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Balinese or simply Bali is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by 3.9 million people (as of 2001[update]) on the Indonesian island of Bali, as well as northern Nusa Penida, western Lombok and eastern Java.[1] Most Balinese speakers also know Indonesian.
Kawi is a related priestly language.
Classification
Balinese is part of the Austronesian language family, and is closely related to the Sasak and Sumbawa languages.
Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
Grammar
Registers
Balinese has different registers depending on the relationship and status of those speaking: low (basa ketah), middle (basa madia), and high (basa singgih). Basa singgih contains many loanwords from Sanskrit and Javanese.
Writing
Balinese has been written in two different writing systems: the Balinese script, and in modern times the Latin alphabet.
Balinese script
Basic signs of the Balinese script
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The Balinese script (Carakan) is an abugida, ultimately derived from the Br„hm“ script of India. The earliest known inscriptions date from the 11th century AD.
Few people today are familiar with the Balinese script.[2] The Balinese Script is almost the same as Javanese script.
Latin alphabet
Schools in Bali today teach a form of the Latin alphabet for writing Balinese, known as Tulisan Bali.[3]
Notes
References
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