Languages of Indonesia

More than 700 living languages are spoken in Indonesia.^[1] Most belong to the Austronesian language family, with a few Papuan languages also spoken. The official language is Indonesian (locally known as Bahasa Indonesia), a modified version of Malay,^[2] which is used in commerce, administration, education and the media, but most Indonesians speak local languages, such as Javanese, as their first language.^[1] Many Indonesians living in urban areas are also taught English as a second language beginning at the elementary school level.

Languages by speakers

Several major ethno-linguistic groups of Indonesia

Largest languages in Indonesia^[3]
(Figures indicate numbers of native speakers except for the national language, Indonesian)

Language	Number (millions)	Year surveyed	Main areas where spoken
Indonesian/Malay	210	2010	throughout Indonesia
Javanese	84.3	2000 (census)	Northern Banten, Northern West Java, Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java
Sundanese	34.0	2000 (census)	West Java, Banten
Madurese	13.6	2000 (census)	Madura Island (East Java)
Minangkabau	5.5	2007	West Sumatra
Musi (Palembang Malay)[4]	3.9	2000 (census)	South Sumatra
Bugis	3.5	1991	South Sulawesi
Banjarese	3.5	2000 (census)	South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan
Acehnese	3.5	2000 (census)	Aceh
Balinese	3.3	2000 (census)	Bali Island and Lombok Island
Betawi	2.7	1993	Jakarta
Sasak	2.1	1989	Lombok Island (West Nusa Tenggara)
Batak Toba	2.0	1991	North Sumatra
Makassarese	1.6	1989	South Sulawesi
Batak Dairi	1.2	1991	North Sumatra
Batak Simalungun	1.2	2000 (census)	North Sumatra
Batak Mandailing	1.1	2000 (census)	North Sumatra
Jambi Malay	1.0	2000 (census)	Jambi
Mongondow	0.9	1989	North Sulawesi
Gorontalo	0.9	1989	Gorontalo (province)
Ngaju Dayak	0.9	2003	Southern Kalimantan
Lampung Api	0.8	2000 (census)	Lampung
Nias	0.8	2000 (census)	Nias Island, North Sumatra
Batak Angkola	0.7	1991	North Sumatra
North Moluccan Malay	0.7	2001	North Maluku
Chinese (Hokkien and Teochew)	0.7	1982	Northern Sumatra, Riau Islands and West Kalimantan
Chinese (Hakka)	0.6	1982	Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands and West Kalimantan
Batak Karo	0.6	1991	North Sumatra
Uab Meto	0.6	1997	West Timor (East Nusa Tenggara)
Bima	0.5	1989	Sumbawa Island (West Nusa Tenggara)
Manggarai	0.5	1989	Flores Island (East Nusa Tenggara)
Torajan-Sa'dan	0.5	1990	South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi
Komering	0.5	2000 (census)	South Sumatra
Tetum	0.4	2004	West Timor (East Nusa Tenggara)
Rejang	0.4	2000 (census)	Bengkulu
Muna	0.3	1989	Southeast Sulawesi
Basa Semawa	0.3	1989	Sumbawa Island (West Nusa Tenggara)
Bangka	0.3	2000 (census)	Bangka Island (Bangka Belitung)
Osing	0.3	2000 (census)	East Java
Gayo	0.3	2000 (census)	Aceh
Tolaki	0.3	1991	Southeast Sulawesi
Lewotobi language	0.3	2000	Flores Island (East Nusa Tenggara)
Tae'	0.3	1992	South Sulawesi
Ambonese Malay	0.2	1987	Maluku

Challenge

There are approximately 735 languages spoken across the Indonesian archipelago, the largest multilingual population in the world only after Papua New Guinea. Based on Summer Institute of Linguistic 637 languages are endangered with less than 100,000 native speakers. It is due to Indonesian language more dominant and many scholars belief that associate local languages with ancient values as opposed to modernity. So multilingualism is endangered. It is more like a battlefield of linguistic survival than a melting pot of languages.^[5]

Languages by family

Several prominent languages spoken in Indonesia sorted by its language family are:

• Austronesian languages – (Malayo-Polynesian branch). Most languages spoken in Indonesia belong to this family, who in return related to languages spoken in Madagascar, Philippines , New Zealand , Hawaii and various Polynesian countries.
  • Javanese language, spoken Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java. Also found throughout Indonesia and by migrants in Suriname. Most populous Austronesian language by number of first language speaker.
  • Lampung language, two distinct but closely related languages spoken in Lampung, South Sumatra and Banten
  • Rejang language, spoken in Bengkulu province.
  • Malayo-Sumbawan languages:
    • Malay/Indonesian languages, spoken throughout Indonesia. Also used as national language.
    • Aceh language, spoken in Aceh, especially coastal part of Sumatra island.
    • Minangkabau language, spoken in West Sumatra.
    • Banjar language, spoken in South , East, and Central Kalimantan.
    • Sundanese language, spoken in West Java, Banten and Jakarta.
    • Balinese language, spoken in Bali.
    • Madurese language, spoken in Madura, Bawean and surrounding islands off the coast of Java.
    • Sasak language, spoken in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
  • Barito languages:
    • Ma'anyan language, related to Malagasy language spoken in Madagascar.
  • Northwest Sumatran languages:
    • Batak languages, seven closely related languages spoken by the Batak people in the highlands of North Sumatra.
    • Nias language, in Nias island off the western coast of North Sumatra.
    • Simeulue language, in Simeulue island off the western coast of Aceh.
    • Gayo language, in Gayo highlands in central Aceh.
  • South Sulawesi languages:
    • Bugis language, spoken by Bugis in central South Sulawesi and neighboring provinces.
    • Makassarese language, spoken by Makassarese in southern end of South Sulawesi.
    • Toraja language, spoken by Toraja people in northern highland of South Sulawesi.
    • Mandar language, spoken in West Sulawesi.
  • Philippine languages:
    • Gorontalo language, spoken in Gorontalo province.
    • Mongondow language, spoken in western part of North Sulawesi.
    • Minahasan languages, spoken in eastern part of North Sulawesi.

• West Papuan languages, indigenous languages family found only in eastern Indonesia (northern Maluku and western Papua). Not closely related with other language families. Distinct from surrounding Austronesian languages.
  • Ternate language, spoken in Ternate and northern Halmahera.
  • Tidore language, spoken in Tidore and western Halmahera, closely related with above Ternate language.

• Trans–New Guinea languages, indigenous languages family found in eastern Indonesia (Papua, Flores, Timor islands) and New Guinea. Consisting hundreds of languages, including languages of the Asmat and Dani people.

In addition, the Enggano language of Sumatra is unclassified and may be a language isolate; and there are numerous small families of Papuan languages.

Writing system

Like most writing systems in human history, Indonesia's are not rendered in native-invented systems, but devised by speakers of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Latin. Malay, for example, has a long history as a written language and has been rendered in Indic, Arabic, and Roman writing systems. Javanese has been written in the Nagari and Pallava writing systems of India, as well as their derivation (known as Kawi script and Javanese script), in a modified Arabic system called pegon that incorporates Javanese sounds, and in the Roman alphabet.

Chinese characters have never been used to express Indonesian languages, although Indonesian place-names, personal names, and names of trade goods appear in reports and histories written for China's imperial courts.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Lewis, M. Paul (2009). "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition.". SIL International. http://www.ethnologue.com/. Retrieved 2009-11-17. 
2. ^ Sneddon, James (2003). The Indonesian Language: Its history and role in modern society. Sydney: University of South Wales Press Ltd. 
3. ^ http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=IDJ
4. ^ Muhadjir. 2000. Bahasa Betawi:sejarah dan perkembangannya. Yayasan Obor Indonesia. p. 13.
5. ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/29/indonesia-a-battlefield-linguistic-survival.html
6. ^ Taylor, Jean Gelman (2003). Indonesia: Peoples and Histories. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-300-10518-5. 

External links

• Graph of Indonesian ethnolinguistics
• Linguistic maps of Indonesia