikandung dalam kalamullah yang tidak mungkin bisa dipahami oleh manusia pada umumnya. Sebagai seorang muslim kita diperintahkan untuk mempelajari dan memahaminya sebagai pedoman hidup (way of life). Berikut adalah penjelasan sedikit mengenai tema yang akan kita bahas pada diskusi kali ini:
B. TEKS AL-QUR’AN DAN BAHASA ARAB
Allah berfirman dalam Al-qur’an yang artinya:
“Kami menurunkanya berupa Al-qur’an dengan berbahasa arab, supaya kamu memahaminya”.
Bertolak dari ayat di atas, telah kita ketahui bahwa bahasa arab adalah satu-satunya bahasa yang dipilih Tuhan untuk mengungkapkan kehendak-Nya kepada hamba-hamba yang tidak akan mampu memahami kalam an-nafsy Tuhan yang tidak berupa huruf maupun suara. Sebagaimana telah dijelaskan di atas bahwa tujuan dari bahasa adalah untuk mengungkapkan apa yang dimaksud mutakallim (pembicara), maka jikalau Tuhan berkehendak mengungkapkan maksud-Nya dengan bahasa Dia sendiri, niscaya tidak ada satu makhluk pun yang dapat memahaminya. Kecuali hanya orang yang telah dibuka hijabnya oleh Allah.
Sudah semestinya Tuhan menggunakan bahasa manusia untuk mengungkapkan kehendak-Nya. Untuk itu, dipilihlah bahasa arab sebagai perantara untuk menjelaskan maksud-maksud-Nya. Hal ini, pasti mengundang suatu pertanyaan; Mengapa harus bahasa arab? dan bukan yang lainnya saja?. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut, ada baiknya penulis terlebih dahulu menjelaskan tentang definisi Al-qur’an itu sendiri. Meskipun tidak mungkin mendefinisikan Al-qur’an bi haqiqatihi (secara tepat).
Para ulama berusaha mencoba mendefinisikan Al-quran dengan suatu pengertian yang membedakan Al-qur’an dari teks-teks lain. Yaitu; “Al-qur’an adalah kalam Allah yang diturunkan kepada nabi Muhammad SAW dengan lafadz dan ma’nanya yang mana dengan membacanya dinilai sebagai ibadah dan sekaligus untuk menentang argumen orang-orang kafir, sampai kepada kita secara mutawatir, tertulis di dalam mushaf-mushaf dan di awali dengan surat Al-fatihah dan di akhiri dengan surat An-naas”.
Dari definisi tersebut dapat kita pahami bahwa Alqur’an adalah kitab yang diturunkan kepada nabi terakhir yang berbangsa arab yaitu nabi Muhammad SAW. Dari situlah, kenapa Al-quran diturunkan berbahasa arab. Karena tidak rasioanal sekali, jika suatu kitab samawi diturunkan dengan bahasa selain bahasa orang yang menerimanya. Sehingga benar-benar terwujud tujuan dari diturunkannya Al-qur’an. Selain itu, juga telah kita ketahui bersama; bahwa bahasa arab adalah bahasa yang kaya akan kosakata dan sinonim. Luas akar katanya, mudah dipelajari dan dipahami.Itu semua menunjukan; bahwa hanya orang arablah yang pantas untuk menterjemahkan pengetahuan-pengetahuan islam kepada manusia.
Kemudian mengenai definisi bahasa arab itu sendiri, bisa kita uraikan sebagai berikut:“Bahasa adalah sejumlah suara yang digunakan setiap manusia untuk menerangkan tujuan mereka”. Sedangkan arab “adalah suatu komunitas manusia yang menduduki jazirah arab”. Kemudian suara ini dalam istilah orang arab disebut sebagai lafadz. Nah, lafadz ini dalam bahasa arab didefinisikan sebagai “Suara yang keluar dari mulut manusia yang mengandung salah satu dari hurf hijaiyyah yang diawali dengan huruf alif dan diakhiri dengan huruf ya”. Dari sini jelaslah bahwa bahasa arab adalah suara yang mengandung huruf hijaiyyah yang digunakan orang arab untuk menerangkan mereka.
Disadari ataupun tidak, bahasa adalah alat yang paling pokok dalam memahami dan meng-explore berbagai cabang keilmuan dan aturan-aturanya. Sebab bahasa adalah satu-satunya alat komunikasi yang paling mudah dimengerti. Berkaitan dengan itu, telah kita ketahui bersama bahwa Al-qur’an adalah sarana komunikasi antara kita dengan Tuhan. Oleh karena itu, Al-qur’an diturunkan dengan menggunkan bahasa yang dapat dipahami oleh manusia yaitu bahasa arab (bahasa yang paling mudah dipelajari dan dipahami). Dalam sebuah hadist disebutkan: “Cintailah bahasa arab karena tiga: karena aku berbangsa arab, Al-qur’an berbahasa arab, dan kalam ahlu al-jannah (penduduk surga) adalah bahasa arab”. Disebutkan oleh ibnu ‘asakir dalam terjemah zahir ibn Muhammad ibn ya’qub.
Terlepas dari pendapat siapapun, yang pasti bahwa Al-qur’an adalah teks yang berbahasa arab. Oleh karena itu, sarana yang paling penting dalam mehamami teks yang berbahasa arab termasuk Al-qur’an, adalah ilmu yang mempelajari tentang seluk beluk bahasa arab. Adapun hukum mempelajari Al-qur’an adalah wajib, begitu juga hukum mempelajari sarana (washilah) untuk memahami Al-qur’an adalah wajib adanya. Sebagaimana kaidah fikih mengatakan; “ Ma la yatimmu al-wajib illa bihi fahuwa wajibun”.
C. DILEMATIKA PELETAKAN GRAMATIKA BAHASA ARAB
SEJARAH PELETAKAN ILMU NAHWU
Bahasa arab berkembang di tengah-tengah jazirah arab secara murni (orisinil) semenjak bahasa itu lahir. Bersih dan terjaga dari segala sesuatu yang dapat menjadikan ia cacat. Misalnya, dengan adanya asimilasi dari bahasa lain; seperti bahasa paris, rum, ataupun lainnya. Sehingga membuat bahasa arab kacau balau serta bercampur dengan bahasa-bahasa tersebut. Ada dua faktor yang melatar belakangi peletakan ilmu Nahwu yaitu:
PERTAMA: Faktor agama
Yaitu karena keinginan keras untuk mendatangkan teks Al-qur’an dalam bentuknya yang asli (fasih dan terjaga), Khususnya setelah munculnya berbagai kekeliruan dalam pengucapan bahasa arab. Kejadian ini sudah mucul semenjak nabi masih hidup. Salah satu riwayat menyebutkan bahwa pernah ada seorang yang keliru bicara didepan rasulullah SAW, dia berkata “ " أرشدوا أخاكم فإنه قد ضل. Dia berbicara dihadapan nabi SAW dengan menggunakan dlomir jamak pada lafadz "ارشدوا أخاكم" , padahal yang ia maksud adalah Nabi. Ya jelaslah salah dengan menggunakan dlomir ‘jamak’ untuk ‘mufrod’ (satu orang).
Itu salah satu contoh kekeliruan yang terjadi pada zaman ketika Nabi masih hidup, namun kekeliruan-kekeliruan seperti di atas masih terhitung sedikit sekali bahkan jarang. Kemudian seiring waktu berjalan kekeliruan-kekeliruan tersebut mulai melebar dan meluas, khususnya pada saat terjadi arabisasi suku-suku yang kalah dalam perang yang mana mereka sangat menjaga sekali kebiasaan-kebiasaan mereka yang bersifat lughowiyah. Artinya meskipun mereka diharuskan mengikuti dan menggunakan bahasa arab, mereka tidak bisa lepas dari dialek bahasa mereka sendiri. Nah, dari sinilah bahasa arab mulai bercampur dengan bahasa ‘ajam (selain bahasa arab) sampai pada akhirnya bahasa arab mengalami kemerosotan yang sangat drastis, bahkan orang-orang yang diakui ahli dalam balaghoh dan khutbah juga ikut terkena virus-virus yang terdapat pada bahasa lain.
KEDUA: Faktor non agama
faktor non agama ini juga ada dua yaitu; pertama dari kaum arab sendiri dan yang kedua dari suku-suku lain yang berinteraksi dengan orang arab. Orang-orang arab sangat mengagung-agungkan bahasa mereka, sehingga mereka takut apabila bahasa yang mereka agung-agungkan itu musnah begitu saja. Hal itulah yang memicu semangat mereka untuk menyusun kaidah-kaidah bahasa arab, karena takut bahasa mereka akan hilang dan larut dalam bahasa-bahasa lain. Yang kedua ini juga bisa disebut bawa’its ijtima’iyah (faktor masyarakat). Mereka (suku-suku yang berinteraksi dengan orang arab), merasa sangat mengharapkan sekali lahirnya kaidah-kaidah bahasa arab. Sehingga kaidah-kaidah tersebut bisa dijadikan contoh sekaligus pedoman bagi mereka.
Faktor-faktor inilah yang menyebabkan munculnya ilmu nahwu sebagai solusi dari berbagai macam problem seputar bahasa arab. Sampai pada akhirnya peran ilmu ini juga sangat membantu sekali dalam memahami teks-teks Al-qur’an. Meskipun ilmu nahwu saja, belum cukup untuk memahami Al-qur’an secara keseluruhan, tapi paling tidak ilmu ini menduduki posisi yang penting dalam menggali makna-makna Al-qur’an.
KAPAN DAN DIMANA PELETAKAN ILMU NAHWU?
Di atas sudah kita singgung bahwa pada masa awal-awal islam; yaitu pada saat Nabi SAW masih hidup sudah diperhatikan betul masalah kekeliruan-kekeliruan dalam pengucapan bahasa arab. Sehingga ilmu Nahwu seperti halnya dengan qonun-qonun (pedoman) yang lain, dituntut dan dipengaruhi oleh kondisi lingkungan sekitar.
Artinya, karena terjadinya kekeliruan-keliruan itulah yang menuntut dan mendorong akan lahirnya ilmu ini. Sebelum islam tidak ada permasalan seperti diatas, kalau pun ada juga orang-orang sebelum islam (kaum jahily) tidak memerdulikan hal-hal seperti itu. Mereka berbicara semau mereka sendiri tanpa berbuat dan berfikir. Ilmu nahwu pertama digagas yaitu semenjak awal-awal pemerintahan islam. Adapun tempat lahir dan berkembangnya adalah di negara iraq, tepatnya di kota bashroh oleh Abul Aswad Ad-dualy.
D. NAHWU SEBAGAI SOLUSI MEMAHAMI TEKS ARAB
DEFINISI NAHWU
Ilmu Nahwu secara etimologi mempunyai banyak arti, diantaranya sebagai berikut:
1. Maksud dan jalan
Contoh: "نحوت نحوك" artinya:“Saya bermaksud seperti maksudmu/melewati jalanmu”.
2. Arah
Contoh: "توجهت نحو البيت" artinya: “Saya menghadap ke arah rumah”.
3. Ukuran
Contoh: "له عندي نحو مائة" artinya: “Saya berhutang ke dia kira-kira seratus”.
Adapun Ilmu Nahwu secara terminologi adalah Ilmu yang membahas tentang keadaan akhir suatu kalimat dari segi I’rob dan Bina-nya. Yakni mengetahui kalimat dari segi rofa’, nashob, khofadh, jazam dan kemudian mengetahui kalimat-kalimat yang terdapat harakat-harakat i’robnya dan kalimat-kalimat yang harakat akhrinya tetap (mabni). Itu semua termasuk dalam pembahasan Ilmu Nahwu. Dan Ilmu Nahwu ini juga memiliki orientasi penting yaitu untuk membantu dalam memahami teks-teks arab, menjaga lisan dari kesalahan dalam berbicara, dan khususnya untuk memahami Al-qur’an dan hadits.
PERAN RIIL NAHWU DALAM MENGGALI MAKNA AL-QUR’AN
Terdapat banyak sekali dalam Al-qur’an ayat-ayat yang membutuhkan campur tangan Nahwu didalamnya, seperti pada ayat "إذا أراد شيأ أن يقول له كن فيكون" kita dapatkan disana arti dari lafadz "كن فيكون" . Apabila kalimat ini kita terjemahkan secara sederhana, “Jadi! Maka jadilah,…; langsung terbayang dalam benak kita bahwa ketika Allah Swt menghendaki sesuatu dan lalu mengatakan “Jadilah! ; maka sesuatu itu dengan serta merta terjadi langsung.
Pemahaman ini tidak sepenuhnya salah, tetapi tidak tepat apabila kita melihatnya dari sudut yang lebih umum dan hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan sunnatullah. Bahkan makna sepintas itu menggambarkan tidak adanya proses. Padahal ayat itu berada dalam kontek umum dan mencakup semua kejadian termasuk yang ada proses padanya. Itulah rahasia yang terkandung dengan menggunakan "ف" sebagai jawab syarat, bukan dengan kata "يكن" dengan dijadikan berstatus Jazm. Sedangkan relasi antara syarat yakni kata Kun dan jawab syarat yakni "فيكون" mengandung makna kepastian.
kedua, baru-baru saja saya temukan, yaitu sebuah makalah yang ditulis di situs swaramuslim. Makalah tersebut berbicara tentang jimat dan hal-hal yang berbau klenik dan bagaimana hukumnya menurut pandangan Islam. Ada satu hadis Nabi s.a.w. yang berbunyi, "من تعلق تمامة فلا أتمه الله" Kalimat hadis ini diterjemahkan oleh penulisnya dengan “Barangsiapa menggantungkan jimat, maka semoga tidak disempurnakan oleh Allah (hajatnya).…; Secara sederhana, kita memang bisa mengerti makna hadis ini dan apa kandungan yang dimaksud. Namun saya mencoba memberikan perbandingan dengan terjemahan yang mencermati kaidah ilmu Sharaf, yaitu dasar kita memahami dalam level ini.
Hadis tersebut menggunakan kata ta’allaqa’ yang mengandung beberapa makna selain kata dasarnya. Beberapa makna yang relevan adalah ; مطاوعة, دلا لةعلي اتخاذ
معانة, والتكلف Makna-makna ini menunjukkan kandungan intransitif. Bisa dilihat terjemahan di atas menggunakan makna transitif yang sebenarnya lebih tepat jika digukana kata ;allaqa. Satu makna yang sedikit mengena dengan terjemahan tersebut adalah makna دلا لةعلي اتخاذ; yakni makna menjadikan sesuatu yang terkandung dalam kata dasar. Misalnya kata وسادة adalah bantal, maka tawassada-hu berarti menjadikan sesuatu itu sebagai bantal, atau kata ibnun adalah anak, maka تيني adalah menjadikannya sebagai anak. Jika hadis di atas kita terjemahkan sesuai dengan makna ini, maka secara literal adalah “Barangsiapa menjadikan jimat sebagai gantungan.
Bisa kita lihat sendiri, terjemahan tersebut hanya mengena pada sedikit dari kandungan yang dimaksud. Makna lain yang menurut saya lebih tepat adalah مطاوعة yakni jika kita menggantungkan sesuatu, maka sesuatu itu tergantung. Dengan makna ini, hadis di atas tidak sekadar menggantungkan jimat, tetapi siapa saja yang bergantung dengan jimat walau jimat itu sendiri hanya disimpan. Seharusnya kata ta’allaqa dalam hadis itu intransitif, tetapi digunakan secara transitif karena rahasia bahasa tertentu yang menjadi pembahasan level selanjutnya, yaitu level gramatikal.
Maksud hadis itu menjadi lebih tegas, bukan jimatnya yang tergantung, tetapi adalah oknum yang tergantung dengan jimat. Dan karena oknum, maka makna menjadi bergantung. Dan karena makna ketergantungan inilah, maka hal itu dilarang karena bagi seorang muslim, prilaku yang benar adalah berusaha dan menyerahkan semuanya yakni bergantung kepada Allah, bukan kepada benda-benda dengan membuatnya sebagai jimat-jimat.
E. Epilog
Tidak bisa kita pungkiri bahwa Ilmu Nahwu telah memberikan sumbang yang sangat besar kepada islam, khususnya dalam menyingkapkan makna-makna yang terkandung dalam rangkaian kata penuh makna yaitu Al-qur’an, hadist, dan teks-teks arab lainnya. Kalau setiap hari kita memabaca Al-qur’an, membaca buku-buku yang berbaha-sa arab, mendengarkan pengajian di TV, atau apa saja lah yang menggunakan bahasa arab kita akan membutuhkan apa yang disebut dengan Ilmu Nahwu. Orang yang sadar akan kebutuhan hidupnya, maka ia akan berupaya untuk mendapatkannya.
Tapi, tujuan yang paling utama dalam kita mempelajari Ilmu Nahwu ini adalah untuk berupaya memahami makna-makna yang terkandung dalam teks-teks Al-qur’an dan Hadis. Di atas sudah kita ketahui betapa erat sekali hubungan antara teks Al-qur’an dan bahasa arab, kemudian sejarah peletakan Ilmu Nahwu sampai pada Nahwu sebagai solusi untuk memahami Al-qur’an. Dari sini penulis sangat berharap sekali akan tumbuhnya kecintaan kita dalam mempelajari Ilmu Nahwu. Marilah kita dasari hidup kita dengan CINTA....!. Akhirnya, tiada tempat untuk bersandar dan bergantung dari segala permasalan selain Allah SWT.
Wallahu A’lamu Bi As-Showaab.....
28 April 2008
MASIH ingat dengan pemberitaan kelulusan sejumlah siswa di Tanan Air dua tahun lalu? Lagi-lagi ujian nasional (UN) menjadi tragedi. Bagaimana tidak? Setelah hasil UN Tahun Pelajaran 2005/2006 diumumkan, sejumlah siswa dilanda depresi. Fakta bahwa mereka tidak lulus membuat mental anjlok.
Seorang siswi shock berat dan harus mengungsi ke rumah saudaranya.
Bahkan ada juga yang bunuh diri karena menganggap dirinya tidak lagi berguna. Kalau sudah begini siapa yang disalahkan? Guru, sekolah, pemerintah ataukah murid itu sendiri. Sebab, semua itu adalah satu kesatuan yang sangat berhubungan dengan pendidikan anak sekolah.
Dahulu sekitar tujuh atau delapan tahun silam, jarang sekali ada pemberitaan siswa tidak lulus dari ujian meskipun tidak begitu pandai di kelasnya. Namun apa yang terjadi sekarang setelah sistem kurikulum di negeri kita berubah. Abad telah berubah, pola pikir manusia pun turut berubah. Namun apakah dengan demikian semua itu dapat mengubah nasib manusia menjadi baik.
Jika melihat data dari Departemen Pendidikan Nasional (Depdiknas) pada Tahun Pelajaran 2005/2006, di Jawa Tengah hampir 50 persen bahkan lebih siswa SMA negeri dan swasta masuk dalam kategori tidak lulus UN. Untuk jurusan IPA, 63 persen peserta ujian nasional SMA negeri dan swasta dinyatakan tidak lulus. Sementara jurusan IPS, 50 persen atau separo dari 81.585 peserta ujian dinyatakan tidak lulus. Sementara jurusan bahasa, hanya 31 persen yang dinyatakan lulus.
Pada Tahun Pelajaran 2006/2007, angka ketidaklulusan siswa tingkat SMA negeri dan swasta di Jawa Tengah masih terhitung tinggi meskipun lebih baik dari tahun sebelumnya. Untuk jurusan IPS, 55 persen peserta dinyatakan tidak lulus ujian. Jurusan bahasa, 56 persen siswa tidak lulus. Lain lagi dengan jurusan IPS yang angka ketidaklulusannya jauh lebih kecil dibanding tahun sebelumnya, yakni 18,5 persen.
Momok
Melihat fenomena tersebut bukan tidak mungkin hal itu akan menjadi momok bagi peserta didik yang tahun ini juga mengikuti UN. Apalagi, standar kelulusan bagi siswa SMA berbeda dari tahun sebelumnya. Khususnya untuk program IPA dan IPS, mata pelajaran yang diujikan bertambah. Untuk jurusan IPA tambahan itu yakni Fisika, Kimia, dan Biologi. Adapun untuk IPS, mata pelajaran yang ditambahkan dalam ujian yakni Ekonomi, Sosiologi, dan Geografi.
Selain mata pelajaran yang diujikan berbeda dari tahun sebelumnya, standar kelulusan untuk tahun ini pun berbeda. Sesuai dengan aturan, peserta ujian dinyatakan lulus jika memenuhi standar kelulusan, antara lain memiliki nilai rata-rata minimal 5,25 untuk seluruh mata pelajaran yang diujikan, dengan tidak ada nilai di bawah 4,25 atau memiliki nilai minimal 4,00 pada salah satu mata pelajaran dan nilai mata pelajaran lainnya minimal 6,00. Sementara tahun lalu syarat peserta UN dinyatakan lulus jika memenuhi standar kelulusan, yakni memiliki nilai rata-rata 5,00 untuk seluruh mata pelajaran yang diujikan dengan tidak ada nilai di bawah 4,25. Siswa bisa memiliki nilai minimal 4,00 pada salah satu mata pelajaran, tetapi pada mata pelajaran lainnya minimal 6,00.
Mendiknas Bambang Sudibyo dalam beberapa kesempatan mengatakan, standar kelulusan UN akan terus dinaikkan secara bertahap sambil menunggu meratanya mutu pendidikan di seluruh Indonesia. Pada 2009, standar kelulusan akan naik menjadi 6,00. Standar Kompetensi Lulusan (SKL) UN Tahun 2008 merupakan irisan (interseksi) dari pokok bahasan kurikulum 2008 dan standar Isi.
UN diselenggarakan oleh Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan (BSNP) yang pelaksanaannya bekerja sama dengan instansi terkait di lingkungan pemerintah, pemerintah provinsi, pemerintah kabupaten/kota, dan satuan pendidikan. Ujian Nasional 2008 yang diperlakukan semacam upacara ritual tahunan sudah terselenggara. Meskipun mendapat reaksi negatif dari sejumlah kalangan, pemerintah kukuh pada pendirian bahwa UN merupakan salah satu instrumen peningkatan kualitas pendidikan. Termasuk alasan pemetaan kualitas pendidikan yang terbukti hingga kini belum memberikan hasil yang signifikan.
Yang pasti, saat ini sebagian besar siswa dan juga orang tua dihantui bayangan ketidaklulusan dalam UN. Tentu ini merupakan hal yang wajar, sebagai seorang siswa, tak seorang pun yang ingin gagal dalam tahapan terakhir. Begitu pula dengan orang tua. Mereka tak ingin perjuangan tiga tahun terakhir ini pupus hanya dalam dua jam di atas meja ujian.
Melihat persyaratan kelulusan UN tahun 2008, jelas merupakan tantangan bagi siswa, guru, sekolah, dan orang tua. Dalam beberapa uji coba UN yang dilakukan di daerah, terlihat bahwa IPA Terpadu merupakan mata pelajaran yang paling susah dilulusi siswa. Tingkat ketidaklulusannya dalam uji coba sangat tinggi.
Melihat gambaran ini, kita mesti waspada terhadap ketidaklulusan UN kali ini. Bukan tidak mungkin angka ketidaklulusan siswa SMA meningkat dibanding tahun lalu. Suatu hal yang tentu kita tidak inginkan. (Pusdok SM/Dani-62)
© 2008 suaramerdeka.com. All rights reserved
Groups
Seorang siswi shock berat dan harus mengungsi ke rumah saudaranya.
Bahkan ada juga yang bunuh diri karena menganggap dirinya tidak lagi berguna. Kalau sudah begini siapa yang disalahkan? Guru, sekolah, pemerintah ataukah murid itu sendiri. Sebab, semua itu adalah satu kesatuan yang sangat berhubungan dengan pendidikan anak sekolah.
Dahulu sekitar tujuh atau delapan tahun silam, jarang sekali ada pemberitaan siswa tidak lulus dari ujian meskipun tidak begitu pandai di kelasnya. Namun apa yang terjadi sekarang setelah sistem kurikulum di negeri kita berubah. Abad telah berubah, pola pikir manusia pun turut berubah. Namun apakah dengan demikian semua itu dapat mengubah nasib manusia menjadi baik.
Jika melihat data dari Departemen Pendidikan Nasional (Depdiknas) pada Tahun Pelajaran 2005/2006, di Jawa Tengah hampir 50 persen bahkan lebih siswa SMA negeri dan swasta masuk dalam kategori tidak lulus UN. Untuk jurusan IPA, 63 persen peserta ujian nasional SMA negeri dan swasta dinyatakan tidak lulus. Sementara jurusan IPS, 50 persen atau separo dari 81.585 peserta ujian dinyatakan tidak lulus. Sementara jurusan bahasa, hanya 31 persen yang dinyatakan lulus.
Pada Tahun Pelajaran 2006/2007, angka ketidaklulusan siswa tingkat SMA negeri dan swasta di Jawa Tengah masih terhitung tinggi meskipun lebih baik dari tahun sebelumnya. Untuk jurusan IPS, 55 persen peserta dinyatakan tidak lulus ujian. Jurusan bahasa, 56 persen siswa tidak lulus. Lain lagi dengan jurusan IPS yang angka ketidaklulusannya jauh lebih kecil dibanding tahun sebelumnya, yakni 18,5 persen.
Momok
Melihat fenomena tersebut bukan tidak mungkin hal itu akan menjadi momok bagi peserta didik yang tahun ini juga mengikuti UN. Apalagi, standar kelulusan bagi siswa SMA berbeda dari tahun sebelumnya. Khususnya untuk program IPA dan IPS, mata pelajaran yang diujikan bertambah. Untuk jurusan IPA tambahan itu yakni Fisika, Kimia, dan Biologi. Adapun untuk IPS, mata pelajaran yang ditambahkan dalam ujian yakni Ekonomi, Sosiologi, dan Geografi.
Selain mata pelajaran yang diujikan berbeda dari tahun sebelumnya, standar kelulusan untuk tahun ini pun berbeda. Sesuai dengan aturan, peserta ujian dinyatakan lulus jika memenuhi standar kelulusan, antara lain memiliki nilai rata-rata minimal 5,25 untuk seluruh mata pelajaran yang diujikan, dengan tidak ada nilai di bawah 4,25 atau memiliki nilai minimal 4,00 pada salah satu mata pelajaran dan nilai mata pelajaran lainnya minimal 6,00. Sementara tahun lalu syarat peserta UN dinyatakan lulus jika memenuhi standar kelulusan, yakni memiliki nilai rata-rata 5,00 untuk seluruh mata pelajaran yang diujikan dengan tidak ada nilai di bawah 4,25. Siswa bisa memiliki nilai minimal 4,00 pada salah satu mata pelajaran, tetapi pada mata pelajaran lainnya minimal 6,00.
Mendiknas Bambang Sudibyo dalam beberapa kesempatan mengatakan, standar kelulusan UN akan terus dinaikkan secara bertahap sambil menunggu meratanya mutu pendidikan di seluruh Indonesia. Pada 2009, standar kelulusan akan naik menjadi 6,00. Standar Kompetensi Lulusan (SKL) UN Tahun 2008 merupakan irisan (interseksi) dari pokok bahasan kurikulum 2008 dan standar Isi.
UN diselenggarakan oleh Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan (BSNP) yang pelaksanaannya bekerja sama dengan instansi terkait di lingkungan pemerintah, pemerintah provinsi, pemerintah kabupaten/kota, dan satuan pendidikan. Ujian Nasional 2008 yang diperlakukan semacam upacara ritual tahunan sudah terselenggara. Meskipun mendapat reaksi negatif dari sejumlah kalangan, pemerintah kukuh pada pendirian bahwa UN merupakan salah satu instrumen peningkatan kualitas pendidikan. Termasuk alasan pemetaan kualitas pendidikan yang terbukti hingga kini belum memberikan hasil yang signifikan.
Yang pasti, saat ini sebagian besar siswa dan juga orang tua dihantui bayangan ketidaklulusan dalam UN. Tentu ini merupakan hal yang wajar, sebagai seorang siswa, tak seorang pun yang ingin gagal dalam tahapan terakhir. Begitu pula dengan orang tua. Mereka tak ingin perjuangan tiga tahun terakhir ini pupus hanya dalam dua jam di atas meja ujian.
Melihat persyaratan kelulusan UN tahun 2008, jelas merupakan tantangan bagi siswa, guru, sekolah, dan orang tua. Dalam beberapa uji coba UN yang dilakukan di daerah, terlihat bahwa IPA Terpadu merupakan mata pelajaran yang paling susah dilulusi siswa. Tingkat ketidaklulusannya dalam uji coba sangat tinggi.
Melihat gambaran ini, kita mesti waspada terhadap ketidaklulusan UN kali ini. Bukan tidak mungkin angka ketidaklulusan siswa SMA meningkat dibanding tahun lalu. Suatu hal yang tentu kita tidak inginkan. (Pusdok SM/Dani-62)
© 2008 suaramerdeka.com. All rights reserved
Groups
Friday, April 25, 2008
Eks Terminal Jadi Taman Kota
26 April 2008
PURWOKERTO-Lahan eks terminal seluas 1,6 hektare diusulkan Pemkab Banyumas menjadi taman kota, pusat rekreasi keluarga, serta menampung sebagian PKL.
Asisten Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Sekda, Didi Rudwianto, mengatakan dari empat opsi Dewan Riset Daerah Pemkab memilih untuk area kawasan hijau.
”Semula eksekutif mengusulkan konsep kawasan campuran, yakni ada pusat perbelanjaan, taman kota, dan sarana hiburan,” ujarnya, kemarin.
Namun setelah dikaji secara mendalam dan diseusaikan dengan visi misi bupati terpilih akhirnya diarahkan untuk taman kota.
”Itu untuk mengantisipasi perkembangan kota dan kebutuhan kawasan hijau,” kata Didi usai rapat pejabat eselon II dengan Bupati di Graha Satria, kemarin.
Selama ini, lanjut dia, ruang publik terpusat di alun-alun dan GOR Satria. Dua kawasan itu sudah padat dan kurang tertata baik.
Terpadu
Agar ruang publik untuk masyarakat kian banyak, tutur dia, Pemkab lebih memilih mendesain eks terminal menjadi taman kota.
”Di situ masyarakat bisa berekreasi dan ada tempat untuk menggelar hiburan. Tempat PKL juga disediakan,” jelasnya.
Pemanfaatan lahan eks terminal itu, kata dia, bagian dari penataan kota secara terpadu.
Kanan dan kiri Jalan Gerilya disiapkan trotoar sehingga kelak selaras dengan taman kota.
Dari arah timur ada Taman Satria (bundaran patung Gatot Subroto), dari arah selatan ada taman kota di eks terminal, dan dari arah utara ada GOR Satria. Semua akan ditata kembali.
”Di sekitar eks terminal nanti juga dikembangkan menjadi kawasan perdagangan. Termasuk mengarahkan pusat perdagangan ke arah Sokaraja dan Karanglewas (arah Cilongok),” ujar Didi.
Timnya saat ini menyiapkan detail engineering design. Bupati secara informal sudah berkomunikasi dengan ketua dan anggota DPRD.
”Sambil menyiapkan desainnya, kami akan mengomunikasikan kembali dengan teman-teman legislatif karena sudah dibentuk Pansus rencana pemanfaatan eks terminal,” tambahnya. (G22-27)
PURWOKERTO-Lahan eks terminal seluas 1,6 hektare diusulkan Pemkab Banyumas menjadi taman kota, pusat rekreasi keluarga, serta menampung sebagian PKL.
Asisten Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Sekda, Didi Rudwianto, mengatakan dari empat opsi Dewan Riset Daerah Pemkab memilih untuk area kawasan hijau.
”Semula eksekutif mengusulkan konsep kawasan campuran, yakni ada pusat perbelanjaan, taman kota, dan sarana hiburan,” ujarnya, kemarin.
Namun setelah dikaji secara mendalam dan diseusaikan dengan visi misi bupati terpilih akhirnya diarahkan untuk taman kota.
”Itu untuk mengantisipasi perkembangan kota dan kebutuhan kawasan hijau,” kata Didi usai rapat pejabat eselon II dengan Bupati di Graha Satria, kemarin.
Selama ini, lanjut dia, ruang publik terpusat di alun-alun dan GOR Satria. Dua kawasan itu sudah padat dan kurang tertata baik.
Terpadu
Agar ruang publik untuk masyarakat kian banyak, tutur dia, Pemkab lebih memilih mendesain eks terminal menjadi taman kota.
”Di situ masyarakat bisa berekreasi dan ada tempat untuk menggelar hiburan. Tempat PKL juga disediakan,” jelasnya.
Pemanfaatan lahan eks terminal itu, kata dia, bagian dari penataan kota secara terpadu.
Kanan dan kiri Jalan Gerilya disiapkan trotoar sehingga kelak selaras dengan taman kota.
Dari arah timur ada Taman Satria (bundaran patung Gatot Subroto), dari arah selatan ada taman kota di eks terminal, dan dari arah utara ada GOR Satria. Semua akan ditata kembali.
”Di sekitar eks terminal nanti juga dikembangkan menjadi kawasan perdagangan. Termasuk mengarahkan pusat perdagangan ke arah Sokaraja dan Karanglewas (arah Cilongok),” ujar Didi.
Timnya saat ini menyiapkan detail engineering design. Bupati secara informal sudah berkomunikasi dengan ketua dan anggota DPRD.
”Sambil menyiapkan desainnya, kami akan mengomunikasikan kembali dengan teman-teman legislatif karena sudah dibentuk Pansus rencana pemanfaatan eks terminal,” tambahnya. (G22-27)
WHY DO WE TEACH ENGLISH ?
Introduction
We are teaching English or studying the teaching of English, but why do we want to teach English, as opposed to other foreign languages? It is useful for us to consider this basic question occasionally.
The Importance of English
English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers--there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers--but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).
However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. American popular culture--primarily movies and music--carries the English language throughout the world.
English as a First or Second Language
In some countries, English is the sole or dominant language. It has that role in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.
Uses of English
English for News and Information
English is commonly used as a medium for the communication of information and news. Three quarters of all telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. Eighty percent of computer data are processed and stored in English. Much satellite communication is carried in English. Five thousand newspapers, more than half of the newspapers published in the world, are published in English. Even in many countries where English is a minority language, there is at least one newspaper in English. In India alone, there are three thousand magazines published in English. In many countries, television news is broadcast in English. Because of the power of television, demonstrators in every country use signs printed in English for the benefit of the international press.
English for Business, Diplomacy, and the Professions
English is a major language of international business, diplomacy, and science and the professions. It is the language that an Iranian businessman and a Japanese businessman are likely to use to communicate. Important commodities such as silver, tin, and hard currency are traded in English. English is also an official language, or the official language, of many international organizations, including the United Nations and many professional organizations. It is frequently the language of international conferences, and it is the language of international athletics. Throughout the world, many professional papers are published in English. Even papers that are published in other languages often have abstracts in English.
English for Entertainment
Popular culture.
Popular culture has also played an important part in spreading English. American and British popular music are heard all over the world. American movies are seen in almost every country. Books in English are available even in countries where few people actually use English. One reason that students give for learning English is to understand these songs, movies and books.
Travel.
English is also very important for international travel. Much of the information countries disseminate about themselves outside of their borders is in English. English is spoken in large hotels and tourist attractions, at airports, and in shops that tourists frequent. There are newspapers printed in English, and TV news is available in English. Tours are almost always available in English. Even in countries where few people speak English on the street, people who work with tourists generally speak English. In some countries even drivers of buses or streetcars and sellers at newsstands speak English well.
Other Uses of English
In many former British colonies, English is still used in government and as a medium of communication among people who do not have another language in common. In some cases, it is a neutral language that is used to avoid giving any one indigenous language too much prestige. English is often used in India, because it is neutral. It is the language of government. People who speak English have a certain status in society. It is used for books, music and dance. In Singapore, English is a second language, but it is necessary for daily life. Many companies there use English. In addition, sixteen countries in Africa have retained English as the language of government. Now standard English is taught in schools in those countries, because it is necessary for careers.
English is also studied as a foreign language in countries where it is not generally used as a medium of communication. In China, English language lessons are popular TV programs. Two hundred fifty million Chinese--more than the population of the US--are learning English on TV. English is usually the first or most commonly taught foreign language in many countries, and people understand it a little at least.
The Situation in Japan
More than ten million Japanese visit foreign countries each year, and more than one third visit English-speaking countries. Probably more than half of these people go abroad as part of a tour, and they do not speak English during the visit. They just see scenery, buildings, gardens, etc., eat in restaurants and stay at hotels. There is no contact with the people of the country. If they could speak English, at least they could talk with people in the countries where they visit. They could visit places on their own or take local tours. They can choose restaurants where they wanted to eat and shops where they wanted to buy things. They could get information though tourist information literature, newspapers, magazines, and TV programs.
Whenever we meet English-speaking people from various countries when we travel, they tell us that there are many Japanese tourists in their cities or countries, but that the Japanese tourists have difficulties speaking English.
Nowadays many college graduates who work for large corporations will have opportunities to visit foreign countries on business or work in foreign countries. English is likely to be essential wherever they go, even if they are working in countries where English is not the dominant language. Local workers with whom they work may speak English but not Japanese.
Japan has achieved economic power and reputation for producing high quality manufactured goods. Many people throughout the world are interested in Japanese business, technology, and culture. However, there are not many people who understand Japanese. There are not many books, magazines, or computer sources to convey information on Japan. More and more information needs to be transmitted in English, so that many people in the world will know what is going on in Japan and can learn about Japanese culture. We need more people who could convey information about Japan to the outside world.
More Japanese attend international conferences and need to present papers and participate in discussions. Most international conferences are held in English. Many researchers in universities and companies attend international conferences to present the results of their research. Most presentations are in English. Their papers are also published in international journals, which are also in English.
A great deal of information is available on the Internet. Most information on the Internet is in English, so if Japanese people want to take advantage of the many resources on the Internet, they need to be able to read English.
Conclusion
As we have seen, English is a widespread and important language in the world today. It is used for everything from international academic conferences to news reports to popular music lyrics. It is used not only for communication between native speakers and nonnative speakers of English but between nonnative speakers. Even though it does not have the greatest number of speakers in the world, it is the most widely used language in the world, and it will be used by more people in the future.
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 4, April 1996
http://aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
Last modified: February 22, 2000
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We are teaching English or studying the teaching of English, but why do we want to teach English, as opposed to other foreign languages? It is useful for us to consider this basic question occasionally.
The Importance of English
English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers--there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers--but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).
However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. American popular culture--primarily movies and music--carries the English language throughout the world.
English as a First or Second Language
In some countries, English is the sole or dominant language. It has that role in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.
Uses of English
English for News and Information
English is commonly used as a medium for the communication of information and news. Three quarters of all telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. Eighty percent of computer data are processed and stored in English. Much satellite communication is carried in English. Five thousand newspapers, more than half of the newspapers published in the world, are published in English. Even in many countries where English is a minority language, there is at least one newspaper in English. In India alone, there are three thousand magazines published in English. In many countries, television news is broadcast in English. Because of the power of television, demonstrators in every country use signs printed in English for the benefit of the international press.
English for Business, Diplomacy, and the Professions
English is a major language of international business, diplomacy, and science and the professions. It is the language that an Iranian businessman and a Japanese businessman are likely to use to communicate. Important commodities such as silver, tin, and hard currency are traded in English. English is also an official language, or the official language, of many international organizations, including the United Nations and many professional organizations. It is frequently the language of international conferences, and it is the language of international athletics. Throughout the world, many professional papers are published in English. Even papers that are published in other languages often have abstracts in English.
English for Entertainment
Popular culture.
Popular culture has also played an important part in spreading English. American and British popular music are heard all over the world. American movies are seen in almost every country. Books in English are available even in countries where few people actually use English. One reason that students give for learning English is to understand these songs, movies and books.
Travel.
English is also very important for international travel. Much of the information countries disseminate about themselves outside of their borders is in English. English is spoken in large hotels and tourist attractions, at airports, and in shops that tourists frequent. There are newspapers printed in English, and TV news is available in English. Tours are almost always available in English. Even in countries where few people speak English on the street, people who work with tourists generally speak English. In some countries even drivers of buses or streetcars and sellers at newsstands speak English well.
Other Uses of English
In many former British colonies, English is still used in government and as a medium of communication among people who do not have another language in common. In some cases, it is a neutral language that is used to avoid giving any one indigenous language too much prestige. English is often used in India, because it is neutral. It is the language of government. People who speak English have a certain status in society. It is used for books, music and dance. In Singapore, English is a second language, but it is necessary for daily life. Many companies there use English. In addition, sixteen countries in Africa have retained English as the language of government. Now standard English is taught in schools in those countries, because it is necessary for careers.
English is also studied as a foreign language in countries where it is not generally used as a medium of communication. In China, English language lessons are popular TV programs. Two hundred fifty million Chinese--more than the population of the US--are learning English on TV. English is usually the first or most commonly taught foreign language in many countries, and people understand it a little at least.
The Situation in Japan
More than ten million Japanese visit foreign countries each year, and more than one third visit English-speaking countries. Probably more than half of these people go abroad as part of a tour, and they do not speak English during the visit. They just see scenery, buildings, gardens, etc., eat in restaurants and stay at hotels. There is no contact with the people of the country. If they could speak English, at least they could talk with people in the countries where they visit. They could visit places on their own or take local tours. They can choose restaurants where they wanted to eat and shops where they wanted to buy things. They could get information though tourist information literature, newspapers, magazines, and TV programs.
Whenever we meet English-speaking people from various countries when we travel, they tell us that there are many Japanese tourists in their cities or countries, but that the Japanese tourists have difficulties speaking English.
Nowadays many college graduates who work for large corporations will have opportunities to visit foreign countries on business or work in foreign countries. English is likely to be essential wherever they go, even if they are working in countries where English is not the dominant language. Local workers with whom they work may speak English but not Japanese.
Japan has achieved economic power and reputation for producing high quality manufactured goods. Many people throughout the world are interested in Japanese business, technology, and culture. However, there are not many people who understand Japanese. There are not many books, magazines, or computer sources to convey information on Japan. More and more information needs to be transmitted in English, so that many people in the world will know what is going on in Japan and can learn about Japanese culture. We need more people who could convey information about Japan to the outside world.
More Japanese attend international conferences and need to present papers and participate in discussions. Most international conferences are held in English. Many researchers in universities and companies attend international conferences to present the results of their research. Most presentations are in English. Their papers are also published in international journals, which are also in English.
A great deal of information is available on the Internet. Most information on the Internet is in English, so if Japanese people want to take advantage of the many resources on the Internet, they need to be able to read English.
Conclusion
As we have seen, English is a widespread and important language in the world today. It is used for everything from international academic conferences to news reports to popular music lyrics. It is used not only for communication between native speakers and nonnative speakers of English but between nonnative speakers. Even though it does not have the greatest number of speakers in the world, it is the most widely used language in the world, and it will be used by more people in the future.
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 4, April 1996
http://aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
Last modified: February 22, 2000
Send e-mail and suggestions to webmaster@englishfirst.org
English First, 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 109, Springfield, VA 22151 tel: (703) 321-8818 fax: (703) 321-7636 Internet: http://www.englishfirst.org
The Beginner's Guide To Freelance Writing
Written By Jenna Glatzer
The Big Idea
Okay. So you’ve figured out that you would like to write. Unfortunately, so have about eight gazillion other people on this planet. Therefore, you have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with “The Big Idea.” The first secret you must learn in this funny business is that you don’t actually have to write the whole article/story/editorial/etc. to get a job. In fact, only bright green novices attempt to write the whole thing before selling it. What you do need, however, is the IDEA for the great story. You will use this great idea to convince editors to pay you exorbitant amounts of money via a proposal letter (called a “query letter.” But you’ll learn about that in a minute.)
So, where will you find this Big Idea? Well, you’ve heard that wise old adage, “write what you know.” That’s a wonderful mantra for finding your jumping-off point. You don’t need to stick to “what you know” for the specific focus of your story, but tap into your already huge vat of knowledge to find the story’s basis. This is how you will become an expert. Experts are in demand. People with “stories” aren’t. What you have to do is sneak your stories into your areas of expertise. Example: let’s say your hobbies and interests include fishing, watching talk shows, and traveling. Good! You are a potential expert in those areas. Jot these things down. Now comes the fun part: brainstorming.
The biggest mistake you can make in pitching your story is being too general. Never, ever send a letter to the editor suggesting “an article about fishing.” Not even “an article about fishing in Florida.” This vagueness is not appropriate for short writing. In general, you will be expected to write somewhere between 800 and 2000 words on your topic. You couldn’t possibly tell us “all about fishing” in 2000 words. What you could do, however, is give us “a comparison of twelve different lures used to catch sailfish.” Or “the pros and cons of joining a fishing club.” Or even “how the moon can tell you if it’ll be a good fishing day.”
So, here’s your first assignment. Get out your trusty notebook. (If you don’t have one, stop reading and get one. Right now.) On the first page, write down a list of any and all topics that interest you. It’s okay to be general here. Need some ideas to get you started?
Think through your whole day. Don’t neglect anything. What do you do from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep? You turn off your alarm clock. (An article about alarm clocks disrupting valuable sleep stages! Or waking up to music versus waking up to that annoying beeping sound. Or the optimal number of times to press the “snooze” button.) You brush your teeth. (Article: “What all those touted ingredients (flouride, peroxide, baking soda) really do for your teeth.”) You take a shower. Maybe with your significant other. Lucky you. (Romantic showers for two.)
Moving on. You go to work. This is the most obvious area of expertise. Let’s say you’re a secretary. “How ergonomic office equipment can save you from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an achy back, and a stiff neck.” “How to avoid screaming at your boss when he’s a total idiot.” “Five couples (or ex-couples) share their wisdom about dating in the office.” Think about what cover story would entice you to pay three dollars for a magazine. You don’t have to have the knowledge to actually write the article yet. You just have to know you can get this information later.
Next, you come home. What happens? Do you have kids? Great! A wealth of article ideas. You could write about childcare agencies, potty training, decoding teenage slang, teaching table manners — you’re getting the idea now, right? Run with it!
Write at least one page of general topics that interest you, then weed out the most interesting ones. Narrow it down to three or four. Then write those three or four topics on top of brand new pages. Now fill up those pages with specific article angles. Just write. Don’t edit yourself. Don’t judge. Just write whatever pops into your head. If you need motivation, play it like a game of “Scattergories.” Set a timer for ten minutes. See how many ideas you can jot down before the timer sounds.
Keep in mind that there are markets for almost any conceivable topic. Don’t limit yourself to the headlines you’d read in “Vogue” and “Good Housekeeping.” Between newspapers, consumer magazines, trade magazines, e-zines, tabloids, literary journals, and more, you’re bound to find an appropriate publication for your Big Idea.
You want to know more about these markets? Read on!
Researching the Markets
First, you’ll need a few definitions:
Consumer Magazines: These typically pay the best. These are the types of magazines you might find in a grocery store check-out line, convenience store, in your airplane seat pocket, or your doctor’s office. Types of consumer mags: men’s, women’s, special interest, inflight, teen’s, school/career, travel, health, ethnic/minority, political, entertainment, romance, religious, etc. This is the area most writers try to break into.
Literary Magazines: These don’t pay much, if at all. However, what they lack in moolah, they make up for in prestige. If you’re looking to jump-start your career as a fiction writer or poet, your best chance at recognition may come in the form of one of these small publications. Often published by colleges and universities, their circulation is usually regional and low. They generally seek scholarly essays, intellectually challenging prose, poetry, and book reviews. Publishers will be impressed if you succeed in placing your work in one of the more prominent journals (Cimarron Review, Ploughshares, and Story, for example.)
Trade Journals: Pay varies greatly. Any publication that focuses on a particular occupation/industry falls into this category. This is where your expertise can shine. There are trade journals for almost every line of work, from art dealers to truck drivers. In general, your written eloquence is not as important as your research and timely knowledge for these publications.
E-Zines: Pay varies greatly. Simply put, e-zines are simply magazines on the Internet. The only major difference is that articles for e-zines can usually run longer than print magazines. (No printing costs, so space isn’t as important an issue for e-zine editors.) Most e-zines don’t pay (except by means of a byline,) but this trend is changing. The most popular sites (Word and Wired, for example) pay quite well. Topics stretch as wide as your imagination.
Now that you know, learn how to contact them!
There are tons of ways to find markets that are open to freelancers. If you were paying attention, you might notice that this very website is looking for writers! Finding places to submit your work is easy if you know where to look.
First, the most important tool in a freelancer’s toolbox is The Writer’s Market. Available at any major bookstore, this is an annual compilation of over 2,000 magazines, 1,000 book publishers, and even specialized markets like greeting cards, script writing, and syndicates.
The next best tools are online. Lucky you! They’re free. Writer’s Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com) has a great, searchable database of markets. Inscriptions (http://come.to/Inscriptions) has a super monthly newsletter that lists ads placed by editors on the Internet. The new and promising Freelance Writing site (http://www.freelancewriting.com) hosts a bi-weekly newsletter, plus articles and writers’ guidelines. Oh, yeah! And there’s always my site, too. (Grin.)
You can even run a search for “freelance writers” on any major search engine, and you’re likely to come up with tons of listings. Try specifying if possible; add words that fit your needs. (Example: paying markets, romance, teen magazines.)
So, your next assignment is this: go back to your trusty notebook and pick out your very favorite idea. That will now be known as your Big Idea. Pick the markets that best fit your idea. Choose several. Find out if you can get a free or discounted sample copy. (Writers often can, if you specify that you would like to query them in the future.) Request writers’ guidelines if available. It’s considered poor form to query publications that you’ve never read, or know nothing about. Do your best to read at least one copy of whatever magazine or journal you plan to query. Check your library for copies if you prefer not to go broke researching.
Got it now? You have your idea, and you’ve found places to submit it? Great! Then you’ll need to learn proper protocol for writing and submitting the Killer Query.
The Killer Query
The job of the query letter is to entice an editor to say, “Hey! I’d be interested in learning more about that.” Therefore, you don’t want to spill all your secrets and research yet. You want to tease and tantalize. Now that you’ve got your fabulous Big Idea, your job is to condense (or expand) that idea into two to three paragraphs.
To illustrate the components of a killer query, here is an example of one of mine (using fictitious contact info — sorry!) that landed me the assignment:
Jenna Glatzer
(Always use proper formal letter format)
123 My Address
My City, State, Zip Code
(555) 555-5555
Mr. Joe Shmoe
(Make SURE to get a name of the appropriate department College Life 101 editor. Never address a letter to “editor” or “submissions.”)
123 Their Address
Their City, State, Zip Code
Today’s Date, 1999
Dear Mr. Shmoe:
(Colons are used in formal letters. Commas are used in friendly letters.)
Think company cars, expense accounts, and a spacious office with bay windows. Who do you picture running a business this successful?
(Start the letter with a zinger that captures the essence of your proposed article/story. Raise a question that will cause the reader to think, or give a visual image — anything that will make him/her want to read on and find out what you’re talking about.)
Think again. This company was the brainchild of three Boston University sophomores whose ambitions led them to thriving careers before they had diplomas to hang on the wall.
(The rest of the first paragraph should give a concise description of the focus of your proposed article. Remember to tell why it’s appropriate to the publication you’re querying. In this case, I was targeting a college magazine, so I made sure to emphasize the relevance to their subject matter early in the letter.)
Net One, an Internet Service Provider, is run by Charles Strader, Richard Skelton, and Pablo Mondal. The three met in the freshmen dorms, then moved into an apartment together. Opportunity knocked when Strader, who worked for the university’s computer center, took a phone call from the owner of a hair salon. She sought help designing a website; Strader volunteered, and Net One was born.
(Again, concisely, get a little deeper into the content of the article. What is special about your story? In this case, I wanted to emphasize that these guys were college buddies who started a booming business by branching out from their humble beginning.)
“Working closely with friends to build something we believe in” is Mondal’s favorite perk. Skelton agrees. “We have great trust in each other, and feel that we’re all in this together.”
(Quotes aren’t necessary in a query, but it’s nice to give something specific to show that you have done some research into your topic, and that you have access to resources that will enable you to write the article well. I wanted to show that I had already spoken to these guys, they happen to be friends of mine, and that they would be upbeat and inspirational people to interview. You can accomplish the same effect by including a few quirky facts or survey results you’ve found out about your topic.)
Considering that their only capital was a computer and a small loan from Strader’s father, the guys feel very successful. “We’re not millionaires, but we have goals, and we’re following them,” says Skelton. “I think that’s true success.” By any definition, Net One’s roster of over 50 clients ranging from colleges to Fortune 500 companies attests to their hard work and talent.
(Look, editor. These guys are big up-and-comers! Notice I mentioned “Fortune 500 companies.” This lets the editor know quickly that these college guys aren’t small potatoes. It neatly ties up the opening sentence, which promised an article about guys who have a spacious office, expense accounts, and company car. Now the editor has a reason to believe that these guys actually are that successful.)
I propose a 1,000 word profile for your “Students At Work” section.
(Great. Shows I’ve researched their magazine. I know which section this should fit, and I’ve read their guidelines to determine an appropriate word count.)
I am a full-time freelance writer, and my works have been recently featured in such publications as 201 Magazine, College Bound (Notice I mention the most relevant magazines first. Anything you’ve had published that might relate to the content, tone, or audience of the proposed publication belongs here.) Bliss!, Working Women, and Video Librarian. Clips are enclosed.
(If you’ve never had anything published, don’t distress. Just shut up about it. Do NOT tell anyone, “Though I’ve never been published yet, I’m a real go-getter.” Less is more. If you keep quiet, they may not even think about the fact that you didn’t mention your credits. Also, do not get into a diatribe describing how you edited your high school newspaper. Just a quick list of relevant writing background. See below for info about clips.)
I can provide documentation and interview notes for easy fact-checking, and could submit the completed article within two weeks.
(Optional. Some people like to suggest a time frame, others let the editor do it. In general, the editor will tell you when the article is due, regardless of your preferences. It’s a nice touch to mention how you will research your article. Mine was primarily dependent on interviews, but you may wish to include the names of journals/experts you plan to quote or use for information.)
I look forward to your response.
(Obligatory polite ending. Use any variation you wish. No pleading. If you dare type, “I promise to write a reallllly, realllly good article! Please hire me!,” you will incur my wrath. I will hunt you down and yell at you. A lot. Just a simple, dignified ending requesting a response.)
Regards,
Jenna Glatzer
(Oh. Substitute your name and preferred signature ending. Unless you feel like sending your paycheck to me, in which case, you can feel free to use my name. Grin.)
Finally, clips! If you’ve had anything published — or even if you haven’t, but you have a few good writing samples appropriate for this type of market include them. These samples are called clips, and they are used to show the editor that you are an intelligent, insightful, funny, clever, and/or excellent writer. Photocopying straight from the publication is okay. Just 2-3 clips.
Interviews and Profiles
I know, you feel weird about this one, right? You’re uncomfortable calling someone or visiting a business to ask a professional to take precious time out of their day to help you research your article.
Well, buck up, little camper, because most professionals absolutely love to be interviewed. They jump at the chance, for a few reasons. These are the reasons to keep in mind when you feel small and silly for asking:
-It shows you respect their opinion and/or job.
-It gives them opportunities for publicity of their business.
-It gives them the chance to brag to friends that they are quoted in a magazine.
-It gives them something to frame and show clients.
-Finally, someone is recognizing their genius and taking an interest in their work.
-They’re usually wannabe writers, anyway, and they will be just as happy to pick your brain to find out how you got the job.
Before you approach experts:
Make sure you already have your questions mapped out, at least briefly. What exactly do you need to know from this person? What could this person tell you that no one else can? Avoid “yes” or “no” questions. Ask open-ended questions that could lead to lengthy responses chock full of great quotes. Also, have a synopsis of your planned article ready, so you can tell your expert what you’re writing and how they can supplement your knowledge.
How to approach experts:
Get on the phone. Have your idea condensed into 2-3 sentences, so you can quickly explain yourself to whomever answers the phone.
“Hello. My name is Jenna, and I’m writing an article about the rise in vegetarianism among young women in Nevada for Youth In Nevada Magazine. I know Dr. Spuds is a well-respected nutritionist, and I’m hoping she would be willing to answer a few questions on this subject.”
At this point, the secretary will say, “Hold,” and make you listen to elevator musak while she summons the boss. Or she’ll take down your number and have Dr. Spuds call you back. Or it will be Dr. Spuds herself, and she’ll say, “What do you want to know?”
Your options at this point are (1) Ask questions over the phone, right then and there. Make sure you check to make sure your expert is not pressed for time before you begin. (2) Set up a “phone date” to conduct the interview. (3) Ask if you can meet in person. This is good, almost necessary, if the person will be the focus of your article. If the person is being used just to add a few quotes, you don,t have to meet in person, because it,s unlikely you,ll ever need to write, “Dr. Spuds wrinkled her brow and stared into her pea soup as she explained that young women are becoming more health-conscious.” (4) Trade e-mail addresses and send over a list of questions. This approach isn’t usually the best, because it doesn’t allow you to react to, and build from, information you gain in answers to previous questions. However, if the publication will not reimburse you for long distance phone calls, and you have to conduct a lengthy interview, e-mail exchanges are acceptable. Just make sure you specify a “due date” for the responses. Be reasonable — try to give the expert a week to answer all your questions.
The Sales
Okay, you sent out your killer query, and you got a phone call from an editor with the big news: you got the assignment! Congratulations, you! Go on and do a little dance of joy, then crash back to reality with your new mantra: “GET IT IN WRITING.” Make sure the editor tells you that a written contract is forthcoming in the near future.
If you’ve researched your market, you probably already have an idea of the pay rate, but be sure to cover this ground in that initial phone call if the editor fails to mention it. Important things to remember:
On Publication vs. On Acceptance
You not only need to know how much you’ll be paid, but also, when you’ll be paid. Many markets want to pay you “on publication.” This can be a problem, because many magazines and journals have long lead times. (Translation: a long time between when they assign you the article and when it actually ends up in print.) If you write an article in January, and it doesn’t get published until November, you probably won’t see a check until December. Do you want to wait a year to get paid? Can you wait that long? This is a point you absolutely can negotiate. Ask for payment on acceptance. If this is refused, it gives you a little leverage to work with on the other “issues,” which are:
Kill Fees
If you get the assignment, and, for whatever reason, an editor decides not to print your article, you can negotiate for a kill fee. This is a percentage of the sale price. If you are offered $200 to write an article, you may get a $50 kill fee. It’s a well known fact that big publications “kill” articles all the time. Some editors admit to assigning 10-20% more than they could ever fit in the magazine. They do this so they can pick and choose from the final products, or so they can see how things fit once the layout is complete. Some articles will be pushed back to other issues, and some will just be trashed.
Bylines
We like them. Those are the little blurbs that often follow an article, giving short biographical information about the writer, and sometimes an e-mail address or phone number. Ask for one if you can.
Sidebars and Photos
Those are the little “factoids” or columns that rest next to the main article. For example, in an article about exercise, you’ll often see a little chart on the side that tells how many calories are burned by doing specific exercises (riding a bike, climbing a hill, etc.) If you can suggest sidebars, you can often get extra pay. Same goes for photos. If you’ve got a decent camera and a good eye, offer photos for a few extra bucks.
To Spec or Not To Spec
Especially as a novice writer, you’ll sometimes get asked to write an article on speculation. This means that you’ll have to write the whole article and submit it without a contract, or any promise of payment. It’s a bone of contention among professional writers, because almost no other field works this way. It’s never “do the job, and then I’ll decide if I feel like paying you.” Only in this crazy business. Harumph.
That said, I advise you to take spec assignments in the beginning. Once you’re established, you shouldn’t need to do this, but in order to build up your resume and your clips, you need to get published. So go ahead and submit on spec, and go ahead and do a few free/nearly free pieces for the experience.
Before submitting anything, though, make sure you know in advance what the terms will be if the editor does use your piece. How much will you be paid? What rights will they buy?
Even many of the big markets have adopted the practice of requesting pieces on spec. They do this because they can get away with it. Because there are thousands of wannabe writers out there who will beg, borrow, and steal for the chance to be published. So, if you want to compete, sometimes you’ll have to suck it up and accept this. Once the publication accepts one of your spec pieces, you’ll be a much more likely candidate for an outright assignment next time.
Rights to Write
There are several kinds of rights a publication may buy:
First North American Serial Rights: The newspaper or magazine has the right to publish this piece for the first time in any periodical. All other rights belong to the writer.
One-Time Rights: The publication buys the nonexclusive right to publish the piece once. The writer can sell the same article to other publications simultaneously.
Second Serial Rights (or Reprint Rights): Also nonexclusive. Gives the publication the right to reprint an article that has appeared elsewhere.
Electronic Rights: Becoming popular due to the Internet. Covers multimedia (CD-ROMs, e-zines, website content, games, etc.) Get in writing which electronic rights are specified.
All Rights: Pretty self-explanatory. You can never sell this piece to anyone else again. Try to avoid this one. Most publications ask for First Serial Rights.
TV/Motion Picture Rights: Also self-explanatory. Almost always exclusive.
Recycling Your Big Ideas
This is the bread and butter of freelance writing. It’s also called re-slanting. Once you’ve got the Big Idea, don’t waste it by only using it once. Use the information you’ve gathered and come up with off-shoot ideas. Slant it to appeal to different markets.
You’re afraid because of the issue of “rights” that we just discussed, right? (No pun intended.) Well, you have nothing to fear, provided the new article is sufficiently different in content and intended audience. If you’ve managed to sell your article to a major national magazine, it is considered poor form to try to sell a re-slanted version to another national magazine. However, if you’re dealing with regional, specialized, or small publications, there should be very little overlap of intended audience. Therefore, an editor from Alabama Aristocrats would probably never know if you sold a re-slanted version of your piece to Guitarists Today. Even if they did know, they almost certainly would not care.
It is standard and accepted practice, for the simple reason that it is darn difficult to make a living as a writer. If you have the choice between making $100 for selling your piece to one small publication, or making $1000 by selling altered versions to eight different small publications, which would you choose?
Re-slanting an article is easy, since you’ve already done the bulk of the research. Scrounge up a few new quotes, and use the information you left out of the first article. Focus it on the new desired market.
For example, I could sell an article about the health benefits of meditation to a fitness magazine. A few alterations, and that same article becomes “Religions Encouraging Meditation” for my local newspaper’s “Society” pages. Then it becomes “Meditation Makes You Smarter” for the college market. Then, “Meditate Your Stress Away” for a working woman’s magazine. And I didn’t even mention all those new age/holistic publications. What a field day!
With just a few more questions posed to your trusted “experts,” you’ve got a whole new article. And, look! You’re becoming an expert yourself. This is how you begin to find your niche: a few specific subjects that you feel comfortable writing about. Ah, soon those journalists will be coming to YOU with their questions.
“The Extras”
Once you’ve gotten a few assignments, and feel that you’ve really embarked on this as a potential career (or just a part-time income-booster,) you’ll want to think about the little extras.
A nice touch: get yourself some nice letterhead. Splurge a little with your second or third paycheck and invest in professionally printed letterhead. Presentation does count when submitting your correspondence to an editor.
Also, an invoice. You should always include an invoice with your completed article. Often, the person you submit the story to is not the same person in charge of sending you a paycheck. By including an invoice, you can be reasonably assured that the billing department will have a record of what terms were agreed upon, and when they are supposed to pay you.
Receipts: Hold onto your postage receipts and your writing-related supplies. If writing is your profession, then these can be tax write-offs. Also, if you are able to negotiate it, editors will often reimburse you for any expenses you incur while on assignment once you are an established writer. Submit your phone bill (with the reimbursable call/s circled,) your book receipts, your travel expense receipts, etc. along with your invoice. Make sure these terms are specified in your contract.
You’re ready? Good! Get out there and get ‘em, slugger. Good luck!
Jenna Glatzer is a nationally and regionally published full-time freelance writer specializing in human interest and humor pieces. She is the author of the E-Book Writing for Magazines.
Contact her at jenna@absolutewrite.com
Visit her site at www.absolutewrite.com
Posted by John Hewitt on Friday, March 4th, 2005, at 11:43 am, and filed under Writing.
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The Big Idea
Okay. So you’ve figured out that you would like to write. Unfortunately, so have about eight gazillion other people on this planet. Therefore, you have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with “The Big Idea.” The first secret you must learn in this funny business is that you don’t actually have to write the whole article/story/editorial/etc. to get a job. In fact, only bright green novices attempt to write the whole thing before selling it. What you do need, however, is the IDEA for the great story. You will use this great idea to convince editors to pay you exorbitant amounts of money via a proposal letter (called a “query letter.” But you’ll learn about that in a minute.)
So, where will you find this Big Idea? Well, you’ve heard that wise old adage, “write what you know.” That’s a wonderful mantra for finding your jumping-off point. You don’t need to stick to “what you know” for the specific focus of your story, but tap into your already huge vat of knowledge to find the story’s basis. This is how you will become an expert. Experts are in demand. People with “stories” aren’t. What you have to do is sneak your stories into your areas of expertise. Example: let’s say your hobbies and interests include fishing, watching talk shows, and traveling. Good! You are a potential expert in those areas. Jot these things down. Now comes the fun part: brainstorming.
The biggest mistake you can make in pitching your story is being too general. Never, ever send a letter to the editor suggesting “an article about fishing.” Not even “an article about fishing in Florida.” This vagueness is not appropriate for short writing. In general, you will be expected to write somewhere between 800 and 2000 words on your topic. You couldn’t possibly tell us “all about fishing” in 2000 words. What you could do, however, is give us “a comparison of twelve different lures used to catch sailfish.” Or “the pros and cons of joining a fishing club.” Or even “how the moon can tell you if it’ll be a good fishing day.”
So, here’s your first assignment. Get out your trusty notebook. (If you don’t have one, stop reading and get one. Right now.) On the first page, write down a list of any and all topics that interest you. It’s okay to be general here. Need some ideas to get you started?
Think through your whole day. Don’t neglect anything. What do you do from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep? You turn off your alarm clock. (An article about alarm clocks disrupting valuable sleep stages! Or waking up to music versus waking up to that annoying beeping sound. Or the optimal number of times to press the “snooze” button.) You brush your teeth. (Article: “What all those touted ingredients (flouride, peroxide, baking soda) really do for your teeth.”) You take a shower. Maybe with your significant other. Lucky you. (Romantic showers for two.)
Moving on. You go to work. This is the most obvious area of expertise. Let’s say you’re a secretary. “How ergonomic office equipment can save you from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an achy back, and a stiff neck.” “How to avoid screaming at your boss when he’s a total idiot.” “Five couples (or ex-couples) share their wisdom about dating in the office.” Think about what cover story would entice you to pay three dollars for a magazine. You don’t have to have the knowledge to actually write the article yet. You just have to know you can get this information later.
Next, you come home. What happens? Do you have kids? Great! A wealth of article ideas. You could write about childcare agencies, potty training, decoding teenage slang, teaching table manners — you’re getting the idea now, right? Run with it!
Write at least one page of general topics that interest you, then weed out the most interesting ones. Narrow it down to three or four. Then write those three or four topics on top of brand new pages. Now fill up those pages with specific article angles. Just write. Don’t edit yourself. Don’t judge. Just write whatever pops into your head. If you need motivation, play it like a game of “Scattergories.” Set a timer for ten minutes. See how many ideas you can jot down before the timer sounds.
Keep in mind that there are markets for almost any conceivable topic. Don’t limit yourself to the headlines you’d read in “Vogue” and “Good Housekeeping.” Between newspapers, consumer magazines, trade magazines, e-zines, tabloids, literary journals, and more, you’re bound to find an appropriate publication for your Big Idea.
You want to know more about these markets? Read on!
Researching the Markets
First, you’ll need a few definitions:
Consumer Magazines: These typically pay the best. These are the types of magazines you might find in a grocery store check-out line, convenience store, in your airplane seat pocket, or your doctor’s office. Types of consumer mags: men’s, women’s, special interest, inflight, teen’s, school/career, travel, health, ethnic/minority, political, entertainment, romance, religious, etc. This is the area most writers try to break into.
Literary Magazines: These don’t pay much, if at all. However, what they lack in moolah, they make up for in prestige. If you’re looking to jump-start your career as a fiction writer or poet, your best chance at recognition may come in the form of one of these small publications. Often published by colleges and universities, their circulation is usually regional and low. They generally seek scholarly essays, intellectually challenging prose, poetry, and book reviews. Publishers will be impressed if you succeed in placing your work in one of the more prominent journals (Cimarron Review, Ploughshares, and Story, for example.)
Trade Journals: Pay varies greatly. Any publication that focuses on a particular occupation/industry falls into this category. This is where your expertise can shine. There are trade journals for almost every line of work, from art dealers to truck drivers. In general, your written eloquence is not as important as your research and timely knowledge for these publications.
E-Zines: Pay varies greatly. Simply put, e-zines are simply magazines on the Internet. The only major difference is that articles for e-zines can usually run longer than print magazines. (No printing costs, so space isn’t as important an issue for e-zine editors.) Most e-zines don’t pay (except by means of a byline,) but this trend is changing. The most popular sites (Word and Wired, for example) pay quite well. Topics stretch as wide as your imagination.
Now that you know, learn how to contact them!
There are tons of ways to find markets that are open to freelancers. If you were paying attention, you might notice that this very website is looking for writers! Finding places to submit your work is easy if you know where to look.
First, the most important tool in a freelancer’s toolbox is The Writer’s Market. Available at any major bookstore, this is an annual compilation of over 2,000 magazines, 1,000 book publishers, and even specialized markets like greeting cards, script writing, and syndicates.
The next best tools are online. Lucky you! They’re free. Writer’s Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com) has a great, searchable database of markets. Inscriptions (http://come.to/Inscriptions) has a super monthly newsletter that lists ads placed by editors on the Internet. The new and promising Freelance Writing site (http://www.freelancewriting.com) hosts a bi-weekly newsletter, plus articles and writers’ guidelines. Oh, yeah! And there’s always my site, too. (Grin.)
You can even run a search for “freelance writers” on any major search engine, and you’re likely to come up with tons of listings. Try specifying if possible; add words that fit your needs. (Example: paying markets, romance, teen magazines.)
So, your next assignment is this: go back to your trusty notebook and pick out your very favorite idea. That will now be known as your Big Idea. Pick the markets that best fit your idea. Choose several. Find out if you can get a free or discounted sample copy. (Writers often can, if you specify that you would like to query them in the future.) Request writers’ guidelines if available. It’s considered poor form to query publications that you’ve never read, or know nothing about. Do your best to read at least one copy of whatever magazine or journal you plan to query. Check your library for copies if you prefer not to go broke researching.
Got it now? You have your idea, and you’ve found places to submit it? Great! Then you’ll need to learn proper protocol for writing and submitting the Killer Query.
The Killer Query
The job of the query letter is to entice an editor to say, “Hey! I’d be interested in learning more about that.” Therefore, you don’t want to spill all your secrets and research yet. You want to tease and tantalize. Now that you’ve got your fabulous Big Idea, your job is to condense (or expand) that idea into two to three paragraphs.
To illustrate the components of a killer query, here is an example of one of mine (using fictitious contact info — sorry!) that landed me the assignment:
Jenna Glatzer
(Always use proper formal letter format)
123 My Address
My City, State, Zip Code
(555) 555-5555
Mr. Joe Shmoe
(Make SURE to get a name of the appropriate department College Life 101 editor. Never address a letter to “editor” or “submissions.”)
123 Their Address
Their City, State, Zip Code
Today’s Date, 1999
Dear Mr. Shmoe:
(Colons are used in formal letters. Commas are used in friendly letters.)
Think company cars, expense accounts, and a spacious office with bay windows. Who do you picture running a business this successful?
(Start the letter with a zinger that captures the essence of your proposed article/story. Raise a question that will cause the reader to think, or give a visual image — anything that will make him/her want to read on and find out what you’re talking about.)
Think again. This company was the brainchild of three Boston University sophomores whose ambitions led them to thriving careers before they had diplomas to hang on the wall.
(The rest of the first paragraph should give a concise description of the focus of your proposed article. Remember to tell why it’s appropriate to the publication you’re querying. In this case, I was targeting a college magazine, so I made sure to emphasize the relevance to their subject matter early in the letter.)
Net One, an Internet Service Provider, is run by Charles Strader, Richard Skelton, and Pablo Mondal. The three met in the freshmen dorms, then moved into an apartment together. Opportunity knocked when Strader, who worked for the university’s computer center, took a phone call from the owner of a hair salon. She sought help designing a website; Strader volunteered, and Net One was born.
(Again, concisely, get a little deeper into the content of the article. What is special about your story? In this case, I wanted to emphasize that these guys were college buddies who started a booming business by branching out from their humble beginning.)
“Working closely with friends to build something we believe in” is Mondal’s favorite perk. Skelton agrees. “We have great trust in each other, and feel that we’re all in this together.”
(Quotes aren’t necessary in a query, but it’s nice to give something specific to show that you have done some research into your topic, and that you have access to resources that will enable you to write the article well. I wanted to show that I had already spoken to these guys, they happen to be friends of mine, and that they would be upbeat and inspirational people to interview. You can accomplish the same effect by including a few quirky facts or survey results you’ve found out about your topic.)
Considering that their only capital was a computer and a small loan from Strader’s father, the guys feel very successful. “We’re not millionaires, but we have goals, and we’re following them,” says Skelton. “I think that’s true success.” By any definition, Net One’s roster of over 50 clients ranging from colleges to Fortune 500 companies attests to their hard work and talent.
(Look, editor. These guys are big up-and-comers! Notice I mentioned “Fortune 500 companies.” This lets the editor know quickly that these college guys aren’t small potatoes. It neatly ties up the opening sentence, which promised an article about guys who have a spacious office, expense accounts, and company car. Now the editor has a reason to believe that these guys actually are that successful.)
I propose a 1,000 word profile for your “Students At Work” section.
(Great. Shows I’ve researched their magazine. I know which section this should fit, and I’ve read their guidelines to determine an appropriate word count.)
I am a full-time freelance writer, and my works have been recently featured in such publications as 201 Magazine, College Bound (Notice I mention the most relevant magazines first. Anything you’ve had published that might relate to the content, tone, or audience of the proposed publication belongs here.) Bliss!, Working Women, and Video Librarian. Clips are enclosed.
(If you’ve never had anything published, don’t distress. Just shut up about it. Do NOT tell anyone, “Though I’ve never been published yet, I’m a real go-getter.” Less is more. If you keep quiet, they may not even think about the fact that you didn’t mention your credits. Also, do not get into a diatribe describing how you edited your high school newspaper. Just a quick list of relevant writing background. See below for info about clips.)
I can provide documentation and interview notes for easy fact-checking, and could submit the completed article within two weeks.
(Optional. Some people like to suggest a time frame, others let the editor do it. In general, the editor will tell you when the article is due, regardless of your preferences. It’s a nice touch to mention how you will research your article. Mine was primarily dependent on interviews, but you may wish to include the names of journals/experts you plan to quote or use for information.)
I look forward to your response.
(Obligatory polite ending. Use any variation you wish. No pleading. If you dare type, “I promise to write a reallllly, realllly good article! Please hire me!,” you will incur my wrath. I will hunt you down and yell at you. A lot. Just a simple, dignified ending requesting a response.)
Regards,
Jenna Glatzer
(Oh. Substitute your name and preferred signature ending. Unless you feel like sending your paycheck to me, in which case, you can feel free to use my name. Grin.)
Finally, clips! If you’ve had anything published — or even if you haven’t, but you have a few good writing samples appropriate for this type of market include them. These samples are called clips, and they are used to show the editor that you are an intelligent, insightful, funny, clever, and/or excellent writer. Photocopying straight from the publication is okay. Just 2-3 clips.
Interviews and Profiles
I know, you feel weird about this one, right? You’re uncomfortable calling someone or visiting a business to ask a professional to take precious time out of their day to help you research your article.
Well, buck up, little camper, because most professionals absolutely love to be interviewed. They jump at the chance, for a few reasons. These are the reasons to keep in mind when you feel small and silly for asking:
-It shows you respect their opinion and/or job.
-It gives them opportunities for publicity of their business.
-It gives them the chance to brag to friends that they are quoted in a magazine.
-It gives them something to frame and show clients.
-Finally, someone is recognizing their genius and taking an interest in their work.
-They’re usually wannabe writers, anyway, and they will be just as happy to pick your brain to find out how you got the job.
Before you approach experts:
Make sure you already have your questions mapped out, at least briefly. What exactly do you need to know from this person? What could this person tell you that no one else can? Avoid “yes” or “no” questions. Ask open-ended questions that could lead to lengthy responses chock full of great quotes. Also, have a synopsis of your planned article ready, so you can tell your expert what you’re writing and how they can supplement your knowledge.
How to approach experts:
Get on the phone. Have your idea condensed into 2-3 sentences, so you can quickly explain yourself to whomever answers the phone.
“Hello. My name is Jenna, and I’m writing an article about the rise in vegetarianism among young women in Nevada for Youth In Nevada Magazine. I know Dr. Spuds is a well-respected nutritionist, and I’m hoping she would be willing to answer a few questions on this subject.”
At this point, the secretary will say, “Hold,” and make you listen to elevator musak while she summons the boss. Or she’ll take down your number and have Dr. Spuds call you back. Or it will be Dr. Spuds herself, and she’ll say, “What do you want to know?”
Your options at this point are (1) Ask questions over the phone, right then and there. Make sure you check to make sure your expert is not pressed for time before you begin. (2) Set up a “phone date” to conduct the interview. (3) Ask if you can meet in person. This is good, almost necessary, if the person will be the focus of your article. If the person is being used just to add a few quotes, you don,t have to meet in person, because it,s unlikely you,ll ever need to write, “Dr. Spuds wrinkled her brow and stared into her pea soup as she explained that young women are becoming more health-conscious.” (4) Trade e-mail addresses and send over a list of questions. This approach isn’t usually the best, because it doesn’t allow you to react to, and build from, information you gain in answers to previous questions. However, if the publication will not reimburse you for long distance phone calls, and you have to conduct a lengthy interview, e-mail exchanges are acceptable. Just make sure you specify a “due date” for the responses. Be reasonable — try to give the expert a week to answer all your questions.
The Sales
Okay, you sent out your killer query, and you got a phone call from an editor with the big news: you got the assignment! Congratulations, you! Go on and do a little dance of joy, then crash back to reality with your new mantra: “GET IT IN WRITING.” Make sure the editor tells you that a written contract is forthcoming in the near future.
If you’ve researched your market, you probably already have an idea of the pay rate, but be sure to cover this ground in that initial phone call if the editor fails to mention it. Important things to remember:
On Publication vs. On Acceptance
You not only need to know how much you’ll be paid, but also, when you’ll be paid. Many markets want to pay you “on publication.” This can be a problem, because many magazines and journals have long lead times. (Translation: a long time between when they assign you the article and when it actually ends up in print.) If you write an article in January, and it doesn’t get published until November, you probably won’t see a check until December. Do you want to wait a year to get paid? Can you wait that long? This is a point you absolutely can negotiate. Ask for payment on acceptance. If this is refused, it gives you a little leverage to work with on the other “issues,” which are:
Kill Fees
If you get the assignment, and, for whatever reason, an editor decides not to print your article, you can negotiate for a kill fee. This is a percentage of the sale price. If you are offered $200 to write an article, you may get a $50 kill fee. It’s a well known fact that big publications “kill” articles all the time. Some editors admit to assigning 10-20% more than they could ever fit in the magazine. They do this so they can pick and choose from the final products, or so they can see how things fit once the layout is complete. Some articles will be pushed back to other issues, and some will just be trashed.
Bylines
We like them. Those are the little blurbs that often follow an article, giving short biographical information about the writer, and sometimes an e-mail address or phone number. Ask for one if you can.
Sidebars and Photos
Those are the little “factoids” or columns that rest next to the main article. For example, in an article about exercise, you’ll often see a little chart on the side that tells how many calories are burned by doing specific exercises (riding a bike, climbing a hill, etc.) If you can suggest sidebars, you can often get extra pay. Same goes for photos. If you’ve got a decent camera and a good eye, offer photos for a few extra bucks.
To Spec or Not To Spec
Especially as a novice writer, you’ll sometimes get asked to write an article on speculation. This means that you’ll have to write the whole article and submit it without a contract, or any promise of payment. It’s a bone of contention among professional writers, because almost no other field works this way. It’s never “do the job, and then I’ll decide if I feel like paying you.” Only in this crazy business. Harumph.
That said, I advise you to take spec assignments in the beginning. Once you’re established, you shouldn’t need to do this, but in order to build up your resume and your clips, you need to get published. So go ahead and submit on spec, and go ahead and do a few free/nearly free pieces for the experience.
Before submitting anything, though, make sure you know in advance what the terms will be if the editor does use your piece. How much will you be paid? What rights will they buy?
Even many of the big markets have adopted the practice of requesting pieces on spec. They do this because they can get away with it. Because there are thousands of wannabe writers out there who will beg, borrow, and steal for the chance to be published. So, if you want to compete, sometimes you’ll have to suck it up and accept this. Once the publication accepts one of your spec pieces, you’ll be a much more likely candidate for an outright assignment next time.
Rights to Write
There are several kinds of rights a publication may buy:
First North American Serial Rights: The newspaper or magazine has the right to publish this piece for the first time in any periodical. All other rights belong to the writer.
One-Time Rights: The publication buys the nonexclusive right to publish the piece once. The writer can sell the same article to other publications simultaneously.
Second Serial Rights (or Reprint Rights): Also nonexclusive. Gives the publication the right to reprint an article that has appeared elsewhere.
Electronic Rights: Becoming popular due to the Internet. Covers multimedia (CD-ROMs, e-zines, website content, games, etc.) Get in writing which electronic rights are specified.
All Rights: Pretty self-explanatory. You can never sell this piece to anyone else again. Try to avoid this one. Most publications ask for First Serial Rights.
TV/Motion Picture Rights: Also self-explanatory. Almost always exclusive.
Recycling Your Big Ideas
This is the bread and butter of freelance writing. It’s also called re-slanting. Once you’ve got the Big Idea, don’t waste it by only using it once. Use the information you’ve gathered and come up with off-shoot ideas. Slant it to appeal to different markets.
You’re afraid because of the issue of “rights” that we just discussed, right? (No pun intended.) Well, you have nothing to fear, provided the new article is sufficiently different in content and intended audience. If you’ve managed to sell your article to a major national magazine, it is considered poor form to try to sell a re-slanted version to another national magazine. However, if you’re dealing with regional, specialized, or small publications, there should be very little overlap of intended audience. Therefore, an editor from Alabama Aristocrats would probably never know if you sold a re-slanted version of your piece to Guitarists Today. Even if they did know, they almost certainly would not care.
It is standard and accepted practice, for the simple reason that it is darn difficult to make a living as a writer. If you have the choice between making $100 for selling your piece to one small publication, or making $1000 by selling altered versions to eight different small publications, which would you choose?
Re-slanting an article is easy, since you’ve already done the bulk of the research. Scrounge up a few new quotes, and use the information you left out of the first article. Focus it on the new desired market.
For example, I could sell an article about the health benefits of meditation to a fitness magazine. A few alterations, and that same article becomes “Religions Encouraging Meditation” for my local newspaper’s “Society” pages. Then it becomes “Meditation Makes You Smarter” for the college market. Then, “Meditate Your Stress Away” for a working woman’s magazine. And I didn’t even mention all those new age/holistic publications. What a field day!
With just a few more questions posed to your trusted “experts,” you’ve got a whole new article. And, look! You’re becoming an expert yourself. This is how you begin to find your niche: a few specific subjects that you feel comfortable writing about. Ah, soon those journalists will be coming to YOU with their questions.
“The Extras”
Once you’ve gotten a few assignments, and feel that you’ve really embarked on this as a potential career (or just a part-time income-booster,) you’ll want to think about the little extras.
A nice touch: get yourself some nice letterhead. Splurge a little with your second or third paycheck and invest in professionally printed letterhead. Presentation does count when submitting your correspondence to an editor.
Also, an invoice. You should always include an invoice with your completed article. Often, the person you submit the story to is not the same person in charge of sending you a paycheck. By including an invoice, you can be reasonably assured that the billing department will have a record of what terms were agreed upon, and when they are supposed to pay you.
Receipts: Hold onto your postage receipts and your writing-related supplies. If writing is your profession, then these can be tax write-offs. Also, if you are able to negotiate it, editors will often reimburse you for any expenses you incur while on assignment once you are an established writer. Submit your phone bill (with the reimbursable call/s circled,) your book receipts, your travel expense receipts, etc. along with your invoice. Make sure these terms are specified in your contract.
You’re ready? Good! Get out there and get ‘em, slugger. Good luck!
Jenna Glatzer is a nationally and regionally published full-time freelance writer specializing in human interest and humor pieces. She is the author of the E-Book Writing for Magazines.
Contact her at jenna@absolutewrite.com
Visit her site at www.absolutewrite.com
Posted by John Hewitt on Friday, March 4th, 2005, at 11:43 am, and filed under Writing.
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Writing Skills
Many people are intimidated by writing. Even so, there are times when writing is the best way to communicate, and oftentimes the only way to get your message across.
Write With Necessary Caution...
When writing, be mindful of the fact that once something is in written form, it cannot be taken back. Communicating in this way is more concrete than verbal communications, with less room for error and even less room for mistakes. This presents written communicators with new challenges, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, even writing style and actual wording.
Thankfully, today’s technology makes memo, letter and proposal writing much easier by providing reliable tools that check and even correct misspelled words and incorrect grammar use. Unfortunately, these tools are not fail proof and will require your support, making your knowledge in this area important.
The Importance of "Style"...
Some of the most basic tips to remember when writing include:
* Avoid the use of slang words
* Try not to use abbreviations (unless appropriately defined)
* Steer away from the use of symbols (such as ampersands [&])
* Clichés should be avoided, or at the very least, used with caution
* Brackets are used to play down words or phrases
* Dashes are generally used for emphasis
* Great care should ALWAYS be taken to spell the names of people and companies correctly
* Numbers should be expressed as words when the number is less than 10 or is used to start a sentence (example: Ten years ago, my brother and I…). The number 10, or anything greater than 10, should be expressed as a figure (example: My brother has 13 Matchbox cars.)
* Quotation marks should be placed around any directly quoted speech or text and around titles of publications.
* Keep sentences short
While the above tips cover the most common mistakes made when writing letters, memos and reports, they in no way cover everything you need to know to ensure your written communications are accurate and understood.
While this takes some practice, there are many sources available to assist with writing style, including “The Elements of Style”, by Strunk and White. One glance in any newsroom or on the desk of even the most accomplished writers and you are sure to find this small, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, no-nonsense guide to writing. It is clear, concise and perhaps the best book of its kind. If you plan on writing a great deal of letters or even proposals, it is strongly recommended that you pick up this nifty guide, which by the way, will fit in your shirt pocket.
Letter Writing Hints...
When writing letters, it is best to address the letter to an individual. And, when beginning the letter with a personal name, be sure to end it with an appropriate closing, such as ‘Sincerely yours’. If you cannot obtain an individual’s name, consider ending it with a more generic (less personal) closing, such as ‘With kindest regards’.
For normal business letters, your letter should start with an overall summary, showing in the first paragraph why the letter is relevant to the reader. It’s not a good practice to make the reader go past the first paragraph to find out why the letter was sent to them.
The body of the letter needs to explain the reason for the correspondence, including any relevant background and current information. Make sure the information flows logically, ensuring you are making your points effectively.
The closing of the letter is the final impression you leave with the reader. End with an action point, such as ‘I will call you later this week to discuss this further’.
The Importance of Careful Proofing
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when writing a letter is to check it thoroughly when it is completed. Even when you think it is exactly what you want, read it one more time. This “unwritten” rule holds true for everything you write – memos, letters, proposals, and so on.
Use both the grammar and spell check on your computer, paying very, very close attention to every word highlighted. Do not place total faith on your computer here. Instead, you should have both a printed dictionary and thesaurus nearby to double-check everything your computers editing tools highlight, as these tools are certainly not always reliable, for a variety of reasons.
When checking your written communications, make sure the document is clear and concise. Is there anything in the written communication that could be misinterpreted? Does it raise unanswered questions or fail to make the point you need to get across?
Can you cut down on the number of words used? For instance, don’t use 20 words when you can use 10. While you do not want to be curt or abrupt, you do not want to waste the reader’s time with unnecessary words or phrases.
Is your written communication well organized? Does each idea proceed logically to the next? Make sure your written communications are easy to read and contain the necessary information, using facts where needed and avoiding information that is not relevant. Again, outline the course of action you expect, such as a return call or visit.
Close appropriately, making sure to include your contact information. While this may seem obvious, it is sometimes overlooked and can make your written communications look amateurish. This can diminish your chances of meeting your written communication’s goals.
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Write With Necessary Caution...
When writing, be mindful of the fact that once something is in written form, it cannot be taken back. Communicating in this way is more concrete than verbal communications, with less room for error and even less room for mistakes. This presents written communicators with new challenges, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, even writing style and actual wording.
Thankfully, today’s technology makes memo, letter and proposal writing much easier by providing reliable tools that check and even correct misspelled words and incorrect grammar use. Unfortunately, these tools are not fail proof and will require your support, making your knowledge in this area important.
The Importance of "Style"...
Some of the most basic tips to remember when writing include:
* Avoid the use of slang words
* Try not to use abbreviations (unless appropriately defined)
* Steer away from the use of symbols (such as ampersands [&])
* Clichés should be avoided, or at the very least, used with caution
* Brackets are used to play down words or phrases
* Dashes are generally used for emphasis
* Great care should ALWAYS be taken to spell the names of people and companies correctly
* Numbers should be expressed as words when the number is less than 10 or is used to start a sentence (example: Ten years ago, my brother and I…). The number 10, or anything greater than 10, should be expressed as a figure (example: My brother has 13 Matchbox cars.)
* Quotation marks should be placed around any directly quoted speech or text and around titles of publications.
* Keep sentences short
While the above tips cover the most common mistakes made when writing letters, memos and reports, they in no way cover everything you need to know to ensure your written communications are accurate and understood.
While this takes some practice, there are many sources available to assist with writing style, including “The Elements of Style”, by Strunk and White. One glance in any newsroom or on the desk of even the most accomplished writers and you are sure to find this small, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, no-nonsense guide to writing. It is clear, concise and perhaps the best book of its kind. If you plan on writing a great deal of letters or even proposals, it is strongly recommended that you pick up this nifty guide, which by the way, will fit in your shirt pocket.
Letter Writing Hints...
When writing letters, it is best to address the letter to an individual. And, when beginning the letter with a personal name, be sure to end it with an appropriate closing, such as ‘Sincerely yours’. If you cannot obtain an individual’s name, consider ending it with a more generic (less personal) closing, such as ‘With kindest regards’.
For normal business letters, your letter should start with an overall summary, showing in the first paragraph why the letter is relevant to the reader. It’s not a good practice to make the reader go past the first paragraph to find out why the letter was sent to them.
The body of the letter needs to explain the reason for the correspondence, including any relevant background and current information. Make sure the information flows logically, ensuring you are making your points effectively.
The closing of the letter is the final impression you leave with the reader. End with an action point, such as ‘I will call you later this week to discuss this further’.
The Importance of Careful Proofing
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when writing a letter is to check it thoroughly when it is completed. Even when you think it is exactly what you want, read it one more time. This “unwritten” rule holds true for everything you write – memos, letters, proposals, and so on.
Use both the grammar and spell check on your computer, paying very, very close attention to every word highlighted. Do not place total faith on your computer here. Instead, you should have both a printed dictionary and thesaurus nearby to double-check everything your computers editing tools highlight, as these tools are certainly not always reliable, for a variety of reasons.
When checking your written communications, make sure the document is clear and concise. Is there anything in the written communication that could be misinterpreted? Does it raise unanswered questions or fail to make the point you need to get across?
Can you cut down on the number of words used? For instance, don’t use 20 words when you can use 10. While you do not want to be curt or abrupt, you do not want to waste the reader’s time with unnecessary words or phrases.
Is your written communication well organized? Does each idea proceed logically to the next? Make sure your written communications are easy to read and contain the necessary information, using facts where needed and avoiding information that is not relevant. Again, outline the course of action you expect, such as a return call or visit.
Close appropriately, making sure to include your contact information. While this may seem obvious, it is sometimes overlooked and can make your written communications look amateurish. This can diminish your chances of meeting your written communication’s goals.
MindTools.com - Join Our Community!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Govt wants lecturers to proctor nat'l exams
National News - April 09, 2008
Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is recruiting university lecturers to proctor national exams for elementary, junior and senior high school students.
The lecturers will join so-called "independent watchdog teams" at the provincial and regency/municipal levels. They will be responsible for preventing the kind of large-scale cheating that has dogged the exams for years.
To finance the establishment and activities of the teams, the government has allocated Rp 57.9 billion (US$6.3 million) out of a total Rp 572.85 billion set aside for the national exam program.
"We're now calculating the number of teams and staff members needed for the entire nation; and we've started recruiting some lecturers," chairman of the National Education Standards Agency, Djemari Mardapi, said here Tuesday.
Djemari said the independent watchdog teams only existed at the provincial level last year, while this year teams would be available at the regency/municipal level.
Team members will oversee the exams, including supervising the photocopying of exam papers, storing the papers and distributing them to schools. They will also be responsible for managing the answer sheets.
The National Education Ministry hopes to have rectors of state universities coordinate each team at the provincial level, with lecturers from state and private universities as members of the teams at all three levels.
"If we're lacking lecturers to join the teams, we'll recruit college students who have completed six or more semesters," the ministry said in a press statement.
This year, elementary school students will take the national exam in mid-May. They will be tested on Indonesian, mathematics and natural sciences.
Final year junior and senior high school students will see additional subjects on their exams this year, in addition to the Indonesian, English and math they were tested on last year.
Junior high school students, who will take the exam in early May, will also be tested on natural sciences this year, while high school students will be tested on three additional subjects later this month, depending on the focus of their studies.
High school students in the natural sciences program will have additional chemistry, physics and biology tests; those in the social sciences program will have additional geography, economics and sociology tests.
Students in the languages program will be tested in Indonesian literature, foreign languages and anthropology; and students in the Islamic program will have additional tests on Koran exegesis, science of hadith and Sufism.
National exams are used to determine the eligibility of final year students to pass on to the next level of education. They have over the years been fiercely criticized by the public.
Former Jakarta State University rector Winarno Surachman told The Jakarta Post last week that students' exam scores could not represent their actual competency.
Education expert Soedijarto said the exam was an "unfair system" as it was applied to all students in the country regardless of the disparities in the quality of education they had enjoyed.
Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is recruiting university lecturers to proctor national exams for elementary, junior and senior high school students.
The lecturers will join so-called "independent watchdog teams" at the provincial and regency/municipal levels. They will be responsible for preventing the kind of large-scale cheating that has dogged the exams for years.
To finance the establishment and activities of the teams, the government has allocated Rp 57.9 billion (US$6.3 million) out of a total Rp 572.85 billion set aside for the national exam program.
"We're now calculating the number of teams and staff members needed for the entire nation; and we've started recruiting some lecturers," chairman of the National Education Standards Agency, Djemari Mardapi, said here Tuesday.
Djemari said the independent watchdog teams only existed at the provincial level last year, while this year teams would be available at the regency/municipal level.
Team members will oversee the exams, including supervising the photocopying of exam papers, storing the papers and distributing them to schools. They will also be responsible for managing the answer sheets.
The National Education Ministry hopes to have rectors of state universities coordinate each team at the provincial level, with lecturers from state and private universities as members of the teams at all three levels.
"If we're lacking lecturers to join the teams, we'll recruit college students who have completed six or more semesters," the ministry said in a press statement.
This year, elementary school students will take the national exam in mid-May. They will be tested on Indonesian, mathematics and natural sciences.
Final year junior and senior high school students will see additional subjects on their exams this year, in addition to the Indonesian, English and math they were tested on last year.
Junior high school students, who will take the exam in early May, will also be tested on natural sciences this year, while high school students will be tested on three additional subjects later this month, depending on the focus of their studies.
High school students in the natural sciences program will have additional chemistry, physics and biology tests; those in the social sciences program will have additional geography, economics and sociology tests.
Students in the languages program will be tested in Indonesian literature, foreign languages and anthropology; and students in the Islamic program will have additional tests on Koran exegesis, science of hadith and Sufism.
National exams are used to determine the eligibility of final year students to pass on to the next level of education. They have over the years been fiercely criticized by the public.
Former Jakarta State University rector Winarno Surachman told The Jakarta Post last week that students' exam scores could not represent their actual competency.
Education expert Soedijarto said the exam was an "unfair system" as it was applied to all students in the country regardless of the disparities in the quality of education they had enjoyed.
Lawmakers, activists criticize national examination system
The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government's move to standardize education in Indonesia through the
national exams has been challenged by activists and legislators.
Masduki Baidlowi, a lawmaker with the House of Representatives' Commission X
for education and culture, said the government needed to consider the uneven
quality of schools nationwide, including the poorly skilled teachers and
improper facilities in a number of regions, if it wanted to press ahead with a
standardized examination system.
"Other countries applying national exams have upgraded the quality of their
education evenly, making the exams an appropriate standard," he told a radio
talk show here Saturday.
Several activists and educators agreed with Masduki, saying the national
exams could not be used to measure the country's improving standards in education.
Arist Merdeka Sirait from the National Commission on Child Protection said
the increase in the number of high school students who passed their exams this
year from last year did not mean the tests were successfully filtering the
merit-worthy students.
The number of high school students who graduated rose from 79.81 percent in
2005 to 91.44 percent this year, the Education Ministry announced last week.
Almost two million students sat the tests this year.
"The government is easily relieved by the growing number of graduating
students. But it does not consider what kind of students are passing the exams and
what kind are failing," Arist said, also speaking on the radio show.
He said that by Saturday morning, 3,309 students had come to his office to
complain about their unsuccessful exams and around 80 percent were students with
outstanding academic records, some of whom had already been accepted by
universities or offered scholarships.
"We can see from their documents that they have good marks at school," Arist
said. "Those students came from Jakarta and satellite cities Depok, Bekasi and
Tangerang. Besides that, we also received phone calls from regions outside
Greater Jakarta."
Suparman, from the Forum of Indonesian Independent Teachers, said the
country's education system was not ready for a uniform standard and teachers should
be included in determining whether students should graduate.
Responding to increasing calls for the government to hold remedial tests for
the failed students, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday there would be no
rerun of the exams as it could spoil the purpose of national testing -- to
encourage students to study hard and improve their international competitiveness.
On Sunday, Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie
said there was no reason for the government to revise the examination system
since only 10 percent of students failed the tests. "The problem is not with the
system, it's the fault of teachers and students," he said.
He blamed the failed students for concentrating on only one subject instead
of studying all the tested areas.
Teguh Juwarno, a spokesperson for Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo, said
cases of top-ranked students failing the exams were a one-in-a-million
occurrence and that teachers should help them overcome their problems.
"We should seek the shortcomings of those students, not blame the national
exams, which have been proven to screen passing students, whose number increased
this year," he told the Saturday talk show. "We must appreciate the students
who have worked hard and passed the exams."
He said failing was a part of the learning process and students should not be
discouraged from discovering their limits and should learn from their
mistakes to make future improvements.
"The system is aimed at improving the national education systems's quality,
and we have to see it as a long term progress," he said. "The failing students
and schools with low graduation rates should be supervised closely."
He said the government would help improve the quality of schools in regions
with the lowest percentage of graduates.
Among the provinces with the lowest proportion of students passing the exams
were North Maluku (72.57 percent), East Nusa Tenggara (75.37 percent) and
South Kalimantan (77.37).
Other provinces reported some schools failed to deliver any passing students.
They included Jakarta, with seven failing schools, Bali with three schools
and Riau with four schools.
Monday, June 26, 2006
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government's move to standardize education in Indonesia through the
national exams has been challenged by activists and legislators.
Masduki Baidlowi, a lawmaker with the House of Representatives' Commission X
for education and culture, said the government needed to consider the uneven
quality of schools nationwide, including the poorly skilled teachers and
improper facilities in a number of regions, if it wanted to press ahead with a
standardized examination system.
"Other countries applying national exams have upgraded the quality of their
education evenly, making the exams an appropriate standard," he told a radio
talk show here Saturday.
Several activists and educators agreed with Masduki, saying the national
exams could not be used to measure the country's improving standards in education.
Arist Merdeka Sirait from the National Commission on Child Protection said
the increase in the number of high school students who passed their exams this
year from last year did not mean the tests were successfully filtering the
merit-worthy students.
The number of high school students who graduated rose from 79.81 percent in
2005 to 91.44 percent this year, the Education Ministry announced last week.
Almost two million students sat the tests this year.
"The government is easily relieved by the growing number of graduating
students. But it does not consider what kind of students are passing the exams and
what kind are failing," Arist said, also speaking on the radio show.
He said that by Saturday morning, 3,309 students had come to his office to
complain about their unsuccessful exams and around 80 percent were students with
outstanding academic records, some of whom had already been accepted by
universities or offered scholarships.
"We can see from their documents that they have good marks at school," Arist
said. "Those students came from Jakarta and satellite cities Depok, Bekasi and
Tangerang. Besides that, we also received phone calls from regions outside
Greater Jakarta."
Suparman, from the Forum of Indonesian Independent Teachers, said the
country's education system was not ready for a uniform standard and teachers should
be included in determining whether students should graduate.
Responding to increasing calls for the government to hold remedial tests for
the failed students, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday there would be no
rerun of the exams as it could spoil the purpose of national testing -- to
encourage students to study hard and improve their international competitiveness.
On Sunday, Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie
said there was no reason for the government to revise the examination system
since only 10 percent of students failed the tests. "The problem is not with the
system, it's the fault of teachers and students," he said.
He blamed the failed students for concentrating on only one subject instead
of studying all the tested areas.
Teguh Juwarno, a spokesperson for Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo, said
cases of top-ranked students failing the exams were a one-in-a-million
occurrence and that teachers should help them overcome their problems.
"We should seek the shortcomings of those students, not blame the national
exams, which have been proven to screen passing students, whose number increased
this year," he told the Saturday talk show. "We must appreciate the students
who have worked hard and passed the exams."
He said failing was a part of the learning process and students should not be
discouraged from discovering their limits and should learn from their
mistakes to make future improvements.
"The system is aimed at improving the national education systems's quality,
and we have to see it as a long term progress," he said. "The failing students
and schools with low graduation rates should be supervised closely."
He said the government would help improve the quality of schools in regions
with the lowest percentage of graduates.
Among the provinces with the lowest proportion of students passing the exams
were North Maluku (72.57 percent), East Nusa Tenggara (75.37 percent) and
South Kalimantan (77.37).
Other provinces reported some schools failed to deliver any passing students.
They included Jakarta, with seven failing schools, Bali with three schools
and Riau with four schools.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
span style="font-weight:bold;">INDONESIA'S NATIONAL DAY
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May 2, is Indonesia’s National Education Day. Why is this day special? May 2, 1889 was the birth of Ki Hajar Dewantara, a pioneer in Education for Indonesians. Back then Indonesia was occupied by the Dutch, and school (education) was a luxury limited to children and relatives of colonial officers. If a few Indonesians were able to study in these schools, they must have come from a very rich or influential family. Ki Hajar Dewantara was one of them, he was born with the name Raden Mas Soerjadi Soerjaningrat, from the Yogyakarta Palace. Later on in his life, he removed his royal title (Raden Mas) and changed his name to Ki Hajar Dewantara to be able to mingle more freely with local people.
Ki Hajar Dewantara was very well known for his critics to the Ducth colonial government. Exploitations of natural resources, human resources, inequalities, discrimination was mostly what his works was about. His writing “Als Ik Eens Nederlander Was” (If I were a Nederlander/ Dutch) was famous for his strong critics when the colonial government imposed tax and retribution fee on Indonesians, for the purpose of celebrating the Dutch Independence Day. His writing was published in a newspaper “De Express” by Douwes Dekker. Colonial responded by sending Ki Hajar Dewantoro to exile, without trial.
Douwes Dekker and Cipto Mangunkusumo, both Indonesian scholars and good friends of Ki Hajar Dewantoro, tried to fight the Colonial government with their writings, but were also sent to exile on the basis of provoking and manipulating Indonesians to fight against the Dutch Colony.
In 1913, still in exile, the colonial government granted their request to finish off their “punishment” in Holland (still in exile). In Holland they studied a lot about education and teachings. And in 1918, they all came back to Indonesia and established Indonesia’s first education institute, called “Nationaal Onderwijs Instituut Tamansiswa” (Tamansiswa National Institute). The institute focuses primarily on nationalism and struggle to fight for Indonesia’s independence. While teaching and “managing” the institute, Ki Hajar Dewantara continues to produce writings, but has slightly changed from political to educational issues.
When the Japanese came to take over Indonesia, Tamansiswa still continues to operate, because the Japanese allows education and nationalism to be given to Indonesians. And when Indonesia finally gained its Independence in 1945, Ki Hajar Dewantoro was appointed Minister of Education and Culture.
Ki Hajar Dewantoro passed away on April 28, 1959, and is attributed “National Hero” from the Indonesian government. Since then May 2nd has been marked as the National Education Day.
Hopefully, today, even though the Indonesian government (as well as the Indonesian people) are concerned with other issues, such as the huge May Day Labor Demonstration that occured yesterday, or the economy of the country, I do hope that education is still an issue that is close to the heart for many of us. Better schools, good books, cheaper (if not free) education remains an ongoing hope for many parents and students in Indonesia.
May 2, is Indonesia’s National Education Day. Why is this day special? May 2, 1889 was the birth of Ki Hajar Dewantara, a pioneer in Education for Indonesians. Back then Indonesia was occupied by the Dutch, and school (education) was a luxury limited to children and relatives of colonial officers. If a few Indonesians were able to study in these schools, they must have come from a very rich or influential family. Ki Hajar Dewantara was one of them, he was born with the name Raden Mas Soerjadi Soerjaningrat, from the Yogyakarta Palace. Later on in his life, he removed his royal title (Raden Mas) and changed his name to Ki Hajar Dewantara to be able to mingle more freely with local people.
Ki Hajar Dewantara was very well known for his critics to the Ducth colonial government. Exploitations of natural resources, human resources, inequalities, discrimination was mostly what his works was about. His writing “Als Ik Eens Nederlander Was” (If I were a Nederlander/ Dutch) was famous for his strong critics when the colonial government imposed tax and retribution fee on Indonesians, for the purpose of celebrating the Dutch Independence Day. His writing was published in a newspaper “De Express” by Douwes Dekker. Colonial responded by sending Ki Hajar Dewantoro to exile, without trial.
Douwes Dekker and Cipto Mangunkusumo, both Indonesian scholars and good friends of Ki Hajar Dewantoro, tried to fight the Colonial government with their writings, but were also sent to exile on the basis of provoking and manipulating Indonesians to fight against the Dutch Colony.
In 1913, still in exile, the colonial government granted their request to finish off their “punishment” in Holland (still in exile). In Holland they studied a lot about education and teachings. And in 1918, they all came back to Indonesia and established Indonesia’s first education institute, called “Nationaal Onderwijs Instituut Tamansiswa” (Tamansiswa National Institute). The institute focuses primarily on nationalism and struggle to fight for Indonesia’s independence. While teaching and “managing” the institute, Ki Hajar Dewantara continues to produce writings, but has slightly changed from political to educational issues.
When the Japanese came to take over Indonesia, Tamansiswa still continues to operate, because the Japanese allows education and nationalism to be given to Indonesians. And when Indonesia finally gained its Independence in 1945, Ki Hajar Dewantoro was appointed Minister of Education and Culture.
Ki Hajar Dewantoro passed away on April 28, 1959, and is attributed “National Hero” from the Indonesian government. Since then May 2nd has been marked as the National Education Day.
Hopefully, today, even though the Indonesian government (as well as the Indonesian people) are concerned with other issues, such as the huge May Day Labor Demonstration that occured yesterday, or the economy of the country, I do hope that education is still an issue that is close to the heart for many of us. Better schools, good books, cheaper (if not free) education remains an ongoing hope for many parents and students in Indonesia.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Rp 135 juta tak cukup
umat, 11 April 2008
PURWOKERTO - Meski sudah menelan biaya Rp 135 juta, namun biaya pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih, Marjoko-Ahmad Husain yang digelar hari ini, Jumat (11/4) masih kurang. Kabag Humas Pemkab Banyumas, Ahmad SUpartono mengatakan, kekurangan tersebut akan diambilkan dari dana talangan.
Namun, Supartono menolak menyebut jumlah nominal kekurangan dana untuk pelantikan. Ia hanya memastikan kekurangan dana pelantikan di atas Rp 100 juta.
"Kurangnya lebih dari Rp 100 juta. Kalau jumlah pastinya belum bisa dilihat, karena proses persiapan masih berjalan. Sesudah acara pelantikan baru bisa dirinci total biaya pelantikan, " jelasnya, Kamis (10/4).
Sementara itu, anggota panitia anggaran legislatif, Anang Agus Kostrad mengatakan, pihaknya belum mengetahui soal kekurangan anggaran pelantikan yang akan diajukan dalam perubahan nanti.
Jika memang ada kekurangan, lanjut Anang, maka tidak bisa ditambahkan saat ini. Mengingat perubahan APBD baru dibahas antara bulan Juni-Juli.
"Kita belum mengetahui soal kekurangan dana pelantikan tersebut. Kalau eksekutif mau mengajukan dalam perubahan anggaran memang bisa, tetapi pembahasannya masih dua-tiga bulan ke depan. Artinya, kekurangan tersebut harus memakai dana talangan terlebih dahulu, mungkin bisa diambilkan dari pos operasional bupati. Kalau nanti dalam perubahan disetujui, dana tersebut bisa dikembalikan, " jelasnya.
Rp 300 juta
Menurut salah seorang sumber di Pemkab Banyumas, total dana pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih mencapai Rp 300 juta. Pasalnya, saat ini saja jumlah dana yang sudah dikeluarkan Rp 135 juta, kemudian kekurangan dana masih di atas Rp 100 juta.
Saat dikonfirmasi mengenai nominal tersebut, Anang mengaku tidak mengetahui. "Saya tidak tahu kalau total biaya pelantikan sampai Rp 300 juta," katanya.
Personel pengamanan pelantikan juga bertambah. Semula Kapolres Banyumas, AKBP Hari Prasodjo mengatakan jumlah personel yang dikerahkan 670 orang. Namun, belakangan jumlah tersebut bertambah hingga 724 personel.
Terkait dana pengamanan ini, Kepala Badan Kesatuan Bangsa dan Perlindungan Masyarakat (Bakesbanglinmas), Dwi Pindarto mengatakan, dana pengamanan pelantikan sudah masuk dalam dana pengamanan Pemilu Bupati secara keseluruhan.
"Dana pengamanan pilbup mencakup mulai dari proses Pilbup sampai dengan pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih, sehingga nilai nominal yang pasti untuk pengamanan pelantikan saya tidak tahu, sebab teknisnya ada di Polres," jelasnya. hef-Tj
PURWOKERTO - Meski sudah menelan biaya Rp 135 juta, namun biaya pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih, Marjoko-Ahmad Husain yang digelar hari ini, Jumat (11/4) masih kurang. Kabag Humas Pemkab Banyumas, Ahmad SUpartono mengatakan, kekurangan tersebut akan diambilkan dari dana talangan.
Namun, Supartono menolak menyebut jumlah nominal kekurangan dana untuk pelantikan. Ia hanya memastikan kekurangan dana pelantikan di atas Rp 100 juta.
"Kurangnya lebih dari Rp 100 juta. Kalau jumlah pastinya belum bisa dilihat, karena proses persiapan masih berjalan. Sesudah acara pelantikan baru bisa dirinci total biaya pelantikan, " jelasnya, Kamis (10/4).
Sementara itu, anggota panitia anggaran legislatif, Anang Agus Kostrad mengatakan, pihaknya belum mengetahui soal kekurangan anggaran pelantikan yang akan diajukan dalam perubahan nanti.
Jika memang ada kekurangan, lanjut Anang, maka tidak bisa ditambahkan saat ini. Mengingat perubahan APBD baru dibahas antara bulan Juni-Juli.
"Kita belum mengetahui soal kekurangan dana pelantikan tersebut. Kalau eksekutif mau mengajukan dalam perubahan anggaran memang bisa, tetapi pembahasannya masih dua-tiga bulan ke depan. Artinya, kekurangan tersebut harus memakai dana talangan terlebih dahulu, mungkin bisa diambilkan dari pos operasional bupati. Kalau nanti dalam perubahan disetujui, dana tersebut bisa dikembalikan, " jelasnya.
Rp 300 juta
Menurut salah seorang sumber di Pemkab Banyumas, total dana pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih mencapai Rp 300 juta. Pasalnya, saat ini saja jumlah dana yang sudah dikeluarkan Rp 135 juta, kemudian kekurangan dana masih di atas Rp 100 juta.
Saat dikonfirmasi mengenai nominal tersebut, Anang mengaku tidak mengetahui. "Saya tidak tahu kalau total biaya pelantikan sampai Rp 300 juta," katanya.
Personel pengamanan pelantikan juga bertambah. Semula Kapolres Banyumas, AKBP Hari Prasodjo mengatakan jumlah personel yang dikerahkan 670 orang. Namun, belakangan jumlah tersebut bertambah hingga 724 personel.
Terkait dana pengamanan ini, Kepala Badan Kesatuan Bangsa dan Perlindungan Masyarakat (Bakesbanglinmas), Dwi Pindarto mengatakan, dana pengamanan pelantikan sudah masuk dalam dana pengamanan Pemilu Bupati secara keseluruhan.
"Dana pengamanan pilbup mencakup mulai dari proses Pilbup sampai dengan pelantikan pasangan bupati terpilih, sehingga nilai nominal yang pasti untuk pengamanan pelantikan saya tidak tahu, sebab teknisnya ada di Polres," jelasnya. hef-Tj
Marjoko dinilai tak punya 'sense of crisis'
PURWOKERTO - Pro dan kontra pelantikan pasangan bupati dan wakil bupati terpilih, Marjoko-Ahmad Husain yang menelan biaya hingga ratusan juta rupiah, kian memanas. Kalangan DPRD menilai hal tersebut sebagai sebuah pemborosan.
Sementara pihak Marjoko menyatakan siap menanggung seluruh biaya pelantikan jika memang ada yang keberatan dengan nominal biaya pelantikan.
Ketua Komisi C DPRD Banyumas, H Subur Widadi BA, Selasa (8/4) mengatakan, pada dasarnya pihaknya tidak mempermasalahkan berapa pun besarnya anggaran yang dialokasikan untuk pelantikan, asalkan transparan. Namun, kondisi saat ini sebagian APBD tersedot untuk gaji pegawai. Sehingga perlu dilakukan penghematan dalam semua hal, termasuk anggaran untuk acara pelantikan bupati terpilih.
"Sekarang ini alokasi untuk belanja publik sangat minim, sehingga perlu penghematan. Kalau untuk acara pelantikan saja menelan biaya ratusan juta, ya sangat disayangkan," kata Subur.
Hal senada juga diungkapkan Anggota Komisi A DPRD Banyumas, Hendro Kuncoro. Menurut dia, besarnya anggaran pelantikan menunjukkan kalau bupati terpilih kurang memiliki sense of crisis atau kepekaan terhadap krisis. Sekarang ini masyarakat Banyumas sedang dibelit oleh kenaikan harga kebutuhan pokok.
"Kalau bupati terpilih peka terhadap kesulitan ekonomi masyarakat, seharusnya pelantikan dilaksanakan secara sederhana saja dan tidak perlu menghambur-hamburkan APBD untuk biaya pelantikan," jelasnya.
Siap ambil alih
Menanggapi kontra atas biaya pelantikan tersebut, Ketua Tim Pemenangan Marjoko, Wisnu Suhardono mengatakan, jika DPRD keberatan dengan besarnya alokasi anggaran untuk pelantikan, maka pihaknya siap mengambil alih. Pengusaha kelas internasional ini menegaskan, pihaknya tidak ingin dituding menggunakan fasilitas pemerintah untuk acara pelantikan.
"Saya tidak mau belum apaapa Pak Marjoko sudah dituding menggunakan uang negara untuk kepentingan kerabatnya. Karena itu, kalau memang ada pihak-pihak yang keberatan dengan besarnya biaya pelantikan, saya siap mengambil alih semua biaya," tegas Wisnu.
Lebih lanjut adik kandung Marjoko ini mengatakan, sebenarnya sikap DPRD sangat konyol. Mengingat alokasi anggaran pelantikan sudah disetujui oleh DPRD.
"Tidak mungkin eksekutif mengalokasikan anggaran tanpa persetujuan DPRD, jadi ini namanya konyol, menyetujui sendiri sekarang diprotes sendiri, " katanya. hef-T/wawasanj
Sementara pihak Marjoko menyatakan siap menanggung seluruh biaya pelantikan jika memang ada yang keberatan dengan nominal biaya pelantikan.
Ketua Komisi C DPRD Banyumas, H Subur Widadi BA, Selasa (8/4) mengatakan, pada dasarnya pihaknya tidak mempermasalahkan berapa pun besarnya anggaran yang dialokasikan untuk pelantikan, asalkan transparan. Namun, kondisi saat ini sebagian APBD tersedot untuk gaji pegawai. Sehingga perlu dilakukan penghematan dalam semua hal, termasuk anggaran untuk acara pelantikan bupati terpilih.
"Sekarang ini alokasi untuk belanja publik sangat minim, sehingga perlu penghematan. Kalau untuk acara pelantikan saja menelan biaya ratusan juta, ya sangat disayangkan," kata Subur.
Hal senada juga diungkapkan Anggota Komisi A DPRD Banyumas, Hendro Kuncoro. Menurut dia, besarnya anggaran pelantikan menunjukkan kalau bupati terpilih kurang memiliki sense of crisis atau kepekaan terhadap krisis. Sekarang ini masyarakat Banyumas sedang dibelit oleh kenaikan harga kebutuhan pokok.
"Kalau bupati terpilih peka terhadap kesulitan ekonomi masyarakat, seharusnya pelantikan dilaksanakan secara sederhana saja dan tidak perlu menghambur-hamburkan APBD untuk biaya pelantikan," jelasnya.
Siap ambil alih
Menanggapi kontra atas biaya pelantikan tersebut, Ketua Tim Pemenangan Marjoko, Wisnu Suhardono mengatakan, jika DPRD keberatan dengan besarnya alokasi anggaran untuk pelantikan, maka pihaknya siap mengambil alih. Pengusaha kelas internasional ini menegaskan, pihaknya tidak ingin dituding menggunakan fasilitas pemerintah untuk acara pelantikan.
"Saya tidak mau belum apaapa Pak Marjoko sudah dituding menggunakan uang negara untuk kepentingan kerabatnya. Karena itu, kalau memang ada pihak-pihak yang keberatan dengan besarnya biaya pelantikan, saya siap mengambil alih semua biaya," tegas Wisnu.
Lebih lanjut adik kandung Marjoko ini mengatakan, sebenarnya sikap DPRD sangat konyol. Mengingat alokasi anggaran pelantikan sudah disetujui oleh DPRD.
"Tidak mungkin eksekutif mengalokasikan anggaran tanpa persetujuan DPRD, jadi ini namanya konyol, menyetujui sendiri sekarang diprotes sendiri, " katanya. hef-T/wawasanj
Pelantikan Bupati Banyumas dilengkapi ’metal detector’
PURWOKERTO - Pelantikan pasangan bupati Banyumas terpilih, Mardjoko-Ahmad Husain, Jumat (11/4) pagi tadi, diwarnai pengamanan super ketat. Ruas jalan utama dari perempatan Palma dan Sawangan ditutup, hanya tamu undangan yang boleh melintas. Begitu pula dengan ruas Jalan Ragasemangsang dan Jalan Masjid. Selain itu tamu undangan juga harus melalui metal detector dan menyerahkan tas bawaan untuk diperiksa petugas. Kapolres Banyumas AKBP Hari Prasodjo mengatakan, sebanyak 724 personel dikerahkan untuk mengamankan pelantikan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati Banyumas terpilih. Personel gabungan dari TNI, Polri, Brimob dan Satpol PP tersebut dibagi dalam tiga ring.
Sementara itu sempat beredar isu boikot dari Fraksi PDIP. Isu tersebut santer terdengar sejak tadi malam hingga pagi tadi menjelang pelantikan. Ketua Fraksi PDIP DPRD Banyumas, Bambang Pujianto kepada Wawasan menyatakan, pihaknya juga mendengar tentang isu boikot tersebut.
”Saya juga mendengar kabar tersebut, tetapi semua itu tidak benar. Buktinya sekarang beberapa anggota Fraksi PDIP sudah datang,” kata Bambang. ( wawasan )
Sementara itu sempat beredar isu boikot dari Fraksi PDIP. Isu tersebut santer terdengar sejak tadi malam hingga pagi tadi menjelang pelantikan. Ketua Fraksi PDIP DPRD Banyumas, Bambang Pujianto kepada Wawasan menyatakan, pihaknya juga mendengar tentang isu boikot tersebut.
”Saya juga mendengar kabar tersebut, tetapi semua itu tidak benar. Buktinya sekarang beberapa anggota Fraksi PDIP sudah datang,” kata Bambang. ( wawasan )
Bupati Banyumas Dilantik
12 April 2008
PURWOKERTO-Gubernur Jateng Ali Mufiz meminta kepada bupati dan wakil bupati Banyumas yang baru, Mardjoko-Achmad Husein segera melakukan konsolidasi pascapilkada dengan semua kalangan dan komponen, setelah resmi dilantik di Pendapa Si Panji, kemarin.
”Setelah dilantik dan mulai menjalankan tugas pemerintahan pandai-pandailah untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan lingkungan sosial dan lingkungan kerja baru. Kemudian segera lakukan konsolidasi sehingga masyarakat dapat bersatu padu, bahu membahu dan bergotong royong dalam melaksanakan pembangunan untuk mewujudkan kesejahteraan masyarakat,” kata Gubernur dalam sambutannya usai melantik Mardjoko-Husein.
Pelantikan bupati-wakil bupati hasil pilihan langsung masyarakat ini dihadiri sekitar 2.000 tamu undangan dan disiarkan langsung oleh stasiun televisi lokal serta RRI.
Pelantikannya juga tergolong paling berkesan karena sejumlah tokoh nasional maupun mantan-mantan pejabat negara hadir secara khusus. Di antaranya Guruh Soekarno Putra, Subiyakto Cakrawerdaya (mantan Menkop), Bambang Kesewo (mantan Mensegneg) serta sejumlah jenderal TNI.
Gubernur juga meminta agar keutuhan dan profesional birokrasi dijaga. Prinsipnya harus tetap mengutamakan merit sistem dalam pengembangan SDM yang diukur dengan indikator-indikator, kepribadian, kompetensi, prestasi serta netralitas.
Kepada bupati dan wakil bupati baru juga diminta segera menguasai aspek terkait penyelenggaraan pemerintahan mulai perencanaan, pelaksanaan dan pengawasan serta regulasi dan struktur dan kultur lingkungan Pemkab Banyumas.
”Juga jaga hubungan kerja sama dengan unsur muspida, dunia usaha dan elemen masyarakat dalam mendayagunakan potensi daerah. Kemudian segera susun rencana pembangunan jangka menengah (RPJM) yang mengacu RPJP,” kata Gubernur.
Prima
Dalam melaksanakan tugas lima tahun ke depan, Gubernur juga minta agar pasangan tersebut bisa mengefektifkan waktu untuk penanganan masalah, melaksanakan program kegiatan dan peningkatan pelayanan prima seperti yang pernah dijanjikan saat masa kampanye.
”Saya juga berharap agar bupati-wakil bupati untuk bisa membina kerja sama yang harmonis dan sinergis dengan Pemkab/pemkot di Jateng terutama di wilayah regional Barlingmascakeb misalnya untuk jaringan perdagangan dan industri, agrobisnis dan lain-lain,” ujarnya.
Terkait soal pembangunan daerah, Ali Mufiz juga meminta agar memerhatikan pemantapan penyusunan tata ruang, peningkatan sarana dan prasarana perekonomian daerah, peningkatan sarana dan prasarana SDA. Peningkatan penanganan masalah yang menyangkut kebutuhan dan kepentingan langsung masyarakat khususnya masalah pendidikan kesehatan.
”Tak lupa juga kami minta untuk ikut menyukseskan jalannya Pilgub Jateng,” harapnya.
Dalam kesempatan itu, Gubernur juga memuji bahwa pelaksanaan pilbup yang berjalan aman, tertib, lancar dan sukses merupakan prestasi tersendiri bagi KPUD, Panwas dan masyarakat Banyumas pada umumnya dalam berdemokrasi.
Keberhasilan itu juga harus segera ditindaklanjuti secara kongkrit sehingga pelaksanaan demokrasi itu bisa memberikan daya guna yang besar bagi kepentingan daerah dan masyarakatnya.
”Itu semua juga berkat sikap legawa dari calon-calon yang lain. Fenomena itu sesuai dengan nilai masyarakat Banyumas yang cablaka, seduluran dan apa anane,” tegasnya. (G22-55)
PURWOKERTO-Gubernur Jateng Ali Mufiz meminta kepada bupati dan wakil bupati Banyumas yang baru, Mardjoko-Achmad Husein segera melakukan konsolidasi pascapilkada dengan semua kalangan dan komponen, setelah resmi dilantik di Pendapa Si Panji, kemarin.
”Setelah dilantik dan mulai menjalankan tugas pemerintahan pandai-pandailah untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan lingkungan sosial dan lingkungan kerja baru. Kemudian segera lakukan konsolidasi sehingga masyarakat dapat bersatu padu, bahu membahu dan bergotong royong dalam melaksanakan pembangunan untuk mewujudkan kesejahteraan masyarakat,” kata Gubernur dalam sambutannya usai melantik Mardjoko-Husein.
Pelantikan bupati-wakil bupati hasil pilihan langsung masyarakat ini dihadiri sekitar 2.000 tamu undangan dan disiarkan langsung oleh stasiun televisi lokal serta RRI.
Pelantikannya juga tergolong paling berkesan karena sejumlah tokoh nasional maupun mantan-mantan pejabat negara hadir secara khusus. Di antaranya Guruh Soekarno Putra, Subiyakto Cakrawerdaya (mantan Menkop), Bambang Kesewo (mantan Mensegneg) serta sejumlah jenderal TNI.
Gubernur juga meminta agar keutuhan dan profesional birokrasi dijaga. Prinsipnya harus tetap mengutamakan merit sistem dalam pengembangan SDM yang diukur dengan indikator-indikator, kepribadian, kompetensi, prestasi serta netralitas.
Kepada bupati dan wakil bupati baru juga diminta segera menguasai aspek terkait penyelenggaraan pemerintahan mulai perencanaan, pelaksanaan dan pengawasan serta regulasi dan struktur dan kultur lingkungan Pemkab Banyumas.
”Juga jaga hubungan kerja sama dengan unsur muspida, dunia usaha dan elemen masyarakat dalam mendayagunakan potensi daerah. Kemudian segera susun rencana pembangunan jangka menengah (RPJM) yang mengacu RPJP,” kata Gubernur.
Prima
Dalam melaksanakan tugas lima tahun ke depan, Gubernur juga minta agar pasangan tersebut bisa mengefektifkan waktu untuk penanganan masalah, melaksanakan program kegiatan dan peningkatan pelayanan prima seperti yang pernah dijanjikan saat masa kampanye.
”Saya juga berharap agar bupati-wakil bupati untuk bisa membina kerja sama yang harmonis dan sinergis dengan Pemkab/pemkot di Jateng terutama di wilayah regional Barlingmascakeb misalnya untuk jaringan perdagangan dan industri, agrobisnis dan lain-lain,” ujarnya.
Terkait soal pembangunan daerah, Ali Mufiz juga meminta agar memerhatikan pemantapan penyusunan tata ruang, peningkatan sarana dan prasarana perekonomian daerah, peningkatan sarana dan prasarana SDA. Peningkatan penanganan masalah yang menyangkut kebutuhan dan kepentingan langsung masyarakat khususnya masalah pendidikan kesehatan.
”Tak lupa juga kami minta untuk ikut menyukseskan jalannya Pilgub Jateng,” harapnya.
Dalam kesempatan itu, Gubernur juga memuji bahwa pelaksanaan pilbup yang berjalan aman, tertib, lancar dan sukses merupakan prestasi tersendiri bagi KPUD, Panwas dan masyarakat Banyumas pada umumnya dalam berdemokrasi.
Keberhasilan itu juga harus segera ditindaklanjuti secara kongkrit sehingga pelaksanaan demokrasi itu bisa memberikan daya guna yang besar bagi kepentingan daerah dan masyarakatnya.
”Itu semua juga berkat sikap legawa dari calon-calon yang lain. Fenomena itu sesuai dengan nilai masyarakat Banyumas yang cablaka, seduluran dan apa anane,” tegasnya. (G22-55)
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