Knowing the Origin of the Javanese Language
Ditulis pada: October 20, 2021
Each island in the territory of Indonesia has its own regional language. There are Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Balinese, Malay and so on. On this occasion we will discuss the origin of one of the regional languages in Indonesia, namely the regional language that dominates this country "the origin of the Javanese language".
Indonesia is a beautiful and beautiful country that holds various kinds of beauty. The number of regional languages owned by the Indonesian state is approximately 250 languages with more than 300 ethnic groups inhabiting the territory of Indonesia.
However, the regional language or local language in Indonesia that dominates the most is Javanese because the Javanese population is in fact the largest in Indonesia than other ethnic groups.
Before entering the discussion of the origin of the Javanese language, it helps us to review a little about the Javanese language itself. The Javanese language is used by Javanese ethnic groups in the provinces of East and Central Java, as well as Yogyakarta.
Besides, the Javanese language is also used by residents who live in several other places such as the Banten area, especially the city of Serang, Serang district, Cilegon city and Tangerang district.
In West Java, some places that use the Javanese language are the north coast to the north coast, precisely in Karawang, Subang, Indramayu, Cirebon city and Cirebon district.
However, the Javanese language of the province of East Java is different from the Javanese language of the provinces of Central Java and Yogyakarta. Which as we know, the Javanese dialect from Central Java, Yogyakarta has a very subtle tone.
Meanwhile, the dialect of Javanese from East Java province is not as refined as that of Javanese from Yogyakarta and Central Java Province. The East Java dialect which is usually spoken by people from East Java is very medok, they are often referred to as the Suroboyoan language.
The origin of the Javanese language is as we know that Javanese is included in the Austronesian language. Austronesian language is the language used by indigenous peoples who live in the southeast of the Asian continent.
The development of the Austronesian language in the Philippines has become Tagalog which is the national language of the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Austronesian language in Indonesia has developed into several regional languages or local languages, namely Javanese, Sundanese and Madurese languages.
It is not known for certain about the character of the Javanese language before the arrival of Hinduism. But what is certain is that the Javanese language at that time did not have letters or characters, and the Javanese language that existed at that time was the ancient Javanese language or also called the Kawi language.
This is evidenced by the discovery of the Pallawa inscription that uses Sanskrit, the same as that written in the Yupa inscription in East Kalimantan.
In addition to the above, there is also another explanation which states that the ancient Javanese language at that time was associated with Hindus, so a mixed language was born, namely Javanese and Sanskrit using Hindu script.
The evidence of inscriptions that prove Hindus associating with Javanese people, is evidenced by the many inscriptions found, such as those found in Dieng in 731 Saka year or 909 AD.
There is also a saga that tells the origin of the Javanese language that in the past there was a warrior named Aji Saka. He is a poet, which is now referred to as the Javanese alphabet until today. This poem is used as the calendar of the Saka calendar.
The Javanese are the original inhabitants of the central and eastern parts of Java. And the language used in daily communication of the Javanese is Javanese. The origin of the Javanese tribe related to the language used is Javanese. Officially, there are two types of Javanese language used by the Javanese people, namely:
Javanese ngoko which functions to communicate with people who are already familiar, people who are almost the same age or other people we talk to but the person has a low social status.
Kromo Javanese language, which functions as a medium of communication for people who are not familiar, to communicate with parents or people of high social status. And the Kromo language is still divided into two parts, namely:
Kromo Madya and Kromo Smooth or Kromo inggil. Krama madya is usually used as a colloquial language or a more polite social language than the ngoko language, while the Kromo inggil language is usually used to speak to older people or people who have positions with higher social status or people who are respected and respected in society. society.
Groups of Javanese People
In the Javanese tribe there are three divisions of people who use different Javanese languages to communicate with their fellow groups, including:
- The santri are designated for those who embrace Islam and make it a way of life;
- Furthermore, the abangan are intended for those who still adhere to Javanese customs or the term is called kejawen,
- The priyayi are intended for those who are educated (scholars), or those who work as employees for the government or private employees.
And this class division in Javanese society has been studied by an anthropologist from the United States named Clifford Geertz. The division of these three groups affects the use of the type of Javanese language or, more specifically, in communicating between one group and another, a different Javanese language is used.
The Javanese language is widely spread in the archipelago, but it does not rule out that it is also spread abroad. This is due to the many Javanese tribes who spread or live wandering.
Many Javanese also migrated to neighboring countries, namely Malaysia, and of course the Javanese migrated to the neighboring country, of course bringing Javanese language and culture to Malaysia.
So that the occurrence of such things can lead to the formation of residential areas which they know as Javanese villages, and this is one of the causes of our disputes with neighboring countries regarding the recognition of Indonesian cultural products which are always claimed by neighboring countries.
In addition, the Javanese are also widely spread throughout the archipelago, with various reasons, for example due to assignments at work, or wanting to open new businesses in places outside the island of Java which are already densely populated, and so on.
The areas of Indonesia which are dominated by Javanese ethnicity are Lampung, North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, Aceh and many other places in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Moreover, in the past there was a transmigration program that had a function to equalize the population of Indonesia, so that it was spread evenly, and not only focused on the island of Java.
Because the island of Java is already densely populated, the spread of the population outside the island of Java can also reduce various kinds of problems that exist on the island of Java.
In addition, the Javanese community also spreads in high population numbers in Suriname, almost reaching 15% of the total population, this is due to the Dutch colonial security, many Indonesian prisoners who came from the island of Java were exiled in Suriname, so that the Javanese language was used in some of these areas. until now.
In addition, the Javanese language also spread to New Caledonia, and also spread to the Aruba region, Curacao and even to the Netherlands. With the sending of Indonesian Workers to the regions of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, it is also one of the causes of the spread of the Javanese language to foreign countries.
Although they are different, they are still one. And the language of our unity is still Indonesian, which has been the national language of this country since the first Youth Pledge was pronounced. Indonesian is the unifying language of this pluralistic nation.
With the diversity of regional languages or local languages, it will enrich the cultural values of the nation. Differences in language cause differences in the character of society in each region in the territory of Indonesia. That is the diversity that exists in this motherland "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" "Different but still one".
