| Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Glottolog | bali1277 |
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 BalineseonBali, SasakonLombok, and Sumbawa on western Sumbawa.[1]
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]
| 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 |
