The Letter H Debate: Why Do We Often Write Himbau?

The misspelling of the variant 'himbau' occurs due to the phenomenon of hypercorrection or the unnecessary addition of the letter 'h' (prothesis). Many speakers feel that words starting with vowels sound less formal or less assertive compared to words starting with the consonant 'h', leading them to intuitively add it.

The standard root word is 'imbau', which originates from native Malay roots. Etymologically, it means to call, to appeal, or to earnestly request attention. Within the Austronesian language family, the addition of initial glottal consonants is often a dialectal variation that emerges over time.

The usage of 'himbau' has been deeply rooted in the rhetoric of public officials, bureaucracy, and mass media in Indonesia for decades. This has created a collective impression that 'himbau' is a more polite or official form, even though it is linguistically incorrect according to standard rules.