‘Language’ Archives
A Pathway into Sundanese
Language | Tuesday, 4 October 2011 | sundanesecorner.org Hawe Setiawan One of the recent books on Sundanese subject is Ngamumule Basa Sunda (Preserving Sundanese Language) by Wahyu Wibisana (Kiblat Buku Utama, 2011). This is a collection of short essays previously published in Mangle, a Bandung-based Sundanese weekly magazine. Its contents [...]
Expressing Lebaran
Language | Monday, 29 August 2011 | sundanesecorner.org Hawe Setiawan The Sundanese word for Ied al-Fitr, which is the moment that mark the end of the bulan puasa or sasih siam 'fasting month' of Ramadan, is 'lebaran' or---in more formal and polite manner---'boboran siam'. I don't know whether the word lebaran has something to do with [...]
Toward an Ecology of Sundanese
Language | Saturday, 20 August 2011 | sundanesecorner.org Hawé Setiawan WORRYING about the future of their mother tongue, Sundanese speaking community has been for years lamenting the so-called language destruction. By the end of 19th century, for instance, Moehamad Moesa, a prominent literary figure who helped develop modern Sundanese [...]
Deasy Speaks Sundanese
Language | Tuesday, 12 July 2011 | sundanesecorner.org Hawe Setiawan Some commentators criticize the ninth Sundanese Congress, which is underway in Bogor, West Java, due to its tendency to merely represent what they describe as 'the same old men with the same old views'. Fresh, unconventional and new outlook from young generations seem [...]
The Meaning of ‘Mulud’
Language| Tuesday, 15 February 2011 | sundanesecorner.org Today is holiday in Indonesia, for Moslems in all over the country are celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Sundanese speaking community describes this special moment as mulud (mU-lUd). This word is derived from Arabic, and we use it mainly to call the third month in [...]
‘Puasa’ and ‘Saum’
Language | Friday, 13 August 2010 | sundanesecorner.org Hawé Setiawan This month Muslim all over the world performs fasting. We call the month of fasting Ramadan or Romadon in Sundanese. Every day, during the entire month of Ramadan, from dawn to dusk we prevent ourselves from food, drink, and sexual activity. At the end of Ramadan, that is [...]
Kanékés Dialect
Language | Sunday, 23 May 2010 | sundanesecorner.org Hawé Setiawan My Kanékés friends have often visited my residence in Bandung. They usually come in a small group of two or four. Some time we have a visit of just a friend from Kanékés. They are willing to stay at our house for a couple of hours or days. I always feel happy of [...]
Sundanese Vocabulary in Mass Media
Language | Thursday, 15 April 2010 | sundanesecorner.org In 1982, commissioned by the Department of Education and Culture, Sundanese scholar Achlan Husen, Sukandi, and Ami Yus Rusyana (Ami Raksanagara) undertook a survey on the usage of Sundanese vocabulary in Sundanese mass media. The survey, entitled Kosa Kata Bahasa Sunda dalam Media Massa [...]
Welcoming People
Language | Sunday, 11 April 2010 | sundanesecorner.org The most common expression for welcoming people in Sundanese is wilujeng sumping , which means ‘welcome’. We can read the sign written on brush-mat, hanging on the gate of public facilities, stuck to a wall, etc. It is also expressed in public speaking. To welcome people to a [...]
A Week in Sundanese
Language | Sunday, 14 March 2010 | sundanesecorner.org Sunday = Minggu Monday = Senén Tuesday = Salasa Wednesday = Rebo Thursday = Kemis Friday = Juma’ah Saturday = Saptu
