What is the local language in Bali? Is it Indonesian?
Like other parts of the sprawling archipelago of Indonesia,
Bali has a vernacular: Balinese (Basa Bali). This is the language
that most Balinese speak everyday amongst their family and
friends. Closely related to Javanese, Balinese bears some
similarities to Indonesian, but for the most part is quite
different. It is an Austronesian language that is spoken not
only in Bali, but also in Java, Lombok and as far as Sulawesi.
Balinese may be the language of the people; however in formal
situations many use Indonesian to ensure that everyone can
understand them. In addition, Indonesian is the language of
education and government. Whilst most Balinese can speak Balinese,
many children are being encouraged to speak the nation’s
lingua franca, Bahasa Indonesia, instead of their local language.
This is mostly due to the media and is creating a sort of
a language gap between the generations. There are indeed still
some Balinese, mostly elderly, in remote villages who cannot
speak Indonesian. Conceivably this could mean that in the
modern world they may not be able to communicate effectively
with their grandchildren who only know Indonesian.
Interestingly enough, use of Balinese in everyday situations
varies between the sexes, particularly when young people meet
and socialize. Young men tend to use Balinese when they meet,
hang out and socialize; young women, however, prefer Indonesian.
This could be due to the fact that women feel more uncomfortable
with the caste system that dictates the level of language
they have to use; or simply because they are more fashion
conscious and use Indonesian because it is the language of
the media.
The Hindu caste system in Bali makes Balinese a great deal
more complicated than Indonesian and other local languages.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why foreigners tend to
shy away from learning Basa Bali and stick to Bahasa Indonesia.
Copyright@ Kulture Kid 2006
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