Get to know the West Javanese regional language that is often used
The regional language of West Java has very unique characteristics and is interesting to learn. Even if you don’t know the language used by the people of West Java, you are certainly familiar with the unique accent, for example hearing celebrities from West Java or you have Sundanese friends.
For us ordinary people it must be very interesting to demonstrate the language or accent of West Java. Basically, each region has different language characteristics, be it Central Java, Maluku, East Java, Sumatra and so on. This is also the case with the language from West Java that we will discuss.
Just by hearing the accent, we must have guessed whether it is a language from West Java or not. But it’s hard for us to know the meaning of what’s being said if we don’t know or understand the language of West Java. That’s why it sounds fun to learn West Java.
In this article we will discuss not only which languages are often used by the people of West Java, but also language variations, history and language distribution, language writing systems to the West Javanese language which is certainly very interesting to learn.
Regional languages spoken
The Sundanese are the most common tribe in West Java, so it’s no wonder that the most widely spoken regional language is Sundanese. Yet there are other languages that are also spoken by the inhabitants of West Java, such as cirebon for people in the regency or the city of Cirebon.
The Cirebon language is almost the same as the Banyumasan language, only using the typical Brebes dialect which is very unique. These two regional languages of West Java , namely Sundanese and Cirebon are the most widely spoken languages in everyday life, both in the Cirebon, Priangan and so on areas.
Compared to Cirebon, Sundanese is more commonly spoken by people in West Java. One of the reasons is because Sundanese culture is so attached and spreads to different regions in West Java. This is inextricably linked to the history of the ancient Mataram kingdom that conquered West Java.
Therefore, in this review we will discuss more Sundanese language because it is more commonly used by people in West Java. You will find several interesting facts about the Sundanese language and will have a better understanding of what you need to know about the West Javanese language.
Variations in Sundanese
In general, the Sundanese language has a variety of variations, ranging from the Sundanese-Central Javanese dialect to the Sundanese-Banten dialect with different characteristics. In addition to these two dialects, who would have thought that there are still some dialect variations that we often encounter amid the Sundanese culture in everyday life.
Many experts distinguish the Sundanese language into 6 different dialects, namely the western dialect, the northern dialect, the southern dialect, the eastern middle dialect, the northeast dialect and the southeast dialect. Each dialect has a different style and the regions that use it are also different depending on the mix of languages.
For example, the regional language of West Java with a Western dialect that is often used by people in the Pandeglang and Lebak regions, with the exception of South Tangerang, Tangerang city and Tangerang regency. Unlike the southeastern dialect that is often spoken by inhabitants of Banjar, Cilacap, Pangandaran, Ciamis to the western part of Banyumas.
Before the existence of the Sundanese language as it is today, there used to be an Ancient Sundanese language that was often found in some written records, such as those found on dry leaf plates and on stones. Until now, it is not known how the Old Sundanese language changed into a modern Sundanese language.
History and spread of the Sundanese language
In addition to getting to know the variations of the Sundanese language, it is also interesting to discuss the history and spread of the Sundanese language in West Java. Sundanese is a language spoken by people in the west of Java Island or in Pasundan or Tatar Sunda (formerly called West Java).
In fact, this West Javanese language is also spoken in the western part of Central Java, such as the ci lacap and brebes regions, as these two regions were once part of the Galuh kingdom. No wonder there are many regional names in Cilacap that sound like Sundanese, such as Dayeuhluhur District.
According to history, the Sundanese language reached its narrative territory around the 6th century as far as the Dieng Plateau, Central Java. The name Dieng also comes from the Sundanese language, which is dihyang, which means Ancient Sundanese language. Only then was there talk of transmigration and immigration of ethnic Sundanese to various regions outside Java.
Some of the areas that are the destinations of the Sundanese ethnicity, including West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, Riau, Lampung, to Jambi. In addition, there are actually many other areas visited by ethnic Sundanese, but some of the areas already mentioned are the most important areas.
Soendanees schrijfsysteem
In the Sundanese script you will be introduced to the Sundanese script, the Sundanese alphabet, cacarakan and the Sundanese pegon alphabet. In the past, the Sundanese language was written using the Sundanese script as a Brahmi family script derived from the Pallawa script via the Kawi script. You can see the evidence of this writing by the inscription.
On November 3, 1705, the old Sundanese script and Cirebon Rikasara began to die out after the VOC issued its ultimatum. At that time, people were only allowed to write with the Pegon alphabet, the Latin script and the Latin alphabet for Javanese and Sundanese, after which the Latin alphabet was intensified to transcribe Sundanese works.
In addition, writing the West Javanese or Sundanese language is also related to cacarakan as a Javanese script to write the Sundanese language at that time. This script was already used after the VOC ultimatum came out. Until now, the cacarakan script has been used for more than 300 years and is still maintained today.
The Pegon Sundanese alphabet is also the script used to write the ancient Sundanese language. Writing the Pegon alphabet includes standard Arabic letters and new designs. Although some consist of standard Arabic letters, but Arabs would not be able to understand them if they had not mastered the Sundanese language.
Undak-Usuk Soendanese
In the 17th century, the West Java region was under the rule of the Mataram Kingdom, so the Javanese language also influenced the use of the Sundanese language in West Java. This is what creates the existence of undak-usuk basa in the regional language of West Java. So, what is meant by this basis?
The use of the Sundanese language must be adapted to the social level and this is the so-called undak-usuk basa. As a result of the bases, several terms appear that need to be understood, namely rough, medium lemes, very rough (Cohag or rough pisan) and very fine (sublime or pisan lemes).
Subtle language is usually used when we talk to newly recognized people, parents, officials, or public figures. Meanwhile, offensive language is usually used when you’re talking to peers or close friends, so it sounds more familiar if you use rather rough language.
The Sundanese language has its own uniqueness that makes everyone interested in learning it. Especially with the typical dialect that makes the Sundanese language even more pleasant for the hearing. For more information, you should learn more about the West Javanese language.