informalseperti

Informalseperti is a sociolinguistic term used to describe a register of informal Indonesian-language communication that blends Indonesian with English and online slang. The word is a portmanteau of informally and seperti, the Indonesian word for “like” or “as,” and it is used in discussions about contemporary digital speech to label a specific style of casual, in-group conversation.

In usage, informalseperti appears primarily in online settings such as social media posts, chat apps, and memes. It characterizes language that mixes code-switching between Indonesian and English, employs abbreviations, and relies on internet slang and emotive punctuation to convey tone. Typical features include truncated phrases, sentence fragments, and the use of reaction-oriented terms or memes to signal familiarity and solidarity within a community of speakers. Visual cues such as emojis, repeated letters, and varied capitalization may accompany the text to intensify emotion or humor.

Linguists note that informalseperti functions as a marker of belonging and youth identity within digital spaces. It can signal informality, casual proximity, or playful irony, but it may also blur distinctions between formal and informal registers. Critics argue that heavy mixing and nonstandard orthography can reduce perceived clarity in certain contexts, particularly outside online communities, while supporters view it as a dynamic reflection of evolving language use.

Scholarly status for informalseperti remains informal; it is discussed in online glossaries and some sociolinguistic writing on Indonesian internet language rather than as a formally recognized category. See also: Indonesian language, code-switching, internet linguistics.