Balinese language

Balinese ( bah-lih-NEEZ; endonym: Basa Bali, Balinese script: ᬩᬲᬩᬮᬶ, pronounced [ˈbasə ˈbali]) is an Austronesian language spoken primarily by the Balinese people on the Indonesian island of Bali, as well as Nusa Penida, western Lombok, and eastern Java, and also spread to southern Sumatra, and Sulawesi. Most Balinese speakers also use Indonesian. The 2000 national census recorded 3.3 million people speakers of Balinese with only 1 million people still using the Balinese language in their daily lives according to the Bali Cultural Agency estimated in 2011. The 2000 national census recorded 3.3 million people speakers of Balinese, however the Bali Cultural Agency estimated in 2011 that the number of people still using the Balinese language in their daily lives is under 1 million. The language has been classified as "not endangered" by Glottolog. Balinese is a part of the Bali-Sasak-Sumbawa languages groups, which consists of Balinese, Sasak language on Lombok and Sumbawa language on Sumbawa island. The higher registers of the language borrow extensively from Javanese: an old form of classical Javanese, Kawi, is used in Bali as a religious and ceremonial language, while most of Balinese speakers use the low register known as Kapara Balinese as their everyday language. Most speakers of Balinese also speak Indonesian for official and commercial purposes as well as a means to communicate with non-Balinese-speaking Indonesians.