History and the spread of the Sundanese language : CODASHOP

Get to know the frequently used western Java regional language

The regional language of West Java has very unique characteristics and is interesting to study. Although you do not know the language used by the inhabitants of West Java, surely you know its unique accent, for example hearing celebrities from West Java or having 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, Maloku, East Java, Sumatra and so on. Also with the language from western Java that we will discuss  .

By hearing only the accent, we must have guessed if it was a language from West Java or not. But, it is difficult for us to know the meaning of what is being said if we do not know or do not understand the language of West Java. That’s why it sounds fun to learn from West Java.

Inthis article wediscuss not only what languages are often used by the people of West Java, but also language changes, history and language distribution, language writing systems for theWestern Javanese language that are certainly very interestingto learn.

Regional languages spoken

The Sundanese are the most common tribe in western Java, so it’s no wonder that the most widely spoken regional language is Sundanese. However, there are other languages that are also spoken by residents of West Java, such as cirebon for people in Regency or in the city of Cirebon.

The language of the Sirabon is almost identical to the language of the Bloemsan, only using a typical Berbas dialect that is very unique. These two regional languages ofWest Java, namely Sundanese and Sirbonne, are the most widely spoken languages in everyday life, both in the regions of Sirbonne, Friingen and so on.

Compared to the Sirbonne, Sundanese is more widely spoken by people in West Java. One of the reasons for this is that the Sundish culture is so connected and spreading to different regions of West Java. It is inseparable from the history of the ancient Kingdom of Mataram that conquered West Java.

That is why in this reviewwe will discuss a more Sundanese language because it is used more often by people in West Java. You will find various interesting facts about the Sundanese language and you will better understand what you need to know about the Western Javanese language.

Variations in Sundanese

In general, the Sundanese language has a variety of variations, ranging from the central Sundani-Java dialect to the Sundhani-Bantani 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 in the midst of Sundanese culture in everyday life.

Many experts distinguish the Sundish language into 6 different dialects, namely the western dialect, the northern dialect, the southern dialect, the eastern middle dialect, the northeastern dialect, and the southeastern dialect. Each dialect has a different style and the regions that use it are also different, depending on the language mix.

For example, the regional language of West Java with a Western dialect that is usually used by people in the Pandglang and Bak regions, with the exception of South Tangerang, Tangerang City and Tangerang Regency. In contrast to the southeastern dialect often spoken by the inhabitants of Banjar, Chilcap, Pangendaran, Chiamis to the western part of Banjumas.

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 sheets of dried leaves and stones. So far, it is not known how the old Sundanese language changed to a modern Sundanese language.

History and the spread of the Sundanese language

In addition to getting acquainted with the variations of the Sundanese language, it is also interesting to discuss the history and spread of the Sundanese language in Western Java. Sundanese is a language spoken by people in the west of the island of Java or rather in Pasundan or the Tatar Sunda (formerly called West Java).

In fact, this Western Javanese languageis also spoken in the western part of central Java, such as the Cilacap and Barbes regions because these two regions were once part of the Kingdom of Galloh. No wonder there are a lot of regional names in Silakap that sound like Sundans, like Dylohor County.

According to history, around the 6th century the Sundish language reached its narrative area as far as the Diang Plateau, the center of Java. The name Diang also comes from the Sundanese language, which means dihiang which means an ancient Sundanese language. Onlythen was there a transmigration and migration of ethnic Sundanese to different regions outside Java.

Some of the regions that are the destinations of Sundanese ethnicity, include West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, Rio, Lamphong, Lembi. In addition, there are actually many other regions visited by ethnic Sundans, but some of the areas already mentioned are the main regions.

Sundanic writing system

In the Sundanese script system you will get acquainted with the Sundan script, the Sundan alphabet, the Kakaraken and the Sundan alphabet Pagon. In the past, the Sundanese language was written using the Sundan script as a Brahmi family script derived from the Palawa script using Kawi script. You can see the evidence of this writing from the inscription.

On November 3, 1705, the ancient Sundan script and the Sirbon Ricassara began to become extinct after the VOC issued its ultimatum. At that time, people were allowed to write only with the Pagon alphabet, the Latin script and the Latin alphabet for Java and Sundian, and then the Latin alphabet was intensified to transcribe Sundanese works.

In addition, the writing of the Western Javanese or Sundanese language is also associated with the Kakarakan as a Javanese script for writing the Sundish language at that time. This script was already in use after the VOC ultimatum came out. To date, cacarakan script has been used for more than 300 years and is preserved to this day.

The Sundan alphabet of Pagon is also the script used to write the ancient Sundan language. The writing of the Pagon alphabet contains standard Arabic letters and new designs. Although some of them consist of standard Arabic letters, the Arabs would not be able to understand them if they were not fluent in the Sundanese language.

Undak-Usuk Sundanese

In the 17th century, the area of West Java was under the rule of the Kingdom of Matram, so the Javanese language also influenced the use of the Sundish 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 base?

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 must be understood, namely for water that is rough, medium, very rough (cohag or rough pizanes) and very fine (for sublime or pisan waters).

Gentle language is usually used when we converse with people, parents, officials or public figures who have just been recognized. Meanwhile, offensive language is usually used when you talk to colleagues or close friends, so it sounds more familiar if you use rather rude language.

The Sundanese language has its own uniqueness that makes anyone interested in learning it. Especially with the typical dialect that makes the Sundanese language even more pleasant to hear. For more details, you need to learn more about the language of Western Java.

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