Sundanese language
Sundanese (/sʌndəˈniːz/:[2] basa Sunda, Sundanese pronunciation: [basa sunda]; Sundanese script: ᮘᮞ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ; Pegon: بَاسَا سُوْندَا) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Sundanese. It has approximately 32 million native speakers in the western third of Java; they represent about 15% of Indonesia's total population.[1]
Not to be confused with Languages of Sudan, Zunda languages, or Kusunda language.Sundanese
Sundanese
(Badui • Bantenese • Ciptagelar • Cirebonese • Priangan)
32 million (2015)[1]
-
Malayo-Polynesian
- disputed:
Malayo-Sumbawan or Greater North Borneo- Sundanese–Baduy
- Sundanese
- Sundanese–Baduy
- disputed:
Latin script (present)
Sundanese script (present; optional)
Sundanese Pégon script (17–20th centuries AD, present; religious schools only)
Old Sundanese script (14–18th centuries AD, present; optional)
Sundanese Cacarakan script (17–19th centuries AD, present; certain areas)
Buda Script (13–15th centuries AD, present; optional)
Kawi script (historical)
Pallava (historical)
Pranagari (historical)
Vatteluttu (historical)
- Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa
- Lembaga Basa Jeung Sastra Sunda
Variously:sun – Sundanesebac – Baduy Sundaneseosn – Old Sundanese
31-MFN-a
Classification[edit]
According to American linguist Robert Blust, Sundanese is closely related to the Malayic languages, as well as to language groups spoken in Borneo such as the Land Dayak languages or the Kayan–Murik languages, based on high lexical similarities between these languages.[3][4]
Sundanese has several dialects, conventionally described according to the locations of the people:
The Priangan dialect, which covers the largest area where Sundanese people lives (Parahyangan in Sundanese), is the most widely spoken type of Sundanese language, taught in elementary till senior-high schools (equivalent to twelfth-year school grade) in West Java and Banten Province.
Register[edit]
Sundanese has an elaborate system of register distinguishing levels of formality.[7] At the beginning of speech level development, it was known 6 levels of Sundanese language: basa kasar (rough), sedeng (medium), lemes (polite), lemes pisan (very polite), kasar pisan (very rough), and basa panengah (intermediate). But since the 1988 Congress of Sundanese Language in Bogor, the speech level has been narrowed to only two parts: basa hormat (respectful) and basa loma (fair). Besides that, the term was changed to "tatakrama basa" (lit. 'language manners'), although the substance remained the same. The hormat variant is a subtle language to respect, while the loma variant is fair, neutral and familiar use. This variety of loma language is then used as a kind of "standard" variety of written languages in Sundanese society. Sundanese magazines, newspapers, literary books and theses, mostly using the loma variant.
Apart from the two previous levels, there is actually one more lowest level, namely cohag (rough). This level is only used when angry or just to show intimacy between speakers. This register can only be found in the Sundanese Priangan dialect, while other dialects such as Bantenese Language, generally do not recognize this register.
For many words, there are distinct loma and lemes forms, e.g. arék (loma) vs. badé (lemes) "want", maca (loma) vs. maos (lemes) "read". In the lemes level, some words further distinguish humble and respectful forms, the former being used to refer to oneself, and the latter for the addressee and third persons, e.g. rorompok "(my own) house" vs. bumi "(your or someone else's) house" (the loma form is imah).
Similar systems of speech levels are found in Japanese, Korean and Thai.