Betawi
Sign in to saveAlso known as Betawi language, Batavian language, bew, Betawi Javan Creole, Jakartan Javan Creole, Batavian Javan Creole
Austronesian language of Greater Jakarta, Indonesia
Key facts
- Native to
- Indonesia
- Region
- Greater Jakarta
- Ethnicity
- Betawi Arab Indonesians Benteng Chinese Mardijker
- Native speakers
- (5 million cited 2000 census)
- Language family
- Malay-based creole Betawi
- Dialects
- Bekasi Cikarang Depok Parung Serpong Tangerang Urban Jakarta
- Writing system
- Latin ( Malay alphabet )
- Regulated by
- Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa
- Iso 639 3
- bew
- Glottolog
- beta1252
via Wikipedia infobox
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Betawi, also known as Batavian, Jakartanese, Betawi Malay, Batavian Malay, or Jakarta Malay, is the spoken language of the Betawi people in and around Jakarta, Indonesia. The name "Betawi" stems from Batavia, the official name of Jakarta during the era of the Dutch East Indies. A precise number of speakers is difficult to determine due to the vague use of the name.
Linguistically, the traditional dialects as spoken for in-group communication within the Betawi community differ quite significantly from Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian, the vernacular Indonesian variety used as a lingua franca among the diverse urbanites in Greater Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia. In modern-day Jakarta and the surrounding area, Betawi and Indonesian are often used in a continuum, with traditional varieties as the basilect and Standard Indonesian as the acrolect. Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian, which sits in the middle, incorporate significant influence not only from Betawi, but also from other languages brought by migrants to Jakarta. According to Uri Tadmor, there is no clear border distinguishing Colloquial Jakarta Indonesian from Betawi language.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Betawi” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.