Old Javanese language
Encyclopedia
Old Javanese is the oldest phase of the Javanese language
that was spoken in areas in what is now the eastern part of Central Java
and the whole of East Java
.
While evidence of writing in Java dates to the Sanskrit "Tarumanegara inscription" of 450, the oldest example written entirely in Javanese, called the "Sukabumi inscription", is dated March 25, 804
. This inscription, located in the district of Pare in the Kediri regency of East Java, is actually a copy of the original, dated some 120 years earlier; only this copy has been preserved. Its contents concern the construction of a dam for an irrigation canal near the river Śrī Hariñjing (nowadays Srinjing). This inscription is the last of its kind to be written using Pallava script; all consequent examples are written using Javanese script
.
inscription until the founding of the Majapahit empire
in 1292. The Javanese language
which was spoken and written in the Majapahit era already underwent some changes and is therefore already closer to the Modern Javanese language.
heritage in vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar that it shared with its sister languages in Southeast-Asia.
influence. There is no evidence of Indian linguistic elements in Old Javanese other than Sanskrit. This is different from, for example, the influence of Indian linguistic in the (Old) Malay language.
Sanskrit has had a deep and lasting impact on the vocabulary of the Javanese language. The Old Javanese – English Dictionary, written by professor P.J. Zoetmulder
in 1982, contains approximately 25,500 entries, no fewer than 12,500 of which are borrowed from Sanskrit. Clearly this large number is not an indication of usage, but it is an indication that the Ancient Javanese knew and employed these Sanskrit words in their literary works. In any given Old Javanese literary work, approximately 25% of the vocabulary is derived from Sanskrit.
s, which might have been derived from Sanskrit. That is disputed by several linguists, who they hold the view that it is also possible that the occurrence of these retroflex consonants was an independent development within the Austronesian language family.
and prose.
, 1950, De Taal van het Adiparwa, Bandung
: Nix Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder, 1982, Old Javanese-English Dictionary, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. 2 v. (xxxi, 2368 p.) In collaboration with S.O. Robson. ISBN 9024761786 Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder, 1995, Kamus Jawa Kuna-Indonesia In collaboration with S.O Robson. Translators, Darusuprapta, Sumarti Suprayitna. Jakarta: Hasil kerja sama Perwakilan Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal, Land-, en Volkenkunde dengan Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1995. 2 v. ; 1. A-0 -- 2. P-Y. Teeuw, A. and S.O. Robson.2005 edited and translated Bhomāntaka : the death of Bhoma Leiden: KITLV Press, Series:Bibliotheca Indonesica; 32. ISBN 9067182532
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
that was spoken in areas in what is now the eastern part of Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
and the whole of East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
.
While evidence of writing in Java dates to the Sanskrit "Tarumanegara inscription" of 450, the oldest example written entirely in Javanese, called the "Sukabumi inscription", is dated March 25, 804
804
Year 804 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Japanese monk Kukai visits China, from which he brings back texts of Shingon ....
. This inscription, located in the district of Pare in the Kediri regency of East Java, is actually a copy of the original, dated some 120 years earlier; only this copy has been preserved. Its contents concern the construction of a dam for an irrigation canal near the river Śrī Hariñjing (nowadays Srinjing). This inscription is the last of its kind to be written using Pallava script; all consequent examples are written using Javanese script
Javanese script
The Javanese alphabet, natively known as Hanacaraka or Carakan , known by the Sundanese people as Cacarakan is the pre-colonial script used to write the Javanese language....
.
Development
Old Javanese was not static, and its usage covered a period of approximately 500 years – from the SukabumiSukabumi
Sukabumi is a city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the highlands of West Java, Indonesia, about south of the national capital, Jakarta....
inscription until the founding of the Majapahit empire
Majapahit Empire
Majapahit was a vast archipelagic empire based on the island of Java from 1293 to around 1500. Majapahit reached its peak of glory during the era of Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked by conquest which extended through Southeast Asia. His achievement is also credited to his prime...
in 1292. The Javanese language
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
which was spoken and written in the Majapahit era already underwent some changes and is therefore already closer to the Modern Javanese language.
Austronesian origins
The most important shaping force on Old Javanese was its AustronesianAustronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
heritage in vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar that it shared with its sister languages in Southeast-Asia.
Sanskrit influence
The Indian linguistic influence in Old Javanese language was almost exclusively SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
influence. There is no evidence of Indian linguistic elements in Old Javanese other than Sanskrit. This is different from, for example, the influence of Indian linguistic in the (Old) Malay language.
Sanskrit has had a deep and lasting impact on the vocabulary of the Javanese language. The Old Javanese – English Dictionary, written by professor P.J. Zoetmulder
Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder
Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder S.J. was a Dutch expert in the Old Javanese language. He came from Utrecht and was associated with the Society of Jesus by 1925. He worked at Leiden University in the 1930s. His first work appeared in 1930 and he continued to write into the 1990s...
in 1982, contains approximately 25,500 entries, no fewer than 12,500 of which are borrowed from Sanskrit. Clearly this large number is not an indication of usage, but it is an indication that the Ancient Javanese knew and employed these Sanskrit words in their literary works. In any given Old Javanese literary work, approximately 25% of the vocabulary is derived from Sanskrit.
Phonology
Despite the tremendous influence of Sanskrit on Old Javanese, the latter has remained an Austronesian language. However, Sanskrit has also influenced both the phonology and the vocabulary of Old Javanese. Old Javanese also contains the retroflex consonantRetroflex consonant
A retroflex consonant is a coronal consonant where the tongue has a flat, concave, or even curled shape, and is articulated between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. They are sometimes referred to as cerebral consonants, especially in Indology...
s, which might have been derived from Sanskrit. That is disputed by several linguists, who they hold the view that it is also possible that the occurrence of these retroflex consonants was an independent development within the Austronesian language family.
Vocabulary
A related question is the form in which Sanskrit words were loaned in Old Javanese. The borrowed Sanskrit words in Old Javanese are almost without exceptions nouns and adjectives in their undeclined form (Sanskrit lingga). A wordlist of 200 basic vocabulary items is available at the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database which shows some of these loans http://language.psy.auckland.ac.nz/austronesian/language.php?id=290Old Javanese literature
Old Javanese literature can be divided in several genres such as the aforementioned kakawinKakawin
Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "Kawi", written in verse form with rhythms and metres derived from Sanskrit literature. Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular...
and prose.
Further reading
Petrus Josephus ZoetmulderPetrus Josephus Zoetmulder
Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder S.J. was a Dutch expert in the Old Javanese language. He came from Utrecht and was associated with the Society of Jesus by 1925. He worked at Leiden University in the 1930s. His first work appeared in 1930 and he continued to write into the 1990s...
, 1950, De Taal van het Adiparwa, Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
: Nix Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder, 1982, Old Javanese-English Dictionary, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. 2 v. (xxxi, 2368 p.) In collaboration with S.O. Robson. ISBN 9024761786 Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder, 1995, Kamus Jawa Kuna-Indonesia In collaboration with S.O Robson. Translators, Darusuprapta, Sumarti Suprayitna. Jakarta: Hasil kerja sama Perwakilan Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal, Land-, en Volkenkunde dengan Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1995. 2 v. ; 1. A-0 -- 2. P-Y. Teeuw, A. and S.O. Robson.2005 edited and translated Bhomāntaka : the death of Bhoma Leiden: KITLV Press, Series:Bibliotheca Indonesica; 32. ISBN 9067182532