Total population |
30.9 million (2000 census) |
Regions with significant populations |
West Java: 26.5 million |
Language(s) |
Religion(s) |
Related ethnic groups |
Map showing the location of the Sundanese in Java
Wayang Golek, traditional sundanese puppet show
The Sundanese are an ethnic group in the western part of the Java island in Indonesia, numbering approximately 31 million. The Sundanese are Muslim. They speak a distinct language which is known locally as Basa Sunda (english: Sundanese language).
History
The oldest historical record containing the term ""Sunda" is the Kebonkopi 2 stone inscription dated from 536 AD, refers to the Sunda Kingdom. The word "Sunda" may originate from Sanskrit, in which case it might mean either 'light' or 'water'.
Language
The Sundanese language is spoken by approximately 27 million people and is the second most widely-spoken regional language in Indonesia, after Javanese. This language is spoken in the southern part of the Banten province, and most of West Java and eastwards as far as the Pamali River in Brebes, Central Java.
There are several dialects of Sundanese, from the Sunda-Banten dialect to the Sunda-Central Javanese dialect which mixes elements of Javanese. Some of the most distinct dialects are from:
- Banten,
- Bogor,
- Priangan, and
- Cirebon.
Due to the influence of the Javanese culture during the reign of the Islamic
Mataram kingdom, the Sundanese language - especially in the Parahyangan area - have different layers starting from the most formal, or "halus" version, to the everyday "loma/lancaran" version and the informal or harsh version. However, in the mountainous regions and most of Banten, the loma version is the most dominant. By contrast, this version is considered "harsh" by people from Bandung. In Central Java, Sundanese is spoken in some of the Cilacap region and some of the Brebes region.
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