| Betawi | |
|---|---|
| Batavian, Jakartanese, Betawi Malay, Batavian Malay, Jakarta Malay | |
| Basé/Basa Betawi | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Greater Jakarta |
| Ethnicity | |
Native speakers | (5 million cited 2000 census)[1] |
Malay-based creole
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin (Malay alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bew |
| Glottolog | beta1252 |
 | |
Betawi,[2] also known asBatavian,[3][4][5]Jakartanese,[6][7]Betawi Malay,Batavian Malay, orJakarta Malay, is the spokenlanguage of theBetawi people in and aroundJakarta,Indonesia. The name "Betawi" stems fromBatavia, the official name of Jakarta during the era of theDutch East Indies. A precise number of speakers is difficult to determine due to the vague use of the name.
Linguistically, the traditional dialects as spoken forin-group communication within the Betawi community differ quite significantly fromColloquial Jakarta Indonesian, the vernacularIndonesian variety used as a lingua franca among the diverse urbanites inGreater Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia.[8] In modern-day Jakarta and the surrounding area, Betawi and Indonesian are often used in acontinuum, with traditional varieties as thebasilect and Standard Indonesian as theacrolect.[9] Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian, which sits in the middle, incorporate significant influence not only from Betawi, but also from other languages brought by migrants to Jakarta. According toUri Tadmor, there is no clear border distinguishing Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian from Betawi language.[10]
While Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian has become the primary lingua franca in Jakarta and enjoys great popularity in Indonesian media, traditional Betawi varieties are seriously endangered,[11] as they are now mostly only spoken by the older generation in some locations on the outskirts of Jakarta, such as Kampung Melayu, Pasar Rebo, Pondok Gede, Ulujami, and Jagakarsa.[12]
There is a significant Chinese community which lives aroundTangerang, calledCina Benteng, who have stopped speaking Chinese and now speak a Betawi variant with noticeable Chinese influence, including many Chinese (mostly Hokkien) loanwords.
The origin of Betawi is of debate to linguists; many consider it to be an "inherited" Malay vernacular directly descended from Proto-Malayic, while others consider it to have developed as acreole. It is believed that descendants ofChinese men andBalinese women inBatavia converted to Islam and spoke a pidgin that was later creolized, and then decreolized incorporating many elements fromSundanese andJavanese.[13] It replaced the earlier Portuguese creole of Batavia,Mardijker.
Aside from Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese influences, Betawi has large amounts ofHokkien Chinese,Arabic,Portuguese, andDutch loanwords. Especially theIndonesian Arabic variation which greatly influences the vocabulary in this language.[14] The first-person pronoungua ('I' or 'me') and second-person pronounlu ('you') and numerals such ascepé' ('a hundred'),gopé' ('five hundred'), andsecèng ('a thousand') are from Hokkien, whereas the wordsanè ('I' or 'me') andénté ('you') are derived from Arabic.
There is no absolute consensus among linguists regarding the classification of the traditional varieties of Batavian language. The most popular classification divides Batavian into two varieties (dialects or subdialects),[15] i.e.:
Chaer (1982) divided the language into four subdialects, which are based mainly on—but not limited to—phonological realization variations,[16] i.e.:
The table below briefly describes the final sound realization variations between the subdialects drawn by Chaer (1982):
| Indonesian | Batavian language | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meester | Tanah Abang | Karet | Kebayoran | ||||||
| [ah] | rumah[rumah] 'house' | [ɛ] | rumè[rumɛ] | [ɤː] | rume[rumɤː] | [a] | ruma[ruma] | [ah] | rumah[rumah] |
| [a] | bawa[bawa] 'to bring' | [ɛ] | bawè[bawɛ] | [ɤː] | bawe[bawɤː] | [ɛʔ] | bawè'[bawɛʔ] | [aʔ] | bawa'[bawaʔ] |
| saya[saja] 'I, me' | [ɛ] | sayè[sajɛ] | [ɤː] | saye[sajɤː] | [ɛ] | sayè[sajɛ] | [ah] | sayah[sajah] | |
| [ai̯] | satai[satai̯] 'satay' | [e] | saté[sate] | [e] | saté[sate] | [eʔ] | saté'[sateʔ] | [ɛʔ] | satè'[satɛʔ] |
| ramai[ramai̯] 'crowded' | [ɛ] | ramè[ramɛ] | [ɛ] | ramè[ramɛ] | [ɛ] | ramè[ramɛ] | [ɛ] | ramè[ramɛ] | |
| [ɛh] | boleh[bolɛh] 'may, might' | [ɛ] | bolè[bɔlɛ] | [e] | bolé[bɔle] or[bole] | [e] | bolé[bɔle] or[bole] | [eh] or[ɛh] | boléh[bɔleh] orbolèh[bɔlɛh] |
| [oh] | bodoh[bodoh] 'fool' | [ɔ] or[o] | bodo[bɔdɔ] or[bodo] | [ɔ] or[o] | bodo[bɔdɔ] or[bodo] | [ɔ] or[o] | bodo[bɔdɔ] or[bodo] | [ɔʔ] | bodo'[bɔdɔʔ] |
| [uh] | bunuh[bunuh] 'to kill' | [u] | bunu[bunu] | [u] | bunu[bunu] | [u] | bunu[bunu] | [uh] | bunuh[bunuh] |
| [u] | minggu[miŋɡu] 'week' | [u] | minggu[miŋɡu] | [u] | minggu[miŋɡu] | [uʔ] | minggu'[miŋɡuʔ] | [uʔ] | minggu'[miŋɡuʔ] |
However, Chaer (2015) also made a classification of dialectal variations based on the typology of Batavian subgroups, which is divided into three dialectal variations,[17] i.e.:
Apart from a geographical basis, this typology is also based on final phoneme realization variations. This table describes the differences between these variations as cited in Chaer (2015).[18]
| Indonesian | Batavian language | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | Suburban | Rural | |||||
| [a] | apa[apa] 'what' | [ɛ] | apè[apɛ] | [ɛ] | apè[apɛ] | [ah] | apah[apah] |
| [ah] | salah[salah] 'mistaken' | [ɛ] | salè[salɛ] | [a] | sala[sala] | [ah] | salah[salah] |
Meanwhile, Grijns (1991) drew the classification into 7 distinct dialects (or dialect clusters).[19] These dialectal differences are drawn not only based on phonological realization variations—unlike other classifications that are mainly focused only on these phonological realization variations of final sounds—but also based on morphological and lexical differences (including lexical compatibility with other languages, such asBalinese,Javanese,Malay, andSundanese). This is the classification of the dialects:
However, Von de Wall (1909) also noted a dialect of the Batavian language, which has the visible feature of the finala[a] realization asĕ[ə].[20] The usage of this "older" dialect started to fade later and to be replaced gradually withè[ɛ].[21] In 1971, Grijns (1991) could still witness a consistent realization ofĕ[ə] inKebon Pala.[21] Here is an example of this dialect usage:
| Batavian of theĕ[ə] dialect[22] | English translation |
|---|---|
| Njòءlĕ, naèk, kitĕ pĕlĕsiran. Poelang-poelang... malĕm; pedoeli apĕ, tĕrèm bĕdjalan hampé tĕngĕ malĕm boetĕ. Goewĕ rasĕ hampé poekoel hatoe.[a] | Come on! Get in! Let's have fun. It will be late at night once we get home. Who cares? The tram operates until midnight. I think it's until 1 o'clock. |
| |
Even though the Urban Jakarta dialect with its finalè[ɛ] realization stereotypes the Batavian language throughout Indonesia,[23] there is no concept of a certain regional dialect being considered as 'higher' or 'more prestigious' than the other dialects amongBatavians.[24] However, dialect-mixing is also found in some cases, especially on social media posts.[25]
According toGlottolog 5.2, the dialects are divided into Bekasi, Cikarang, Depok, Parung, Serpong, and Tangerang.[26] There is a distinction between the Bekasi and Cikarang dialects, even though they are administratively in the same area, for example Bekasi dialect is used in the western part, includingBabelan,Muaragembong, and surrounding areas, while the Cikarang dialect is used inCikarang and surrounding areas, directly bordering theBekasi Sundanese speaking area.[27] Likewise, the Serpong and Tangerang dialects are also distinguished, with the Serpong dialect spoken inSouth Tangerang, namelySerpong and its surroundings, especiallySetu andPondok Aren,[28] while the Tangerang dialect refers to the dialect used in the city ofTangerang and coastal areas such asTeluknaga,Mauk, and surrounding areas. Both dialects are influenced by Tangerang Sundanese.[29]
Semuè orang, mah, èmang diberocotin ènggal amè ngelè argè diri amè hak-hak nyang sembabad. Tu orang padè diangsrongin deri sononya pikiran amè liangsim mengkènyè udè kudunyè, dèh, padè segalang-segulung nyampur amè nyang laènnyè dengen sumanget sudaraan.
Semua orang dari sonohnya, mah, èmang diberocotinnya pada bébas ama gableg arga diri ama hak nyang sembabad. Tu orang udah dikasi pikiran ama liangsim mangkanya udah kudunya, dah, tuh, pada gaul campur dengen semanget sedaraan.[citation needed]
Semua manusia dilahirkan bebas dan samarata dari segi kemuliaan dan hak-hak. Mereka mempunyai pemikiran dan perasaan hati dan hendaklah bertindak di antara satu sama lain dengan semangat persaudaraan.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
