Apart From Indonesia, These Are Six Countries That Use Javanese

INDEPHEDIA.com - Javanese is the Austronesian language family of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup.

In general, the wider community knows Javanese at 2 levels with different uses.

The two levels are, namely Ngoko/Javanese Rough (ngoko innocent and ngoko alus) and Krama/Javanese Smooth (innocent krama and krama inggil).

The Javanese language is primarily spoken by the Javanese population in the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indonesia.

In everyday life, the Javanese use Javanese as a conversational language (oral/spoken).

Not only that, Javanese is also widely spoken by the Javanese diaspora in other regions of Indonesia, such as in Sumatra and Kalimantan and even abroad.

It is known that there are several countries that use Javanese as their daily language. How come?

The following INDEPHEDIA.com summarizes six countries that use Javanese as an everyday language besides the Javanese in Indonesia.

1. Suriname

Suriname, a country in South America, a former colony of the Netherlands which was previously named Dutch Guiana or Dutch Guiana.

Around 75,000 Javanese lived in that country who were brought by the Dutch East Indies colonial government during the period 1890-1939.

Even though the national language of this country is Dutch, Suriname is different.

Suriname is one of the countries that uses Javanese as the daily language of its population.

Until now, these Javanese are citizens of Suriname and they also speak Javanese in their daily lives.

2. The Netherlands

Apart from Suriname, in the Netherlands there are several areas where the language spoken by the people there uses Javanese.

During its colonial period, the Dutch government brought Javanese people to this country.

Then, the Dutch colonial also brought several ancient Javanese manuscripts to his country.

One of the oldest universities in the Netherlands, namely Leiden University, has Javanese language courses and studies Javanese.

3. Singapore

Singapore is also a country that uses Javanese. In this country there are many descendants of the Javanese.

The Javanese were previously sent to Singapore as plantation workers or other arrivals.

After living in Singapore for a long time, these Javanese people finally settled in this country.

The Javanese first came to Singapore in 1825 when they came to Malaysia.

In Singapore, there is an area called Kampung Jawa (Javanese Village) on the banks of the Rochor River.

This area became one of the settlements of the first Javanese people to come to Singapore.

It's no wonder that one of the people in this area in Singapore uses Javanese as their daily language.

4. Malaysian

In neighboring Malaysia, there are also many Javanese people who live and have settled here.

They are the third generation of descendants of the Javanese who moved to Malaysia in the 18th century AD. At first, they came to work.

The majority of Javanese in Malaysia live in the areas of Sepang, Kuala Selangor, Banting, Tanjung Karang and Sabak Bernam.

There is one area in Johor that has very strong Javanese culture, complete with Javanese language. The area is called Parit Jawa.

Of course, most of the Javanese people who live in Malaysia have been citizens there for a long time.

5. New Caledonia

New Caledonia or New Caledonia is an island nation located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

New Caledonia was discovered by explorer James Cook on September 4, 1774 during his second voyage in the Pacific region.

New Caledonia was originally a territory that had the status of a French colony. The capital of this department is called Noumea.

New Caledonia held a referendum on independence from France on November 4, 2018.

The migration of the Javanese to New Caledonia is the same as that of Suriname. However, moving has been stalled since 1949.

This country is also one of the countries where many people use Javanese as their daily language.

This is because many Javanese tribes came to this country around 1896 at the same time as their arrival to Suriname.

Javanese people in this country still use Javanese as their daily language.

Along with the times, unfortunately many young people there can't speak Javanese.

Most of the young people of Javanese descent in New Caledonia can only speak French.

6. Cocos Islands

Cocos Islands or Cocos Island (Keeling) one of the islands in Southeast Asia which is the territory of Australia.

The Cocos Islands were first sighted by Captain William Keeling while he was in service with the British East India Company.

At that time, the islands were uninhabited and neither Keeling nor any other sailors attempted to settle them until the 19th century AD.

Captain Keeling is honored as the first discoverer by giving his family name as part of the name of the islands.

The population in this country which is located in the Indian Ocean are also mostly inhabited by those who come from or are of Javanese and Malay descent.

It is not surprising that the descendants of the Javanese people living in the islands use the language and adhere to the original Javanese traditions and culture. (SJ/IND)