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.
While Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian has become the primary lingua franca in Jakarta and enjoys great popularity in Indonesian media, traditional Betawi varieties are seriously endangered, as they are now mostly only spoken by the older generation in some locations on the outskirts of Jakarta, such as Kampung Melayu, Pasar Rebo, Pondok Gede, Ulujami, and Jagakarsa.
There is a significant Chinese community which lives around Tangerang, called Cina Benteng, who have stopped speaking Chinese and now speak a Betawi variant with noticeable Chinese influence, including many Chinese (mostly Hokkien) loanwords.
The origin of Betawi is of debate to linguists; many consider it to be an "inherited" Malay vernacular directly descended from Proto-Malayic, while others consider it to have developed as a creole. It is believed that descendants of Chinese men and Balinese women in Batavia converted to Islam and spoke a pidgin that was later creolized, and then decreolized incorporating many elements from Sundanese and Javanese. It replaced the earlier Portuguese creole of Batavia, Mardijker.
Aside from Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese influences, Betawi has large amounts of Hokkien Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Dutch loanwords. Especially the Indonesian Arabic variation which greatly influences the vocabulary in this language. The first-person pronoun ('I' or 'me') and second-person pronoun ('you') and numerals such as ('a hundred'), ('five hundred'), and ('a thousand') are from Hokkien, whereas the words ('I' or 'me') and ('you') are derived from Arabic.
There is no absolute consensus among linguists regarding the classification of the traditional varieties of Batavian language. The most popular classification divides Batavian into two varieties (dialects or subdialects), i.e.:
Chaer (1982) divided the language into four subdialects, which are based mainly onâÂÂbut not limited toâÂÂphonological realization variations, i.e.:
The table below briefly describes the final sound realization variations between the subdialects drawn by Chaer (1982):
However, Chaer (2015) also made a classification of dialectal variations based on the typology of Batavian subgroups, which is divided into three dialectal variations, i.e.:
Apart from a geographical basis, this typology is also based on final phoneme realization variations. This table describes the differences between these variations as cited in Chaer (2015).
Meanwhile, Grijns (1991) drew the classification into 7 distinct dialects (or dialect clusters). These dialectal differences are drawn not only based on phonological realization variationsâÂÂunlike other classifications that are mainly focused only on these phonological realization variations of final soundsâÂÂbut also based on morphological and lexical differences (including lexical compatibility with other languages, such as Balinese, Javanese, Malay, and Sundanese). This is the classification of the dialects:
However, Von de Wall (1909) also noted a dialect of the Batavian language, which has the visible feature of the final realization as . The usage of this "older" dialect started to fade later and to be replaced gradually with . In 1971, Grijns (1991) could still witness a consistent realization of in Kebon Pala. Here is an example of this dialect usage:
Even though the Urban Jakarta dialect with its final realization stereotypes the Batavian language throughout Indonesia, there is no concept of a certain regional dialect being considered as 'higher' or 'more prestigious' than the other dialects among Batavians. However, dialect-mixing is also found in some cases, especially on social media posts.
According to Glottolog 5.2, the dialects are divided into Bekasi, Cikarang, Depok, Parung, Serpong, and Tangerang. There is a distinction between the Bekasi and Cikarang dialects, even though they are administratively in the same area, for example Bekasi dialect is used in the western part, including Babelan, Muaragembong, and surrounding areas, while the Cikarang dialect is used in Cikarang and surrounding areas, directly bordering the Bekasi Sundanese speaking area. Likewise, the Serpong and Tangerang dialects are also distinguished, with the Serpong dialect spoken in South Tangerang, namely Serpong and its surroundings, especially Setu and Pondok Aren, while the Tangerang dialect refers to the dialect used in the city of Tangerang and coastal areas such as Teluknaga, Mauk, and surrounding areas. Both dialects are influenced by Tangerang Sundanese.
<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote></blockquote>
<blockquote>All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.</blockquote>