Heritage language maintenance and ethnic identity in virtual communication among Javanese basketball coaches in Indonesia

The promotion of nationality and technology have drained Javanese as the ethnic language in Indonesia as a multilingual country. This study, therefore, explores the Javanese as an ethnic marker and identity in virtual communication. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews and observation in the WhatsApp group of East Java basketball coaches. The findings demonstrate that the Javanese language is still valued as an ethnic marker and Javanese people believe that its maintenance reflects their identity construction. However, its divergence cannot be ceased as the process of maintaining the language clashed with other ethnic groups