Sundanese language

Not to be confused with Sudanese

Sundanese (Basa Sunda, literally "language of Sunda") is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population.

It appears to be most closely related to Madurese and Malay, and more distantly related to Javanese. It has several dialects, conventionally described according to the locations of the people:

• Banten,
• Bogor,
• Priangan, and
• Cirebon.

Priangan, which cover the most area of Sunda, is the main dialect of Sundanese language taught in elementary till junior-high schools (equivalent to ninth-year school grade).

Phonology

Currently, Sundanese is written in the Latin script and its orthography is highly phonetic (see also Sundanese script). There are five pure vowel sounds: a /ɑ/, é /ɛ/, i /i/, o /ɔ/, u /ʊ/, and two neutral^{[clarification needed]} vowels; e /ə/, and eu /ɤ/. The consonantal phonemes (18—but see below) are transcribed with the letters p, b, t, d, k, g, c (pronounced /tʃ/), j, h, ng (/ŋ/, occurs initially), ny /ɳ/, m, n, s /s/, w, l, r (trilled or flapped), and y /j/. Other consonants that originally appear in Indonesian loanwords mostly transferred into native consonants: f → p, v → p, sy → s, sh → s, z -> j, and kh /x/ → h.

Definition of Sundanese Phonology, according to Yayat Sudaryat (1985:26): "Fonologi nyaeta bagean tina elmu basa anu maluruh jeung medar sora-sora basa, prosesna, selang surupna, jeung parobahanana".

There are 16 consonants in Sundanese phonology, according to Yayat Sudaryat (1991,35): "fonem konsonan (contoid) nya eta sora omongan (fonem) anu kawangun ku hawa anu kaluar tina bayah sarta waktu liwat tikoro aya nu ngahalangan. konsonan nu aya dina basa sunda, nyaeta: /b/, /ts/, /d/, /g/, /h/, /dʒ/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /n/, /t/, /n'/, kuayana pangaruh basa kosta sok kapanggih konsonan /f/, /v/, /z/ mangrupa fomem nu asalna pangaruh basa kosta, saperti dina kecap: fonem, qur'an, xerox, zakat".^{[clarification needed]}

Based on the statement above, it is clear that the Sundanese language has only 16 consonants, there are three consonants /f, v, z/ which exist in Sundanese as a result of borrowing words, but naturally they are not Sundanese consonants.

Furthermore, Sudaryat does not mention the phonemes /w, j/ as semi vowels, although as vowels, /w, j/ function as a glide sound between two different vowels, as in the words:

• Kueh - /ku w eh/
• Muih - /mu w ih/
• Bear - /be A ar/
• Miang - Mi j an/

Phonemes /w/ and /j/ function as glide sounds between two different vowels as in the words:

• wa - rung
• wa - yang
• ba - wang
• ha - yang
• ku - ya

Basic grammar

Root word

Root verb

Active form

Most of active form in sundanese verb are in their root verb like 'diuk' or 'dahar'. Some other depend on first phonem in root verb:

1. first phoneme in 'd' is eliminated and changed to prefix 'nga' like in 'ngadahar'
2. first phoneme in 'i' is eliminated and changed to prefix 'ng' like in 'nginum'
3. first phoneme in 'b' is eliminated and changed to prefix 'm' like in 'maca'

Negation

(to be written).

Question

(to be written).

Dupi -(question)

example:

Polite-

• Dupi Bapa aya di bumi? (is your father at home?)
• Dupi bumi di palih mana? (where do you live?)

Passive form

(to be written.)

Adjectives

(to be written). example:

teuas (hard), tiis (cool), hipu (soft), lada (hot, usually for foods), haneut (warm), etc.

Prepositions

Place

Time

Miscellaneous

Languages Spoken in Java

See also

• Kidung Sunda

External links

Sundanese language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• ethnologue report on Sundanese