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Balinese language

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"Basa Bali" redirects here. Not to be confused with Bali language (disambiguation) or Pali.

Balinese
ᬪᬵᬱᬩᬮᬶ / ᬩᬲᬩᬮᬶ1
Bhāṣa Bali / Basä bali1
Native toIndonesia
RegionBali, Nusa Penida, Lombok
Ethnicity
Native speakers
3.3 million (2000 census)[1]
Early form
Dialects
Latin script
Balinese script
Official status
Regulated byLembaga Bahasa, Aksara dan Sastra Bali[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-2ban
ISO 639-3ban
Glottologbali1278
   Balinese is the majority language where vast majority are first language speakers
   Balinese is the majority language, with other languages being spoken largely or as a second language (such as Javanese, Sasak, and Malay)
   Balinese is a minority language
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
This article contains Balinese alphabet. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Balinese characters.
Balinese language speaker

Balinese is an Austronesian language spoken on the Indonesian island of Bali, as well as Northern Nusa Penida, Western Lombok,[4] Southern Sumatra, and Sulawesi.[5] Most Balinese speakers also use Indonesian. The 2000 national census recorded 3.3 million people speakers of Balinese, however the Bali Cultural Agency estimated in 2011 that the number of people still using the Balinese language in their daily lives is under 1 million. The language has been classified as "not endangered" by Glottolog.[2]

The higher registers of the language borrow extensively from Javanese: an old form of classical Javanese, Kawi, is used in Bali as a religious and ceremonial language.

Classification

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Balinese is an Austronesian language belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the family. Within Malayo-Polynesian, it is part of the Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa subgroup.[6] Internally, Balinese has three distinct varieties; Highland Bali, Lowland Bali, and Nusa Penida Balinese.[2]

Demographics

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Distribution map of the Balinese language in Bali and Java islands (red)

According to the 2000 census, the Balinese language is spoken by 3.3 million people in Indonesia, mainly concentrated on the island of Bali and the surrounding areas.

In 2011, the Bali Cultural Agency estimated that the number of people still using the Balinese language in their daily lives on Bali Island does not exceed 1 million, as in urban areas their parents only introduce the Indonesian language or even English as a foreign language, while daily conversations in the institutions and the mass media have disappeared. The written form of the Balinese language is increasingly unfamiliar and most Balinese people use the Balinese language only as a means of oral communication, often mixing it with Indonesian in their daily speech. However, in the transmigration areas outside Bali Island, the Balinese language is extensively used and believed to play an important role in the survival of the language.[7]

Phonology

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Vowels

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Balinese vowels
Front Central Back
High i u
Mid e ə o
Low a

The official spelling denotes both /a/ and /ə/ by ⟨a⟩. However, ⟨a⟩ is usually pronounced [ə] when it ends a word, and [ə] occurs also in prefixes ma-, pa- and da-.[8]

Consonants

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Balinese consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Stop/Affricate p b t d tʃ dʒ k g
Fricative s h
Approximant w l j
Trill r

Depending on dialect, the phoneme /t/ is realized as a voiceless alveolar or retroflex stop. This is in contrast with most other languages in western Indonesia (including Standard Indonesian), which have a dental /t/ patterning with an otherwise alveolar phoneme series.[5]

Stress

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Stress falls on the last syllable.[8]

Vocabulary

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Registers

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Even though most basic vocabulary in Balinese and Indonesian originates from Austronesian and Sanskrit, many cognates sound quite different between languages.[9] Balinese has four different registers: low (basa kétah), middle (basa madiâ), and high (basa sínggíh), the uses of which depend on the relationship and status of those speaking[10] and those being spoken about. High Balinese is not commonly used except to speak to pedandas, so few are fluent in it.[11] The common mutations in inherited Balinese words are:

  • r > h / #_, r > h / V_V, and r > h / _#. That is, r mutates into h at the beginning of every word, the end of every word, and between any two vowels.
  • h > ø / !_#. The phoneme h is lost everywhere except at the ends of words.

However, these mutations are not expressed in High Balinese, indicating that High Balinese contains many loanwords from Sanskrit and (Old) Javanese. These loanwords are identical in sound to their modern Javanese cognates, but reflect fifteenth-century usages from Old Javanese.[10]

Basic Vocabulary Comparison
English Low Balinese High Balinese Indonesian Old Javanese Javanese
this ené niki ini iki iki (ngoko), punika (krama)
that ento nikâ itu ika
here dini driki di sini
there ditu drikâ di sana, di situ
what apâ napi apa apa
human manusâ, jelemâ jadmâ manusia jadma manungsa
hair bõk rambut rambut rambut rambut
fire api gni api gĕni geni
child panak pianak, okâ anak
life idup urip hidup urip urip
to drink nginém nginém minum manginum
big gédé agéng besar, gede gĕḍe gedhé
new baru anyar baru (h)añar anyar
day wai rahinâ hari rahina dina, dinten
sun matan ai suryâ matahari surya ari
lake danu tlagâ danau ranu tlaga
egg taluh taluh telur ĕṇḍog endhog (ngoko), tigan (krama)
friend timpal suwitrâ teman kañca, mitra, sakhā kanca, kenalan, mitra
to sightsee mélali-lali malélancarañ tamasya
name adan parab,Wastan nama (h)aran, parab aran, jeneng (ngoko), wasta (krama), asma (krama inggil)
to be, to become dadi dados menjadi
to stay nongos meneng tinggal
from uling saking dari
right bénéh benar
egg taluh telur
where kija kemana
home umah,
homah (Nusa Penida) 		rumah
done suba,
subé 		sudah
all onya semua
and ajak dengan
hat, cap topi, capil topi
island nusa, pulo pulau
invite ngajak mengajak

Numerals

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Main article: Balinese numerals

Balinese has a decimal numeral system, but this is complicated by numerous words for intermediate quantities such as 45, 175, and 1600.

Pronouns

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Kinship terms can be used as pronouns. If these pronouns are used as agents, they refer to either the speaker or the listener, depending on context.[12] Though first and second person pronouns need no antecedent to be understood, third person pronouns do.[13]

Time

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Instead of grammatical tense, Balinese uses temporal adverbs to talk about time.

Temporal deixis for the past
Adverb Translation
mare just, a few minutes ago
tuni a few hours ago
(di) ibi yesterday, a day ago
(di) puan[a] two days ago
(di) telun[a] three days ago
  1. ^ a b The suffix -an can be added to make the expression indefinite. If -an is added, di is obligatory, unless the suffixed adverb is prefixed with ibi.

For present tense, the adverb jani ("now") can be either definite or indefinite depending on context. Its more emphatic form, jani san ("right now"), is definite. The indefinite word ajanian ("up to now") refers to any time before or during the utterance.

Temporal deixis for the future
Adverb Translation
(buin/bin) nyanan[a][b] later
(buin/bin) mani[b] tomorrow
buin/bin puan[b] two days from now
buin/bin telun three days from now
  1. ^ When used without buin, this expression can be indefinite without modification.
  2. ^ a b c The suffix -an can be added to make the expression indefinite.

The word buin/bin ("again") is obligatory for puan and telun to clarify that they are not being used for their past tense meanings. Mani, manian, and puan can all be prefixed with mani to refer to the future.[14]

Grammar

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Balinese is agglutinative.[15] Verb and noun inflectional morphology is similarly minimal to Indonesian, but derivational morphology is extensive.[8]

Affixes

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Of the two dative suffixes, -ang and -in,[11] the latter should be used if the object is animate.[16] The suffix -né / -é marks nouns for both definiteness and possession.[15]

Nouns & modifiers

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Nouns come before their modifiers, and are often marked with a deictic word, ento 'that' or ené 'this,'" to show that any modifiers act as modifiers instead of as verbs. The definite marker can also be attached to modifiers, especially any which conveys "an inherent property of its referent."[13] Ajectives following possessive (and therefore definite) nouns function as predicative, while adjectives following unmarked nouns function as attributive.[15]

Verbs

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Two types of serial verb constructions occur in Balinese. Both verbs are always fully inflected, but in the first type, the verbs have the same agent, whereas in the second, the object of the first verb is the subject of the second.[17]

Word order & voices

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The word order is similar to that of Indonesian, and verb and noun inflectional morphology is similarly minimal. However, derivational morphology is extensive, and suffixes are applied to indicate definite or indefinite articles, and optionally to indicate possession.[8]

The default, unmarked word order of Balinese is Patient Verb Agent. If the agent is a third person pronoun, it is attached to the verb as the clitic suffix -a.

This default word order can be reversed (Agent Verb Patient) with a nasal prefix on the verb. The nasal-marked word order cannot be an active construction, because it is marked, nor can it be antipassive, because the patient can't be omitted. It is considered a second type of transitive voice.

There is a true passive voice (Patient Verb Agent) borrowed from Javanese and marked by the verbal prefix ka-. It is used mostly in high registers. If the agent of this passive construction is third-person, it must be preceded by a preposition. If it is not third-person, it cannot be preceded by a preposition.

The second true passive voice (Patient Verb), marked by the verbal prefix ma-, always omits the agent. It connotes a complete event and is only available to some verbs.[12]

Dialect

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Balinese has 2 main dialects, the Highland dialect and the Lowland dialect. The difference between the two dialects lies in the variety of vocabulary, phonology, and usage of register (e.g. High register vs. Low register). Highland dialect, also referred as Bali Aga dialect, has a few to absence of high register while the lowland dialect recognises both high register and low register.[18][19]

Highland dialect

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The highland dialect, also known as Bali Aga [dialect] is a dialect of the Balinese language spoken by the Bali Aga people in mountainous areas and northern part of Bali, especially in the mountain range of Kintamani, and regencies nearby such as Bangli, Buleleng, and Karangasem, as well in Nusa Penida.[18] According to Bawa (1983:394), the highland dialect is grouped into three main usage areas, namely the eastern, northern, and western regions which are detailed as follows:

  • The eastern region of Bali Island which includes Karangasem Regency, Kintamani District (or around Lake Batur), Klungkung Regency, parts of East Buleleng, and Nusa Penida;
  • Northern Badung mountainous region;
  • The western region of Bali Island, which includes Pupuan sub-district, Penebel (precisely in Wongaya Gede village), and parts of West Buleleng (precisely in Bantiran, Sepang, and Padawa villages).[19]

Overall, there are two Highland sub-dialect that is distinct from varieties spoken in the area mentioned. Those sub-dialect are Nusa Peninda dialect, spoken majorly in Nusa Penida, and Kapara dialect (also called as Bali Kapara) notably spoken in Sembiran village, Tejakula sub-regency, Buleleng Regency with estimated 4,883 user.[18] Nusa Penida dialect on the other side was thought to be a different dialect, but there are some indication that Nusa Penida dialect might be sub-dialect of highland dialect. According to Jendra, et al. (1997), both Nusa Penida and Highland dialect share the same phonological pattern as explained below:[20]

  • presences of /h/ in the middle of word, such as in /bəhas/;[21]
  • presences of /-ñə/ and /-cə/ affix or in the final-word position as allophony of /-ə/;
  • the intonation of speakers' speech tends to have a fast tempo and louder stress

However, there are other notable differences between the two dialects, namely the absence or reduction of the distribution of the phoneme /a/ in word-final positions.

Nusa Penida dialect

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Currently, the Nusa Penida dialect is widely used only in Nusa Penida in Klungkung Regency. However, it is important to note that not all communities in Nusa Penida use the Nusa Penida dialect. There are several groups of people who communicate using different dialects. On the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, which are located next to Nusa Penida, as well as in a small part of Nusa Penida close to these islands, there is a distinct dialect that is quite different from the Nusa Penida dialect. One of the most striking differences is in words like eda (you) and kola (I) in the Nusa Penida dialect. Speakers of the Nusa Lembongan dialect use words like cai or ci (you) and cang (I). Another example is əndək (Nusa Penida dialect) and tusing (Nusa Lembongan dialect), geleng-cenik, hangken-kenken, and so on.[20] Only 13 out of 16 villages in Nusa Penida use the Nusa Penida dialect. The remaining villages either speak the Nusa Lembongan dialect or a dialect resembling mainland Klungkung Balinese.[20]

The Nusa Penida dialect is also used outside Nusa Penida, mainly due to the migration of its speakers following the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. Significant speakers relocated to southern Sumatra, particularly to Bandar Lampung, Palembang, Mesuji, and East Lampung.

Lowland dialect

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Writing system

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Balinese has been written in two different writing systems: the Balinese script, and in modern times the Latin script.

Balinese script

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Basic signs of the Balinese script
Note: The script is arranged in Javanese order.
Main article: Balinese script

The Balinese script (Aksara Bali, ᬅᬓ᭄ᬱᬭᬩᬮᬶ), which is arranged as Hanacaraka (ᬳᬦᬘᬭᬓ), is an abugida, ultimately derived from the Brāhmī script of India. The earliest known inscriptions date from the 9th century AD.[22]

Few people today are familiar with the Balinese script.[23] The Balinese script is almost the same as the Javanese script.

Latin alphabet

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Schools in Bali today teach a Latin alphabet known as Tulisan Bali.[11]

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  • Balinese palm-leaf manuscript
    Balinese palm-leaf manuscript
  • Sign at Pura Puseh Temple, Batuan, Bali
    Sign at Pura Puseh Temple, Batuan, Bali
  • Page from a Bible printed with Balinese script
    Page from a Bible printed with Balinese script
  • Street sign in Singaraja, written in Latin and Balinese script
    Street sign in Singaraja, written in Latin and Balinese script
  • Klungkung Regent's Office sign
    Klungkung Regent's Office sign
  • Lontar manuscript restoration
    Lontar manuscript restoration

Note

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^1 In Balinese script, Sanskrit and Kawi loanwords tend use conservative orthography as standard form in Balinese script. The word for language, basa, in Balinese is a loanword from Old Javanese bhāṣa which came from the Sanskrit word भाषा bhāṣā, hence it is written according to Sanskrit and Old Javanese spelling ᬪᬵᬱᬩᬮᬶ in Balinese script. The ᬩᬲᬩᬮᬶ form in Balinese script is used by beginner writers. Meanwhile, diacritics are not written in the current romanization of the Balinese language. Thus, both ᬪᬵᬱᬩᬮᬶ and basa Bali are the standard forms.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Balinese at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c "Glottolog 4.3 - Balinese". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  3. ^ Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali No 1 Tahun 2018 Tentang Bahasa, Aksara, Dan Sastra Bali (Regional Regulation 1, Article 12) (in Indonesian). 2018.
  4. ^ Ethnologue.
  5. ^ a b Clynes, Adrian (1995). Topics in the Phonology and Morphosyntax of Balinese (PhD thesis). Australian National University. doi:10.25911/5d77865d38e15. hdl:1885/10744.
  6. ^ Adelaar, K. Alexander (2005). "The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar: a historical perspective". In Adelaar, K. Alexander; Himmelmann, Nikolaus (eds.). The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. London: Routledge. pp. 1–42.
  7. ^ Ni Komang Erviani (March 30, 2012). "Balinese Language 'Will Never Die'". The Jakarta Post.
  8. ^ a b c d Spitzing, Günter (2002). Practical Balinese: Phrasebook and Dictionary. Rutland VT: Tuttle Publishing. p. 22.
  9. ^ "√ Kamus Bahasa Bali Lengkap". curcol.co. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  10. ^ a b Clynes, Adrian (1994-01-31), Dutton, Tom; Tryon, Darrell T. (eds.), "Old Javanese influence in Balinese: Balinese speech styles", Language Contact and Change in the Austronesian World, Berlin, New York: DE GRUYTER MOUTON, pp. 141–180, doi:10.1515/9783110883091.141, ISBN 978-3-11-088309-1, retrieved 2022-11-05
  11. ^ a b c Eiseman, Fred B. Jr. "The Balinese Languages". Bali Vision. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19.
  12. ^ a b Artawa, Ketut (17 July 2010). Grammatical Relations and Voice System in Balinese (PDF). Workshop on Indonesian-type Voice System.
  13. ^ a b Artawa, Ketut. "The Basic Verb Construction in Balinese" (PDF). Udayana University.
  14. ^ Kardana, I. Nyoman; Satyawati, Made Sri (28 Feb 2019). "Temporal Deixis in Balinese Language". Advances in Language and Literary Studies. 10 (1): 17. doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.10n.1p.17. ISSN 2203-4714.
  15. ^ a b c Umiyati, Mirsa; Darmawan, Ida Bagus Yoga Danu; Sujaya, Nyoman. "The Grammatical Behaviour of Balinese Adjectives on Phrases and Clauses". Linguistics Program, Warmadewa University.
  16. ^ cite journal | last1=Sujaya | first1 = Nyoman | last2 = Artawa | first2 = Ketut | last3 = Kardana | first3 = I Nyoman | last4 = Satyawi | first4 = Made Sri | title = The Ka- Passive Form in Balinese | journal = Journal of Language and Teaching Research | volume = 10 | pages = 886-894 | doi = http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1004.29 | ISSN = 1798-4769
  17. ^ Sukarini; Indrawati, Mas. "The Balinese Serial Verb Construction and Their Equivalences in English". Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. ISSN 2319-8834.
  18. ^ a b c Putu Evi Wahyu Citrawati; Wayan Teguh; Putu N. Widarsini; Gede Eka Wahyu (September 2019). "Morfologi Bahasa Bali Aga Dialek Sembiran, di Kecamatan Tejakula, Kabupaten Buleleng". Linguistika. 26 (2). Universitas Udayana. ISSN 0854-9613.
  19. ^ a b Bawa, I Wayan (1983). "Bahasa Bali di Daerah Bali: Sebuah Pemerian Geografi Dialek". Jakarta: Disertasi Fakultas Sastra UI. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ^ a b c I Ketut Serawan (17 May 2020). ""Basa Nosa", Bahasa Bali Dialek Nusa Penida yang Mirip Dialek Bali Aga?".
  21. ^ Tryon, Darrell T. (June 2011). Comparative Austronesian Dictionary: An Introduction to Austronesian Studies. De Gruyter. p. 497. ISBN 978-3-11-088401-2.
  22. ^ Beratha, Ni Luh Sutjiati (1992). Evolution of Verbal Morphology in Balinese (PhD thesis). Australian National University. doi:10.25911/5d7786429c1ff. hdl:1885/109364.
  23. ^ "Balinese (Basa Bali)". Omniglot. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
[edit]
Balinese edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Balinese language edition of Wikisource, the free library
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Bali
Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for Balinese.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balinese language.
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