sundanese corner

2009-11-09T05:34:00.000-08:00

WE ARE MOVING TO A NEW SITE:

sundanesecorner.org

PLEASE COME

Hawe Setiawan

Who is ‘Akang’?

2009-11-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

The word akang [a ka NG] is a term of address for an elder brother or anyone on the same line (see Hardjadibrata’s Sundanese-English Dictionary, p. 11). The same word, which has the same meaning, is also found in John M. Echols and Hassan Shadily’s Kamus Indonesia-Inggris/An Indonesian-English Dictionary. The later dictionary recognizes it as a Sundanese and Jakarta dialect (see Echols and Shadily’s dictionary, 3rd ed., p. 9).

There is also a shorter form of this word: kang. It usually precedes a man's name, e.g. Kang Godi.

Those who use this term of address may be a woman to her husband or someone to his/her elder brother. A man usually uses the word akang to refer to himself when he speaks to younger ones or to his wife.

Here is an example quoted from a dialogue in a novel by Abdullah Mustappa entitled Cihaliwung Nunjang Ngidul (1997):

Dina hiji poé geus liwat lohor, sabot Haji Dahlan keur aya di pabrik, Ajengan Cikaso semu rurusuhan nyampeurkeun. Ku Haji Dahlan buru-buru ditepungan.

“Aya naon, Kang? Aya wartos téa?”

“Ih, sanés. Akang téh katatamuan, cenah tentara nu baralik hijrah ti Yogya, rék ngadon reureuh. Meureun aya kana dua tilu poéna, da mani geus lalimpeu pisan. Akang rék ménta bantuan ka Jang Haji. Da ku Akang téh dibagi-bagi wé di sababaraha imah anu katimbang bisa kaéndongan. Jang Haji di antarana.”

One day, in the afternoon, when Haji Dahlan was at the factory, the Cleric of Cikaso appeared in a hurry. Haji Dahlan welcomed him at once.

“What’s happened, Kang? Have you got the news?”

“No, it’s something else. Akang have some visitors, saying that they are soldiers returning from Yogya, and need some rests. It may take two or three days, for they looked so exhausted. Akang need your help, Brother Haji. Akang shall divide them into several houses, which are proper enough to be lodged. Your house is one of them.”

The Story of Darpan

2009-11-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

I first met Darpan in Bandung when he was a correspondent of a Jakarta-based newspaper by the end of 1990s. Since then we've met many times, mostly in young writers gatherings.

It is common for village residents to have such a short name. Hence, when he used the name Darpan Ariawinangun in his early works it seemed that he was trying to be a new person. However, an old critic made a joke: "That name is strange," he said. In his opinion, Darpan is a peasant name, whereas Ariawinangun is a noble man name. How could two different worlds become one? (That was a strange opinion, I think). Perhaps, that was why Darpan changed his name with the original one.

Darpan was born in Sungaiula, a coastal kampong of Jayamulya Village in the District of Cibuaya, near Karawang, on 4 May 1970. His village is quite different from the mountainous land of Priangan. It is very close to the sound of wave in northern coast of the Land of Sunda. His father, Ano Wangsa, and his mother, Carnisem, are farmers. Some residents of Sungaiula work in paddy fields, while others work as fishermen. Those who sell goods are not many.

Darpan’s village is a kind of mosaic. Different cultures live together in harmony. To meet Sundanese people one can go to Sungaiula and Cimereta. To meet Javanese people one can go to Pulo Satu, Camara and Cibuntu. In Camara and Sungaibuntu there are ‘Chinese’ people too who speak in Javanese, whereas in Patikus and Anjatan both Sundanese and Javanese people can speak in Sundanese and also in Javanese. If one go to Sidariwan one can meet people whose ancestors are from Batawi. That's what I have noticed based on our conversation in Jakarta in 1998. Darpan himself has colourful family background: his grand parents on his father’s side are Javanese. His grandfather on his mother’s side is Sundanese, and his grand mother on his mother’s side is Javanese.

He had his elementary school at Wargamekar Elementary School in the late 1970s. In 1983 - 1986 he studied at PGRI Junior High School in Pedes, then he studied at SPG (Teacher Training School) in Karawang in 1986-1989. He left for Bandung to join IKIP (Institute of Teaching and Paedagogy---now Bandung University of Education). He studied at the university in 1989-1993. It was in his college years that he started writing stories and poems. He had also won writing competition twice at his college. He wrote poems and short stories both in Sundanese and Indonesian.

Darpan publishes his short stories in some Sundanese periodicals, e.g. Manglé, Galura and Cupumanik. His first book, a children storybook entitled Goong Siluman (the Ghostly Cymbal), was published in 1993. In 1998 he published his first anthology of short stories entitled Nu Harayang Dihargaan (Those who Want to be Respected). For several times (in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000) Darpan have won Literary Prize from the LBSS (Centre for Sundanese Language and Literature). He has also won the D.K. Ardiwinata Literary Award four times (1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996). In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious Rancagé Literary Award for the anthology of short stories. Among his generation Darpan is the first one who win the award.

In the year 2000, along with some other Sundanese writers, Darpan was invited by the Jakarta Art Council to read one of his short stories at Taman Ismail Marzuki. He was also invited by a local branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) to read his short story in Lampung in the year 2001. In that time Darpan was still working with the Centre for Press and Development Studies (LSPP), a Jakarta-based non-government organization. Darpan also joined Dangiang Community, a Bandung-based group of young writers who are interested in studying Sundanese culture and literature.

In the present day Darpan lives in Garut, West Java, with his wife and two children. He is a schoolteacher, teaching Sundanese to students at a Senior High School. With his colleague Budi Suhardiman, he published a small encyclopedia entitled Seputar Garut (Around Garut) in the year 2007. He also writes columns regularly in Garut Post, a local newspaper.

Hawe Setiawan

Govt Warns Miners over Pawon Cave

2009-11-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

Sundanese Corner

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

West Bandung government warns miners not to ruin Pawon Cave. A government official in Ngamprah said there would be a restriction on mining to prevent karst resources from devastation. Any mining activity in 1 square kilometre (0.4 square miles) around the cave will be prohibited.

Efforts seem to have been undertaken to preserve this historical site. While legislators are said to had been thinking of law enforcement to be taken for the sustainability of natural resources, local government is planning to make the karst site a tourism destination.

Over past few years the urgency for preserving karst resources has been expressed by conservation groups, mainly Bandung Basin Research Group (KRCB), an independent community that has been undertaking surveys on natural resources.

Archaeological and geological researches have discovered some valuable artefacts from the cave. The most important finding is a skull and skeleton of the so-called Pawon Man. According to experts, this archaeological finding could shed lights on early life in Bandung basin some million years ago.***

(Reproduced with kind permission of Pikiran Rakyat, a Bandung-based Indonesian daily newspaper)

Sundanese Literature

2009-11-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Sundanese Corner

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

LET us talk about sastra, which Sundanese people denominate literature. The term, which was derived from Sanskrit, is also known in Indonesian language.

A recent philological study has discovered that the word sastra is found in old manuscripts, e.g. the Sanghyang Sasana Maha Guru, a palm-leaf manuscript that was written in Old Sundanese in 16^th century. The word sastra literally means ‘writing’. According to this manuscript, writing skill is one of the ten qualities that define educated people.

Oral Tradition

Sundanese literature seems to have been rooted in a particular oral tradition. One of several valuable legacies of ancient times is the carita pantun. It is a long and poetical story told by a juru pantun or tukang pantun (story teller), which was usually accompanied by the music of kacapi and tarawangsa, traditional string instruments.

In its form the carita pantun is usually divided into three main parts: the rajah pamuka (introduction), the story, and the rajah pamunah (epilogue). The story tells about Sundanese knights in fulfilling their obligations and duties. One of the well-known stories is the story of Raden Munding Laya di Kusuma studied by Dutch researcher C.M. Pleyte in the beginning of 20^th century. It is told that Prince Munding Laya is the son of King Siliwangi of Padjadjaran.

People used to gather in a special occasion —e.g. when celebrating a newborn or welcoming a harvest season—to appreciate the performance of carita pantun. The performance was usually presented all night long.

This amazing story telling has passed away over past few decades. Thanks to some Sundanese cultural figures and scholars who recorded the performance of some old juru pantuns and transcribed their stories in 1970s, some ancient stories are well documented in written form.***(to be continued)

Hawe Setiawan

(I owe the information about the text of ‘Sanghyang Sasana Maha Guru' to Aditia Gunawan, a researcher at the National Library of Indonesia.)

Wild Animals Come to Villages

2009-10-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

Sundanese Corner

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

Dry season in some eastern regions of West Java causes deers and wild boars suffering. As the heat burns hills around the border between Kuningan and eastern Cirebon, and wells in the hills are going dry, these hungry animals seek out food and water in villages of Kubangdeleg, Sedong, and Waled.

"These wild animals have often come not only at night, but also at day time. They have even come to kampongs of Kubangdeleg that quite far from the hillside," said H. Richyadi, Village Head of Kubangdeleg.

It is a struggle for survival as deers and wild boars have annexed farms in the regions over the past few days.

Village residents of Kubangdeleg fought off three wild deers that come to their kampong a couple of days ago. One of the poor creatures was fallen into a well. A night bus on a road between Waled and Sindanglaut hit a big wild boar.

Hawe Setiawan

(Reproduced with kind permission of Pikiran Rakyat, a Bandung-based Indonesian daily newspaper. PR correspondent Agung Nugroho contributed to this report)

Verbal Intensifier

2009-10-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

One of the most interesting subjects in Sundanese is the so-called kecap anteuran. The phrase may be translated into English as ‘verbal intensifier’. This element of speech has no meaning but plays important role in a sentence. An intensifier usually precedes a verb to make it more effective, and also more melodious. In the sentence ‘jung manéhna nangtung’ (he/she stands up), for instance, the word jung has no meaning but intensifies the impression of the verb nangtung (stand up).

Every verb has its own verbal intensifier, e.g., gék diuk (sit down), léos indit (going to), berebet lumpat (run), nyéh imut (smile), pok ngomong (say), bray muka (open), bréh némbongan (appear), etc. Each of them are like soul mates. So please don’t forget to make sure which verbal intensifier you need to attach to a particular verb. If, for instance, you said berebet diuk or gék lumpat, people will think that you make a joke, i.e., a mistake.

However, you need not worry. You could make a simple sentence without verbal intensifier. Instead of saying, ‘Barang bray panto muka, bréh manéhna némbongan’, for instance, you might prefer to say, ‘Barang panto muka, manéhna némbongan’ (as the door was opened, she appeared). [barang = when, as; panto = door; muka = open; manéhna = she, he; némbongan = appear, seen].

In several cases verbal intensifiers seem to transform themselves into verbs, as if they are not depend on particular verbs any more. Words such as ngaléos (going to) and pokna (said he/she) are previously verbal intensifiers (from léos and pok). You could express léos manéhna indit ka kalér or manéhna ngaléos ka kalér (she/he goes to the North). [kalér = north].

Here is an example quoted from a description in Darpan's short story entitled 'Nu Harayang Dihargaan' (Those Who want to be Respected):

Hiji mangsa, Ikah geus norojol deui ti nu poek. Sakumaha biasa, ledak deui diwedak gigireun tukang kendang. Dilipen jeung nyisiran, jung nangtung, rengkenek ngarampayak deui...

In a moment, Ikah appeared from the dark. As usual, she put powder on her face beside of a percussion player. She smeared lipstick on her lips, and combed her hair, stood up, and danced again...

In the passage quoted (and loosely translated) above, the words norojol, ledak, jung, and rengkenek are verbal intensifiers.

Hawe Setiawan

Living Sundanese

2009-10-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com/

At a new mall in Bandung an advertisement is read in Sundanese: 'Hapena hade pisan, facebook oge tiasa' (what a good cell phone, good also for facebook). In fact, as far as speech level is concerned, this advertisement is composed in a somewhat polite manner, except for the word 'hade' (it is better to use the word 'sae' which is polite). However, as the complexity of speech levels have only prevented new generations and foreigners from speaking Sundanese, this advertisement is all right. Why not?

A couple of years ago, amid the growing awareness to the so called deterioration of Sundanese culture, a big banner was displayed in the front window of a provincial government building in Bandung which was read in Indonesian language: 'Gunakan bahasa Sunda di lingkungan masing-masing!' (Please speak in Sundanese at your own quarters!). That was a sympathetic message from the Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Jawa Barat (Culture and Tourism Bureau of West Java). The government, however, forgot the very instruction, for the message was written in Indonesian language, not in Sundanese language.

In Kuningan, a town in the eastern region of West Java, a tahu (soybean cake?) vendor displays a brand name: 'Mamaningeun'. The word 'maning' is Cirebonese dialect. The form 'mamaningeun', however, makes use of the suffix '-eun' which is known in Sundanese. As for its meaning the word 'mamaningeun' reminds us to the Sundanese word 'deudeuieun' (somewhat like addicted to). Hence, this new word is a hybrid which weds Cirebonese and Sundanese elements.

hawe setiawan

The difference between moal and henteu

2009-10-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

Sundanese Corner

http://sundanesecorner.blogspot.com

The word moal refers to a situation where a speaker is not willing to do something, whereas the word henteu refers to a situation where a speaker is not doing something.

For instance:

Abdi moal ngiring rapat (I shall not attend the meeting);

Abdi henteu ngiring rapat (I am not attending the meeting);

Abdi henteu tiasa ngiring rapat (I can't attend the meeting);

Dupi salira tiasa nyarios basa Sunda (Do you speak Sundanese)?

Abdi tiasa/henteu tiasa nyanggem dina basa Sunda (I (do not) speak Sundanese).

Abah Ali, the Compiler of the Sundanese Calendar, Has Died in Bandung

2009-09-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

Sundanese Corner

http://sundanesecorner. blogspot.com/

© Hawe Setiawan

Ali Sastramidjaja (well-known as Abah Ali) died at his home in Bandung on Friday, September 25th. He was 74.

The compiler of the Sundanese Calendar was born in Bandung on 27 October 1935. He was one of the sons of the late Neneng Sastramidjaja (well-known as Jaksa Neneng, 1903-1975), a notable public prosecutor cum businessman in the colonial era. In 1969 Ali learned technical skills at a high school in the Netherlands. He returned to Indonesia in 1970.

Since then he worked as a freelance researcher studying and discovering various aspects of Sundanese culture. He contributed valuable findings on Sundanese traditional music, script and calendar. He used computer technology in exploring the musical tonalities of the kacapi, a Sundanese traditional string instrument. He also transliterated some old Sundanese manuscripts into Latin script. The most notable of his contributions is the so called Sundanese Calendar.

Thanks to his personal initiative, people now know a particular calendar system which bases its rules on Sundanese cosmology. According to Ali, the rules of this calendar were found by him through a long period of research from 1983 until 1991.

"I spent almost my whole life exploring Sunda culture," Ali wrote in 1991, describing his 'Kala Sunda' (Sunda Calendar) in a website.

"As far as I know, the Sunda Calendar is the most accurate and finest ... calendar system, especially the Saka-Sunda Calendar (Sunda solar calendar system). I make a comprehensive study on the Julian Calendar, the Gregorius Calendar, and the Islamic Calendar," he said.

In the year 2002, along with Ajip Rosidi and the late Edi S. Ekadjati, among others, Ali found the Center for Sundanese Studies (PSS) in Bandung. This non-profit institution runs a small public library that provides books, monographs and other materials on Sundanese culture.

Promoting PSS

2009-03-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Sundalana, PSS periodical

Sundanese Corner
© Hawe Setiawan

Centre for Sundanenese Studies (PSS) was founded in Bandung by some Sundanese scholars and cultural figures such as Ajip Rosidi, Dr. Edi S. Ekadjati, and Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja in the year 2002. The foundation of this non-governmental and non-profit institution is a realization of one of the recommendations stemmed from The International Conference on Sundanese Culture (KIBS) in Bandung, run by the Rancage Cultural Foundation and supported by the Toyota Foundation, in the year 2001. PSS has a mission to facilitate studies, researches and discussions on any aspect of Sundanese culture as well as their publications.

Since its foundation PSS has been operating a small public library at its secretariat in Bandung. It also issues the Sundalana, a trilingual (Sundanese, Indonesian and English) journal twice a year, and organizes monthly discussion on Sundanese culture. It has also published a book on Sundanese history by the late Dr. Edi S. Ekadjati, a collection of essays on Sundanese culture and literature by Ajip Rosidi, a collection of Sundanese version of some English short stories by Hawe Setiawan and a study on a Sundanese religious figure by Dr. Julian Millie. A few months ago, along with Monash University and Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati, PSS were involved in a one-day seminar on the works of the renowned Sundanese literati Haji Hasan Mustapa.

One of its main interests lies on preserving old Sundanese manuscripts. There are some a hundred old Sundanese manuscripts written in palm leaf and saved in several places, e.g. in the National Library in Jakarta and the Bibliotheek KITLV and Leiden University in Leiden. Yet there are only some fourteen manuscripts that have been read so far by scholars. Most manuscripts are left unread. Since they can be dated to the 16th and 17th century, their recent condition might be alarming. Hence, Sundanese people are on the brink of total ignorance of their ancestors’ voices. PSS would like to cooperate with any other institution in preserving the manuscripts.***

Young Teachers Win Hardjapamekas Awards

2009-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

Sundanese Corner News
©Hawe Setiawan

BANDUNG---Sri Asdianwati, Ai Koraliati and Darpan win the 2009 Hardjapamekas Awards for teaching. Each of the three young Sundanese schoolteachers of West Java gets a trophy and cash of Rp 5,000,000. Chair of judges praise them as creative young schoolteachers who successfully encourage children and teenagers at school to speak in Sundanese as their mother tongue.

Ms. Asdianwati, 30, teaches Sundanese at an elementary school in Garut, about 50 km east of Bandung, as Mr. Darpan, 39, chooses the same profession at a high school in the town, while Ms. Koraliati, 44, teaches the language at a junior high school in Lembang, near Bandung.

The awards presenting ceremony will be held on March 7th at UPI campus in Bandung.

The Jakarta-based Rancage Cultural Foundation runs Hardjapamekas Awards since last year. The awards are presented to encourage Sundanese teacher amid the deterioration of local languages and literatures in contemporary Indonesia. The family of the late R.S. Hardjapamekas (1913-2005), a notable guru from West Java, supports the annual awards.

Long before presenting Hardjapamekas Awards, Rancage has been presenting the annual Rancage Literary Awards for writing since the end of eighties. The awards are presented to Sundanese, Javanese, Balinese and Lampungese writers. It has also been presenting the Samsoedi Literary Award to Sundanese authors who write Children books.***

Bamboo Music Bridges East and West

2009-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Sundanese Corner News
Written by Hawe Setiawan

BANDUNG----A traditional Sundanese music, different songs from all over the world, a collaboration between local musicians and their foreign counterparts and a successful modification of musical instruments will all play their part in bridging East and West.

Such a hopeful impression might have come out of an angklung concert performed last night at Preanger Hotel, Bandung. The ‘Enchanting Night’ –-that’s the title of this charming musical performance---, which was presented by Bandung-based Angklung Web Institute, has apparently made its audience enchanted by some musical pieces, both traditional and modern, pop and classical, Sundanese and Western.

The three hours concert presented the performances of Insperto Orchestra, Arumba Parahiyangan and Temen Awi Angklung Orchestra, before some two hundred audiences, both young and old ---some even came with kids.

Insperto Orchestra, which successfully combined bamboo instruments with traditional percussions, performed ‘Tea for Two’ (Vincent Youmas & Irving Caesar), ‘Donau Wellen’ (Johanes Ivanovici), ‘Cari Pacar Lagi’ (a contemporary Indonesian pop song) and a medley of some Sundanese folk songs.

The second performance by Arumba Parahyangan presented ‘Pachito El Che’ (Benny More), ‘Blue Moon’ (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart), ‘Tilil’ (a Sundanese folk song), ‘Hungarian Dance’ (Johannes Brahms) and ‘Masquerada’ (Jorge Ben).

And the last but perhaps the most excellent performance by Temen Awi Angklung Orchestra, conducted by Roswita Amelinda, Irma Noerhaty, Edward C. van Ness and Obby A.R. Wiramihardja, presented ‘Lalayaran’ (a Sundanese folk song), ‘Somewhere My Love’ (Richard Straus), ‘O Solemio’ (Eduardo di Capua), ‘New York, New York’ (John Kander & Fred Ebb), ‘Santorini’ (Yanni), ‘Li Biamo Ne Lieti Calici’ from ‘La Traviatta’ (Giuseppe Verdi) and an excerpt of ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra (Johan Strauss). Their performance was also enriched by two sopranos.

Angklung is one of well-known Sundanese musical instruments made from bamboo. Since time immemorial Sundanese people had been playing angklung music as one of their cultural heritages. The late Daeng Soetigna (1908-1984) created a kind of modern and diatonic angklung. And ‘The Enchanting Night’ was presented in commemorating a 100 years of the ‘Father of Angklung’.***

Rigg’s Dictionary Reissued -- 147 Years late

2009-02-21T03:01:00.000-08:00

Sundanese Corner News
Written by Hawe Setiawan

BANDUNG---A Dictionary of the Sunda Language of Java by Mr. Jonathan Rigg is reissued, 147 years after its first publication. This classical Sundanese-English dictionary reappears amid the celebration of the 2009 International Mother Tongue Day in Bandung, the capital of West Java province.

Mr. Rigg was a member of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences. The English planter had lived among Sundanese people of West Java for several years. His dictionary, which is the first Sundanese-English dictionary that has ever been compiled in history, was first published in 1862 by Lange & Co. publishing house at Batavia (now Jakarta).

‘We reissue Rigg’s dictionary along with four contemporary Sundanese literary works in celebrating this historical moment,’ said Mr. Rachmat Taufiq Hidayat this afternoon. Mr. Hidayat is the CEO of Bandung-based Kiblat Buku Utama publishing house that publishes the dictionary in collaboration with Padjadjaran University (UNPAD).

UNPAD rector Dr. Ganjar Kurnia launched the books at his main campus in Bandung today. In the celebration, he also invited some old Sundanese literary figures to recite their Sundanese poems before younger audiences.

Apart from its new cover and colophon, the ‘new edition’ of Mr. Rigg’s dictionary is completely similar with the original one. There is no revision. Even the typography and old pronunciation have left unchanged. The only new thing in its content is an introduction that is written by Mr. Hidayat himself which is also known as a book collector.

'We just reserve the history. We would like to remind Sundanese people to this monumental work,' said Mr. Hidayat.***

Gender-Free Pronoun: Everyone is 'Manehna'

2009-02-19T01:49:00.000-08:00

Of course, Sundanese people consist of women and men, girls and boys, but they don't think that their words have to be sexist. Unlike English language which separates 'she' from 'he', 'her' from 'his, 'her' from 'him', Sundanese language doesn't separate human being. Everyone is manehna or anjeunna (she/he) in polite manner. The word mantenna, which has the same meaning, usually refers to God or holy figure.

The Context of 'Kuring' and Its Synonyms

2009-02-13T04:58:00.000-08:00

There are several words which bear function as the first singular personal pronoun. The words in question are kuring [koo-ring], dewek [de-wek], aing [a-ing], abdi [ab-di] and simkuring [sim-koo-ring].

Which one to be used? Don't be confused. In fact, these first singular personal pronouns have different contexts. What we have to do is considering the contexts, whether the speech act to be conducted is formal or informal, polite or inpolite.

Kuring is the most common pronoun, especially in informal or friendly speech. Character in short stories usually refers to herself as kuring, e.g. 'kuring indit ka sakola' (I go to school). The word simkuring and abdi are usually used in formal and polite speech, while aing (and also dewek) tends to be inpolite.

The word abdi (which literally means 'servant') is very polite. One can uses it not only to her fellow, but also to God. For example, one can expresses, 'Nun, Gusti, abdi peryogi artos' (O, my Lord, I need some money).

As for the word aing and dewek, one can uses the words when she talks to her best friend, especially in an informal situation. It is also common for one to use the words when she speaks to herself. And don't forget to use the words when you are angry with someone. (Are we angry with ourselves? I have no idea.)

Please note that in Sundanese part of speech there is no difference between subject and object which refer to the first personal pronoun. In English we differentiate 'I' from 'me', for instance. Yet in Sundanese language, the word kuring could bear function both as subject and object. For example, the expression 'she gives the book to me' may be translated into Sundanese as manehna mikeun eta buku ka kuring.

What is pancakaki?

2008-12-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

Sundanese people have a fondness for kinship relation among each other. It is quite normal if a speaker of Sundanese language ask one these questions: 'How old are you? Are you married? How many children do you have? Who are your parents? Where do you live?' Etc. By means of such questions the speaker is attempting to know how close (or how far) her/his fellow with her/himself.

This is perhaps not just an act to introduce oneself, or an act to know one's fellow, in the first encounter. This is an act to know each other personally while considering a degree of relationship to be developed. And this would be a nice introduction of a conversation.

This paticular way of conducting a conversation is called pancakaki [pan-cha-ka-kee]. According to Hardjadibrata's dictionary, the word pancakaki may be defined as 'degree of relationship, kinship relations where one stands in respect to others.'

From sociolinguistics point of view, the pancakaki may appeared as an integral part of a conventional way to realize social position of the selves that are involved in a conversation. As a consequence of the different social positions, the participants of a conversation has to realize a proper speech level to be conducted. In other words, the pancakaki seems to be prerequisite for realizing a proper speech level.

Today, in harmony with social changes, among Sundanese people there are ones that have suggested their fellows to take the matter of speech level easy. We do not need to differentiate people on the basis of their social position. Humanity is one. Moreover, this is the time of a democratic life, and we are supposed to be egalitarian.

Kumaha damang? = how are you?

2008-11-27T03:15:00.000-08:00

To ask one's condition, just say, "Kumaha damang?". Kumaha means how, damang means healthy or fine. So, the expression literally means "are you healthy/fine?" This is "how are you?" in Sundanese.

To reply to the question, you can say, "Saé." You can also say, "Pangésto." The word saé means "good, well, fine". Pangésto is derived from the basic word ésto which means "to serve someone loyally". Pangésto literally means "blessing". In this context, pangésto means "well (thanks to your blessing)".

The pronunciation of é, e and eu

2008-11-26T03:02:00.000-08:00

There are seven vowels in Sundanese language: a, i, u, o, é, e and eu. The last three vowels (é, e and eu) are interesting. The vowel e should be pronounced as ə, just like the sound of a as

indefinite article in English, e.g. a book. The vowel é should be pronounced as e as in bed. The vowel eu should be pronounced as əu, something like eu in entrepreneur. Here are some words: begang = thin, belegug = churlish, kénca = left, sépak = kick, beunghar = rich, seuri = to laugh.

The occurrence of f, v, x and z in Sundanese words

2008-11-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

One of the interesting features of Sundanese dictionaries shows that there is no entry of f, v, x and z. We can refer to, for instance, A Dictionary of the Sunda Language of Java by Jonathan Rigg (Lange & Co., 1892). In the preface to his dictionary Mr. Rigg, among other things, provides the following explanation:

“F occurs only rarely in words from the Arabic, when it has generally been converted into p, as f is a sound which the Malays, Javanese and Sundanese are unable to pronounce. Thus fikir to think, becomes pikir, and fasal becomes pasal…

V does not occur in any Sunda word…

X does not occur; its sound would be represented by ks, as kraksan, a place in the Residency Basuki should never be written kraxan…

Z does not occur, and when occurring in Arabic words is replaced by s, as the holy well at Mecca, zamzam is called samsam.”

We can also refer to Hollandsch-Soendaneesch Woordenboek (Dutch-Sundanese Dictionary) by S. Coolsma (A.W. Sijthoff’s, 1910). Here we can consider how words from Dutch, the form of which consists of one of the four alphabets, were introduced into Sundanese, e.g. fabriek (Dutch) becomes pabrik (Sd); verlak (Dutch) becomes perlak (Sd); zoopje (Dutch) becomes sopi (Sd). Similar cases due to the alphabets that are lacking appear in Soendaas-Nederlands Woordenboek (Sundanese-Dutch Dictionary) by F.S. Eringa (Foris, 1984).

An interesting feature, however, appears in the Sundanese-English Dictionary by R.R. Hardjadibrata (Pustaka Jaya, 2003). Even though the dictionary is said as “based on” Mr. Eringa’s woordenboek, it compiles some entries with initial alphabet of f or v. Some examples can be pointed out: fajar (dawn), faktur (invoice), féodalisme (feudalism), frustrasi (frustration), valid (valid), variable (variable), véteran (veteran), etc.

It reflects the development of Sundanese words.

Sundanese-English Dictionary

2008-11-22T01:04:00.001-08:00

Jonathan Rigg, an English planter working in West Java in 19th century, compiled the first Sundanese-English dictionary. His monumental work, A Dictionary of the Sunda Language of Java (Lange & Co., 1862) , was published in 1862. The dictionary consists of some 9,300 entries.

Some 141 years since the publication of Mr. Rigg's dictionary, that is in the year 2003, there has been issued a new Sundanese-English dictionary by R.R. Hardjadibrata, a Sundanese lexicographer working in Australia. In his essay Mr. Hardjadibrata states, "The Sundanese-English Dictionary is a general dictionary of 27,127 entries of headwords. This number is a pittance in comparison to some English or any other language dictionary."

You can find the latest dictionary at some main bookstores in Bandung and Jakarta.

Sundanese Language

2008-11-21T01:21:00.001-08:00

Sundanese language (basa Sunda) is one of ethnic languages of Indonesia, which is spoken by Sundanese people (urang Sunda). It is the mother tongue of the majority of inhabitants of the Western part of Java.

This language is not only spoken in everyday conversation, but is also used in songs and poems. There are many Sundanese books, both fiction and nonfiction, including collection of poems. There are also Sundanese magazines (e.g. Bandung-based Cupumanik and Manglé) and newspapers (e.g. Bandung-based Galura and Giwangkara), some of which have their own websites.

Sundanese people had spoken in their own language since time immemorial. Sanghyang Siksa kanda ng Karesian, the oldest manuscript that was written in Old Sundanese, was dated from 16^th century. Some Old Sundanese manuscripts were even written in Old Sundanese script. It is believed that Sundanese oral tradition is much older than its literary tradition.

Modern version of the language is a little bit different from the old one. Words develop and change. Modern Sundanese writing is composed in Latin script.

Foreigners may be confused by the problem of speech levels (undak-usuk basa). You need not to worry, however. Just think about different situations where you are supposed to decide whether you should speak in “formal” or “polite” (lemes) manner or in “informal” or “familiar” (loma) manner. You can remember different words for different situations. Why not?