Knowra Javanese language Javanese language Javanese is an Austronesian language spoken chiefly on Java in Indonesia. It has extensive literary traditions, regional varieties, and speech levels that mark social relationships.
Javanese speech levels : Conventional Javanese registers that vary vocabulary and forms of address according to social relationships. They make choices of wording signal relative status, familiarity, and respect.
Javanese literature : Written and oral works composed in Javanese across historical periods and genres. Its long record includes courtly poetry, chronicles, and modern writing.
Old Javanese : The historical form of Javanese used in inscriptions and literature from roughly the ninth century onward. It preserves an earlier stage of the language and its literary history.
Sundanese language : An Austronesian language spoken chiefly in western Java, Indonesia. It is Java’s other major regional language, with distinct speech and literary traditions.
Javanese script : An abugida traditionally used to write Javanese, adapted from the Brahmic writing tradition. It is the language’s distinctive traditional writing system.
Wayang kulit : A Javanese shadow-puppet theatre tradition featuring leather puppets, music, and narrative performance. Javanese dialogue and poetic language are central to many performances.
Kawi language : A literary language of Java and Bali, closely associated with Old Javanese texts and inscriptions. Kawi is often used for the language of early Javanese literary works.
Malay language : An Austronesian language spoken across parts of Southeast Asia and a source of Indonesia’s national language. Its close regional role contrasts with Javanese’s stronger concentration on Java.
Javanese dialects : Regional varieties of Javanese that differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Regional variation shapes how Javanese is spoken across Java.
Kakawin : Old Javanese court poems composed in metrical forms influenced by Sanskrit literature. These poems show how Javanese became a language of sophisticated literary composition.
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