| Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Indonesia (Bali andWest Nusa Tenggara) |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | bali1277 |
 Distribution of Bali-Sasak-Sumbawa languages: Balinese (blue), Sasak (red), and Sumbawa (orange). | |
TheBali–Sasak–Sumbawa languages are a group of closely related languages spoken inIndonesia in the westernLesser Sunda Islands (Bali andWest Nusa Tenggara). The three languages largely correspond to the three separate islands where they are natively spoken, namelyBalinese onBali,Sasak onLombok, andSumbawa on westernSumbawa.[1]
Genealogically, Balinese forms a separate subbranch from Sasak and Sumbawa languages which are more closely related and share characteristics that are not found in Balinese; therefore the group's family tree is generally depicted as follows:
Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa
These languages have similarities withJavanese, 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 withMadurese and Malay. (SeeMalayo-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 (Balinese Latin alphabet) | 3.3 (2000) | Bali, WesternLombok, and EasternJava |
| Sasak | Base Sasaq ᬪᬵᬲᬵᬲᬓ᭄ᬱᬓ᭄ | Sasak script (a modification of theBalinese script) | Latin script (Sasak Latin alphabet)[5] | 2.7 (2010) | Lombok |
| Sumbawa | Basa Samawa ᨅᨕᨔᨕ ᨔᨆᨓ | Lontara script (Satera Jontal variant) | Latin script (Sumbawa Latin alphabet) | 0.3 (1989) | Sumbawa |