Why do people misspell this?
This misspelling occurs due to a sociolinguistic preference for Dutch loanwords that were once dominant in the past. Many speakers assume the 'pro-' pattern is more consistent with other words like 'proportion', thus ignoring the language standardization that establishes 'per-' as the formal prefix.
Etymology & History
The word 'persentase' is rooted in the English word 'percentage' and the Latin phrase 'per centum', which literally means 'per hundred'. The variant 'prosentase' emerged due to the influence of the Dutch word 'procent' or 'procentuage', where the vowel 'o' is used dominantly.
Cultural Context
The use of 'prosentase' is often found in old legal documents or among the senior generation who received an education based on previous curricula. Although considered non-standard in modern administration, this word still maintains a strong presence in oral discourse and certain mass media because it sounds more formal or 'prestigious' to some people.
Usage Context
“Pemerintah sedang menghitung berapa persentase kenaikan angka literasi di wilayah tersebut tahun ini.”
The government is calculating the percentage of the literacy rate increase in that region this year.