The Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Indonesia in the western Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali and West Nusa Tenggara). The three languages are Balinese on Bali, Sasak on Lombok, and Sumbawa on western Sumbawa.[1]
| Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Glottolog | bali1277 |
These languages have similarities with Javanese, which several classifications have taken as evidence of a relationship between them. However, the similarities are with the "high" registers (formal language/royal speech) of Balinese and Sasak; when the "low" registers (commoner speech) are considered, the connection appears instead to be with Madurese and Malay. (See Malayo-Sumbawan languages.)
The position of the Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa languages within the Malayo-Polynesian languages is unclear. Adelaar (2005) assigned them to a larger "Malayo-Sumbawan" subgroup, [2] but this proposal remains controversial.[3][4]
Languages
| Language | Native name | Historical script | Modern script | Number of speakers (in millions) | Native region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balinese | Basa Bali ᬩᬲᬩᬮᬶ | Balinese script | Latin script | 3.3 (2000) | Bali, Lombok, Java |
| Sasak | Base Sasak ᬪᬵᬲᬵᬲᬓ᭄ᬱᬓ᭄ | Balinese script | Latin script | 2.7 (2010) | Lombok |
| Sumbawa | ᨈᨘ ᨔᨆᨓ Basa Samawa | Lontara script | Latin script | 300,000 (1989) | Sumbawa |