Languages of Indonesia

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More than 700 living languages are spoken in Indonesia. 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, which is used in commerce, administration, education and the media, but most Indonesians speak local languages, such as Javanese, as their first language.

Since Indonesia only recognizes a single official language, other languages are not recognized either at national level nor regional level, thus making Javanese the most widely spoken language without official status, and Sundanese the second in the list (excluding Chinese dialects).

Languages by speakers

Several major ethno-linguistic groups of Indonesia

Largest languages in Indonesia
(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, Riau
Musi (Palembang Malay)	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
Ambonese Malay	1.9	1987	Maluku
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, 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)
Toraja-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

Comparison Chart

Indonesian languages comparison chart

Below is a chart of several Indonesian languages. While there has been misunderstandings on which ones should be classified as language and which ones should be classified as dialect, the chart confirms that most have similarities, yet are not mutually comprehensible. These languages are arranged according to the numbers of native speakers.

English	one	two	three	four	water	person	house	dog	coconut	day	new	we (inclusive)	what	and
Indonesian/ Malay	satu	dua	tiga	empat	air	orang	rumah	anjing	kelapa	hari	baru	kita	apa	dan
Javanese	siji	loro	telu	papat	banyu	wong	omah	asu	klapa	dina	anyar	kita	apa	lan
Sundanese	hiji	dua	tilu	opat	cai/ci	jalma	imah	anjing	kalapa	poé	anyar	urang	naon	jeung
Madurese	settong	dhuwa'	tello'	empa'	âên	oreng	roma	pate'	nyior	are	anyar	sengko	apa	ban
Minangkabau	cie'	duo	tigo	ampe'	aie	urang	rumah	anjiang	karambia	hari	baru	awak	apo	jo
Palembang Malay	sikok	duo	tigo	empat	banyu	wong	rumah	anjing	kelapo	siang	baru	kito	apo	dan
Buginese	seqdi	dua	tellu	eppa	je'ne'	tau	bola	asu	kaluku	esso	ma-baru	idiq	aga	na
Banjarese	asa	dua	talu	ampat	banyu	urang	rumah	hadupan	nyiur	hari	hanyar	kita	apa	wan
Acehnese	sa	dua	lhèë	peuët	ië	ureuëng	rumoh	asèë	u	uroë	ban	geutanyoë	peuë	ngon
Balinese	sa	dadua	telu	patpat	yèh	anak	umah	cicing	nyuh	dina	mara	iraga	apa	muah
Betawi	atu'	due	tige	empat	aer	orang	rumeh	anjing	kelape	ari	baru	kite	ape	ame
Sasak	sa/seke'	due	telu	mpat	aik	dengan	bale	acong/basong	kenyamen/nyioh	jelo	baru	ite	ape	dait
Batak Toba	sada	dua	tolu	opat	aek	halak	jabu	biang	harambiri	ari	ibbaru	hita	aha	dohot
Ambonese Malay	satu	dua	tiga	ampa	air	orang	ruma	anjing	kalapa	hari	baru	katong	apa	dan
Makassarese	se're	rua	tallu	appa'	je'ne'	tau	balla'	kongkong	kaluku	allo	beru	ikatte	apa	na
Batak Mandailing	sada	dua	tolu	opat	aek	halak	bagas	asu	arambir	ari	baru	hita	aha	dohot
Mongondow	inta'	dua	tolu	opat	tubig	intau	baloi	ungku'	cekut	singgai	mo-bagu	kita	onda	bo
Gorontalo	tuwewu	duluwo	totolu	wopato	taluhu	tawu	bele	'apula	sekat	dulahu	bohu	'ito	wolo	wau
Dayak Ngaju	ije'	due'	telu'	epat	danum	uluh	huma'	asu	enyuh	andau	haru	itah	narai	en
Lampung	say	ʁuwa	telu	ampat	way	jelema	nuwa	asu	nyiwi	ʁani	ampai	ʁam	api	jama
Nias	sara	dua	tolu	ofa	idano	niha	omo	asu	banio	luo	bohou	ya'ita	hadia	ba

Challenge

Main article: List of endangered languages in Indonesia

There are 726 languages spoken across the Indonesian archipelago in 2009 (dropped from 742 languages in 2007), the largest multilingual population in the world only after Papua New Guinea. Indonesian Papua which adjacent with Papua New Guinea has the most languages in Indonesia. Based on Summer Institute of Linguistic 637 languages are endangered with less than 100,000 native speakers. This is due to the Indonesian language becoming more dominant and many scholars believe that local languages are associated with ancient values as opposed to modernity. Thus, multilingualism is endangered. It is more like a battlefield of linguistic survival than a melting pot of languages.

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 Latin scripts. Javanese has been written in the Nagari and Pallava scripts of India, as well as their derivative (known as Kawi and Javanese), in an Arabic alphabet called pegon that incorporates Javanese sounds, and in the Latin script.

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

External links

• Graph of Indonesian ethnolinguistics
• Linguistic maps of Indonesia