On the road with English: Truck Inscriptions as vernacular performance in Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines how Indonesian truck drivers creatively repurpose English through inscriptions painted on the backs of their vehicles. Based on 15 examples documented in photographs, the study shows how English – often blended with Indonesian or Javanese – is used less for grammatical correctness than for humour, emotional expression, social critique, and playful subversion. A qualitative, theme‑based analysis reveals how these inscriptions destabilise conventional notions of competence, transforming apparent ‘errors’ into resources of creativity. Framed as vernacular literacy practices, the inscriptions demonstrate how global English is localized, felt, and made meaningful in everyday life. Ultimately, the study highlights language on the move as a vehicle for identity, resistance, and philosophy on Indonesia’s highways.