Balinese language clearly expresses the hierarchy in Balinese society. Balinese often speak of three broad language levels, though each of these levels has sub-levels within it. These three broad language levels can be explained as Low Balinese, Medium Balinese and High Balinese. The Low Balinese is used by a Balinese to speak to friend from same or lower caste, family members and relatives. Medium Balinese is used to speak to stranger, people from higher caste and people of status and importance. The High Balinese is used to speak to high priest (pedanda).

The rules in Balinese language in which a low caste person must use Medium or High Balinese to a high caste person or when referring to a higher caste person but a high caste person may use a Low Balinese in return and the use Medium or High Balinese for words pertaining to the body and actions of the higher caste person while the higher caste using low Balinese terms for the body and actions of lower caste are the obvious evidence of strong hierarchal structure of Balinese language and its close connection with Balinese hierarchal society.

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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.

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