Indonesian is the official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standardized variety of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. With over 280 million inhabitants, Indonesia ranks as the fourth most populous nation globally. According to the 2020 census, over 97% of Indonesians are fluent in Indonesian, making it the largest language by number of speakers in Southeast Asia and one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Indonesian vocabulary has been influenced by various native regional languages such as Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau, Balinese, Banjarese, and Buginese, as well as by foreign languages such as Arabic, Dutch, Portuguese, and English. Many borrowed words have been adapted to fit the phonetic and grammatical rules of Indonesian, enriching the language and reflecting Indonesia's diverse linguistic heritage.
In linguistics, reduplication is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word, part of that, or the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change.
Tagalog grammar are the rules that describe the structure of expressions in the Tagalog language, one of the languages in the Philippines.
Tangoa, or Leon Tatagoa, is an Oceanic language or dialect spoken on Tangoa Island, south of Espiritu Santo Island in Vanuatu. The community was an early settlement for Christian missionaries, leading to its use as a lingua franca in the area; it has largely displaced the moribund Araki language spoken on Araki Island.
Jambi Malay, is a Malayic language primarily spoken by the Jambi Malay people in Jambi, Indonesia, but also spoken by migrants who have settled in Jambi. Jambi Malay is considered as a dialect of the Malay language that is mainly spoken in Jambi, but it is also used in the southern part of Riau and the northern part of South Sumatra. In Jambi, Jambi Malay has eight dialects, including the Tanjung Jabung dialect, Jambi City dialect, Muaro Jambi dialect, Batanghari dialect, Tebo dialect, Bungo dialect, Sarolangun dialect, and Merangin dialect. Jambi Malay is used as a lingua franca and for interaction among the various ethnic groups in Jambi. The differences between each dialect in Jambi Malay range from about 51 to 80 percent.
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with another 10,000-15,000 (estimated) living off island in parts of the US mainland, Hawaii, and Guam. It is the second-most widely spoken native language of the Federated States of Micronesia the first being Chuukese.
This article describes the grammar of the Khmer (Cambodian) language, focusing on the standard dialect.
In linguistic morphology, inflection is a process of word formation in which a word is modified to express different grammatical categories such as tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, mood, animacy, and definiteness. The inflection of verbs is called conjugation, while the inflection of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc. can be called declension.
Bangka or Bangka Malay, is a Malayic language spoken in Indonesia, specifically on the island of Bangka in the Bangka Belitung Islands of Sumatra. It is primarily spoken by the native Malay people of Bangka, as well as by immigrants from other parts of Indonesia and the Bangka Chinese, who use it as their second language in addition to their native Hakka. Bangka Malay is spoken exclusively on the island of Bangka, although it is related to Palembang Malay and Belitung Malay spoken on neighboring islands. There are five different dialects of Bangka Malay: the Pangkalpinang dialect, Mentok dialect, Belinyu dialect, Sungailiat dialect, and Toboali dialect. Each of these dialects has its own subdialects. Additionally, the Bangka Chinese community speaks their own dialect of Bangka Malay, which is influenced by Hakka. The differences between each of these dialects are mostly lies in their phonology and morphology, except for the Bangka Cina dialect, which also has slight differences in vocabulary.
Teiwa is a Papuan language spoken on the Pantar island in eastern Indonesia. The island is the second largest in the Alor archipelago, lying just west of the largest island Alor.
Mekéns (Mekem), or Amniapé, is a nearly extinct Tupian language of the state of Rondônia, in the Amazon region of Brazil.
The Kerinci language is an Austronesian language primarily spoken by the Kerinci people in Sungai Penuh, Kerinci Regency, and parts of Merangin and Bungo Regency in western Jambi, as well as several hamlets in Mukomuko Regency in Bengkulu. This language is also spoken by the Kerinci diaspora in other regions of Indonesia, such as West Sumatra and Java; as well as outside Indonesia, such as in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor in Malaysia. The total number of Kerinci language speakers is estimated to be around 250,000 in 2000. As an Austronesian language from the Malayo-Polynesian sub-group, the Kerinci language is also closely related to the Minangkabau and Jambi Malay languages spoken in neighboring regions.
Nuaulu is a language indigenous to the island of Seram Island in Indonesia, and it is spoken by the Nuaulu people. The language is split into two dialects, a northern and a southern dialect, between which there a communication barrier. The dialect of Nuaulu referred to on this page is the southern dialect, as described in Bolton 1991.
The grammar of the constructed Naʼvi language was created for the movie Avatar by Paul Frommer. It is a tripartite, primarily affixing agglutinative language.
Pontianak Malay is a Malayic language primarily spoken by the Malay people in Pontianak and the surrounding areas in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is also widely spoken in neighboring regencies, including Kubu Raya and Mempawah, both of which were historically part of the now-dissolved Pontianak Regency. Pontianak Malay was also the primary language of the Pontianak Sultanate, a Malay state that once governed the area now known as Pontianak. In these regions, Pontianak Malay is not limited to being spoken exclusively by the Malay community. It functions as a lingua franca alongside standard Indonesian, enabling communication among the diverse ethnic groups in the area. However, the use of Pontianak Malay faces a slight threat as many speakers are gradually shifting to Indonesian, the national language.
The Pesisir language, is a dialect of the Minangkabau language spoken by the Pesisir people in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Pesisir people are descendants of the Minangkabau who migrated to Tapanuli from present-day West Sumatra in the 14th century and intermingled with other ethnic groups, including the Bataks and Acehnese. The Pesisir people reside in Central Tapanuli, Sibolga, the coastal areas of South Tapanuli, and Mandailing Natal, along the western coastline of North Sumatra. The history of this language began with the arrival of Minangkabau migrants from Pariaman in West Sumatra, who came to trade along the northern west coast of Sumatra. These migrants then made contact with other ethnic groups, resulting in a linguistic acculturation with both languages. As a result, the Pesisir language shares similarities with the Pariaman dialect of Minangkabau and has also been influenced by the Batak languages.
The Mukomuko language is a language in the Minangkabau language family spoken by the Mukomuko people, a subgroup of the Minangkabau people living in Mukomuko Regency in northern Bengkulu that borders West Sumatra. In 1993, there were an estimated 26,000 Mukomuko speakers. Mukomuko is closely related to the Minangkabau language and shares similarities with the Pancung Soal dialect, spoken in the southern part of Pesisir Selatan Regency in West Sumatra. The distribution area of this dialect also extends to the northern part of Mukomuko Regency. Geographically, Mukomuko is situated on the border between Bengkulu and West Sumatra, which fosters interaction between the people of Mukomuko and the Minangkabau. This proximity results in a culturally rich environment, representing the convergence of two or more cultures.
Belitung Malay, or Sedentary Belitung Malay, is a Malayic language spoken in Indonesia, specifically on the island of Belitung in the Bangka Belitung Islands of Sumatra. The language is primarily spoken by the native Malay people of Belitung, as well as by ethnic Chinese who have inhabited Belitung for centuries, using it as a second language alongside their native Hakka. This language is distinguished from Loncong language, another Malay variety spoken by nomadic sea gypsies from Belitung. Additionally, it is spoken by migrants from other parts of Indonesia residing in Belitung, including Javanese and Sundanese, as well as by the Belitung diaspora living in various regions across Indonesia. Belitung Malay serves as the lingua franca among the people of Belitung, encompassing not only Malays but also other ethnic groups living in the island. It is predominantly used in informal settings such as family gatherings or marketplaces. In contrast, standard Indonesian is preferred for formal situations, including government offices and schools, reflecting its status as the official and national language of Indonesia. Code-switching between Belitung Malay and standard Indonesian is common in the Belitung community, particularly in informal and semi-formal contexts. Other ethnic groups, such as the Chinese, also frequently code-switch and code-mix between Hakka and Belitung Malay.
Tamiang Malay, is a Malayic language spoken in Indonesia, specifically in the Aceh Tamiang and significant minorities in Langsa on southeastern Aceh, bordering North Sumatra. It is primarily spoken by the native Malay people of Tamiang. Tamiang Malay is significantly different from Acehnese, the dominant language in Aceh, and they are mutually unintelligible. Instead, Tamiang Malay shows similarities to Langkat Malay and Deli Malay spoken in neighboring North Sumatra. Additionally, Tamiang Malay has been influenced by other languages, such as Acehnese and Gayonese, forming a distinct Malay dialect unique to the region. Tamiang Malay plays a significant role in the daily lives of the Tamiang community. For example, traditional ceremonies, community activities, and other social interactions are conducted in Tamiang Malay. Additionally, for the Tamiang people, Tamiang Malay is considered as a symbol of pride and a distinct regional identity. Most Tamiang people are proficient in Acehnese and Indonesian, in addition to their mother tongue.
Sambas Malay is a Malayic language primarily spoken by the Malay people living in Sambas Regency in the northwestern part of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is also widely used in Bengkayang and Singkawang, both of which were formerly part of Sambas Regency before being split in 1999 and 2001 respectively. Sambas Malay contains unique vocabulary not found in Indonesian or standard Malay, although it shares many similarities with the vocabularies of both languages. It is closely related to Sarawak Malay, spoken in the neighboring Malaysian state of Sarawak, particularly in terms of vocabulary. The border between Sambas and Sarawak has fostered a long-standing connection between the Sambas Malay community and the Sarawak Malay community, existing even before the formation of Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also more distantly related to other Malay dialects spoken in West Kalimantan, such as Pontianak Malay, which exhibits significant phonological differences.
