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The Revival of Balinese Language

Published 9 months, 2 weeks ago in People & Community by Sidarta Wijaya | 425 Views

Balinese language, nowadays, is experiencing a rapid revival from a hibernating condition before the establishment of regional autonomy. Before the regional autonomy is established, it was used to be taboo to use Balinese in schools or governmental offices and Balinese language did not appear in any media of mass communication. But after the regional autonomy have been established, Balinese language begins to be used widely in television, radio and newspaper (a supplement in Balinese language now appears in Bali Post), and there is a growing interest in studying Balinese language, in 2001, only 7 Balinese applied in Balinese Language Department of Udayana University, in 2006, more than 30 Balinese applied to this department.

An interesting phenomenon occurs in the revival of Balinese language. There are attempts to invent Balinese terms for things that could only be expressed in Indonesian, such as inventing expressions of “good morning/afternoon/night” in Balinese (rahajeng semeng / sore / wengi), in phrasings copied from Indonesian models. Some Balinese find these newly introduced expressions are very amusing, because these are high language forms heard mostly in media; they still sound forced to many Balinese.

The attempts of inventing Balinese terms for Indonesian terms do not stop in the area of expressions but expands to Indonesian terms that are widely used in formal occasion or meeting. These attempts produce an odd Balinese terms that sound ridiculous to most of the Balinese. This rapid coinage of new words creates confusion in the use of Balinese language since not all Balinese know the meaning of these new words.

Another interesting phenomenon in this revival is the frequent use of archaic Balinese words in news program or news article in Balinese language. These words are rare words; no Balinese would ever use them in conversation. Balinese language which is used in the media falls in the same category with the language of literature rather than with the popular Balinese language.

This revival is a blessing to effort of preserving Balinese Language which seemed had lost its hope in early 1990s. A Balinese writer emphasis the importance of the preservation of Balinese language by the Balinese by saying: “If the Balinese language dies out, the Balinese people… will no longer have the key to unlock the chest containing the cultural inheritance of the ancestors.”

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