Kawi language
|
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| Old Javanese/Kawi language (Bhāṣa Kawi) | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Java, Bali, Madura, Lombok, Indonesia |
| Region: | Southeast Asian Islands |
| Total speakers: | extinct language |
| Ranking: | not in top 100 |
| Genetic classification: | Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian |
| Official status | |
| Official language of: | - |
| Regulated by: | - |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ? |
| ISO 639-2 | kaw |
| SIL | Kaw |
| See also: Language – List of languages | |
Kawi (from Sanskrit: kāvya, "poet") is a language from the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok. It is actually a literary language based on Old Javanese.
The language has its own unique alphabets for writing, including Tulisan Bali, a script that evolved from Pallava script. Kawi is extinct as a spoken language, but is still used in Bali, Lombok and to some extent in Java as a literary language. It is also the main language used for the Lombok cultural practice of reading and writing literature on the leaves of the lontar palm.
See also
- Bhinneka Tunggal Ika for an example of this language
- Old Javanese
External links
- About lontar (palmleaves manuscripts). (http://www.bucalic.de/lontars/index.html)