Banjarese language

Banjarese ( BAN-juh-reez; Basa Banjar, Jaku Banjar, Jawi script: باس بنجر, IPA: [basa bandʒar], [dʒaku bandʒar]) or simply Banjar, is an Austronesian language of the Malayic branch predominantly spoken by the Banjarese—an indigenous ethnic group native to Banjar regions—in the southeastern Kalimantan of Indonesia. The Banjarese language is the de facto lingua franca for various indigenous communities, especially in South Kalimantan, as well as Central Kalimantan (notably in Seruyan Regency and Sukamara Regency) and East Kalimantan in general. Banjarese also has a significant population in other provinces of Indonesia, especially in Sumatra (Riau and North Sumatra), and some regencies of Riau have a Banjarese-majority population, such as Indragiri Hilir Regency. Apart from the native Banjarese in Indonesia, the Banjarese language also spoken by a small Banjarese diaspora abroad, notably in the Malaysian states of Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Johor, with significant minorities in Sabah, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore; however, they tend to not use it as their primary language, and their degree of fluency is questionable.