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Tenggerese dialect

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Tenggerese
Tengger Javanese
Basa Tengger
ꦧꦱꦠꦼꦁꦒꦼꦂ
Pronunciation[basa təŋgəɾ]
Native toIndonesia (East Java)
RegionAreas surrounding Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Pasuruan Regency, Probolinggo Regency, Malang Regency, and Lumajang Regency
EthnicityTenggerese people
Native speakers
30,000 (2008)[1]
Early form
Latin (Javanese alphabet)
Javanese
Language codes
ISO 639-3tes
Glottologteng1272
  Areas where Tenggerese is spoken by a majority of the population
  Areas where Tenggerese is spoken by a significant minority of the population
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Tenggerese (Tenggerese: ꦧꦱꦠꦼꦁꦒꦼꦂ, Basa Tengger), sometimes referred to as Tengger Javanese, is a dialect of Javanese spoken by the Tenggerese people, a subgroup of the Javanese who live in villages located in the mountainous areas surrounding the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, administratively within the regencies of Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang in East Java, Indonesia. The language differs significantly from modern Javanese, as it retains many features of Kawi, or Old Javanese, particularly in its phonology and vocabulary—a result of the geographic isolation of its speakers.[2] Some linguists, however, consider Tenggerese a descendant of the ancient Kawi language, as it preserves archaic vocabulary no longer found in modern Javanese.[3] The language differs markedly from the Arekan Javanese dialect spoken in the surrounding regions and is more closely related to the Osing language of Banyuwangi, which likewise preserves many features of Kawi.[4]

In the Tenggerese villages within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, the Tenggerese language remains widely spoken as a means of daily communication and continues to be used in cultural practices and rituals such as ancestral worships.[5] The Tengger language consists of several varieties and isolects that may differ between villages in vocabulary and grammar, largely due to geographic separation.[6] In recent times, it has been increasingly influenced by the Arekan dialect of Javanese, which is widely spoken in East Java, as well as by Indonesian, the national language of Indonesia, particularly in formal domains such as education. Today, most Tenggerese people are bilingual or even trilingual.[7] Code-switching between Tenggerese, Arekan Javanese, and Indonesian is common among the Tenggerese-speaking community, particularly in interactions with non-Tenggerese speakers.[8]

Terminology and classification

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In local terminology, the Tengger language is known as Cārabasa Tengger or Piwākyan Tengger. The word cārabasa is thought to be a blend of the Old Javanese terms uccāraṇa and bhāṣa (from Sanskrit), meaning "word expression." Meanwhile, the term piwākyan, derived from the Old Javanese word wākya, carries the meaning "voice expression." The name Tengger itself refers to the ethnonym of the indigenous inhabitants of the Tengger Mountains and surrounding areas. The Tengger people call their language basa dhuwur 'high language' or Tengger Javanese, while the East Javanese dialect of Javanese (Arekan) is referred to as basa ngisor 'low language', a dialect spoken by communities living in the lowlands below the Tengger highlands.[9] This distinction reflects the fact that all Tengger settlements are located at higher elevations compared to those of the Arekan Javanese.[9]

Linguistically, the Tengger language is classified as a dialect of Javanese, which belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. Like other modern Javanese dialects, Tengger Javanese is derived from Middle Javanese, although it has retained a number of archaic lexical items. Genealogically, Tengger Javanese is part of the Eastern Javanese variety and is related to other Eastern Javanese dialect groups, particularly the Arekan dialect cluster (such as the Gresik and Malang–Surabaya dialects), as well as the Osing language. Unlike speakers of the Osing language, who reject the idea that Osing is a Javanese dialect, Tenggerese speakers openly acknowledge that their language is a dialect of Javanese.[10]

Geographic distribution and usage

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Tenggerese is primarily spoken by the Tenggerese people who inhabit areas in and around the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java, which is administratively divided among the regencies of Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang. Tenggerese villages are concentrated in eastern Malang, southern Pasuruan, southwestern Probolinggo, and northwestern Lumajang. The Tengger people form the majority population in Tosari District (Pasuruan) and Sukapura District (Probolinggo). They are also found in several other villages, including Ledokombo, Pandansari, and Wonokerso in Sumber District (Probolinggo); Keduwung in Puspo District (Pasuruan); Kayu Kebek and Ngadirejo in Tutur District (Pasuruan); Ngadas in Poncokusumo District (Malang); as well as Argosari and Ranu Pani in Senduro District (Lumajang).[11] Of all the villages, only Ngadas and Ranu Pani fall within the boundaries of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, and are therefore designated as protected conservation areas.[12] Most of the Tengger villages are located in mountainous and rugged terrain at elevations of up to 2,100 meters above sea level.[12] Their relative isolation—from one another as well as from the outside world—has not only helped preserve the language but also fostered noticeable variation in Tenggerese across different villages.[13]

Tenggerese is the primary language used in daily communication within the Tengger community. It is mostly employed in informal and semi-formal settings, such as conversations with family and friends or in village meetings. In formal contexts, such as schools, Standard Javanese and Indonesian are generally used, although Tenggerese may also be spoken when the teachers are native Tengger speakers.[10] The language also plays an important role in cultural life, being used in traditional ceremonies and rituals, particularly in the recitation of mantras and oral literature such as folktales. Traditional Tengger ceremonies, including weddings, continue to be conducted in Tenggerese. Tenggerese speakers, especially adults, are generally bilingual or trilingual. They are proficient in Tenggerese and Arekan Javanese (basa ngisor). Tenggerese is used in communication among fellow Tengger people, while basa ngisor is employed when speaking with non-Tengger Javanese. Although code-switching occurs when necessary, Tenggerese remains the consistent medium of communication within the community, even in the presence of outsiders.[14] In addition, most speakers are fluent in Indonesian, the national language, and many also have competence in English, due to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park being a major tourist destination frequently visited by international travelers.[15]

Dialects and varieties

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Tengger villages in and around the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park are geographically separated by mountain slopes and forests, making them difficult to access. This isolation has contributed to the development of variations in the Tenggerese language, particularly in phonology and vocabulary. Nevertheless, these local differences are relatively minor, and the varieties remain mutually intelligible.[14] The variety most commonly regarded as the “standard” is that of Ngadisari village in Sukapura, Probolinggo.[14]

There are minor vocabulary differences among the various Tenggerese villages. For example, the word reyang 'I (male speaker)' is used in Ngadisari as a subject pronoun. In Ngadas village in Malang, however, although the word is known, it is never used; instead, the form eyang 'I (male speaker)' is employed, both as a subject and as a possessive suffix. Thus, the sentence Reyang kate nang pasar 'I want to go to the market', as spoken in Ngadisari, would be expressed in Ngadas as Eyang kate nang pasar. Another difference can be seen in the imperative form. In Ngadisari, the form gawanen 'bring [it]' is used consistently, whereas in Ngadas it becomes gawaen. Similarly, the Ngadisari form nak gawa 'bring [it]' corresponds to nik gawa in Ngadas.[16] Certain Tenggerese varieties have also come under the influence of the Arekan dialect of Javanese, as reflected in the adoption of loanwords.[13]

Phonological differences can be observed among the Tenggerese varieties spoken in different villages. In Pasuruan Regency, for example, the speech of Ngadirejo differs systematically from that of Mororejo. In Ngadirejo, the word for ‘you’ is siro /sirɔ/, while in Mororejo it is sira /sira/, showing a difference in the vowel phoneme. Similarly, in Ngadirejo the numeral ‘six’ is enem /ǝnǝm/, whereas Mororejo speakers use nenem /nǝnǝm/, which involves the addition of an extra syllable. A comparable pattern can be seen in the word for ‘sick’, which appears as loro /lɔrɔ/ in Ngadirejo but as lara /lara/ in Mororejo.[6]

Phonology

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Tenggerese, like many other regional languages in Indonesia, lacks a standardized phonological system. Nevertheless, many of the phonological system designed for Tenggerese is loosely based on standard Indonesian orthography, especially the system created by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

Vowels

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Like Standard Javanese, Tenggerese has six vowels. These vowels are /i/, /e/, /ə/, /a/, /u/, and /o/.[17]

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a

Notes:

  • In writing, /e/ and /ə/ are both represented as ⟨e⟩.

Consonants

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Tenggerese has 20 consonants.[18]

Labial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/

Affricate

voiceless p t ʈ t͡ʃ k
voiced b d ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ
Fricative voiceless s h
voiced
Lateral l
Semivowel w j
Trill r

Notes: In writing, the following phonemes are represented as thus:

  • /ŋ/ is ⟨ng⟩
  • /ɲ/ is ⟨ny⟩
  • /t͡ʃ/ is ⟨c⟩
  • /d͡ʒ/ is ⟨j⟩
  • /j/ is ⟨y⟩
  • /ʈ/ is ⟨ṭ⟩ or ⟨th⟩
  • /ɖ/ is ⟨ḍ⟩ or ⟨dh⟩

Grammar

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A few examples of words in Tenggerese:

Tenggerese language Indonesian language English
reang aku I (for male)
isun aku I (for female)
sira kamu you
rika anda you (for an older person)

When the letter "A" is read as "O" in modern Javanese, in Tenggerese it is still read as "A".[19]

References

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  1. ^ Conners 2008, p. 1.
  2. ^ Putri, Dyah Selvia Jayendra Eka (9 November 2021). "Unsur-unsur bahasa Jawa Kuna pada masyarakat Suku Tengger". Jurnal Harian Regional (in Indonesian). ISSN 2302-920X. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  3. ^ Dwi Astuti Wahyu Nurhayati 2016, p. 2
  4. ^ Farikha, Nurul (2022). "Perbandingan Dialek Bahasa Jawa Masyarakat Pesisir Dengan Masyarakat Pegunungan di Pasuruan: Kajian dialektologi". Jurnal Penelitian, Pendidikan, dan Pembelajaran (in Indonesian). 17 (16). ISSN 2337-6384.
  5. ^ Firdaus, Elvin Nuril; Kriswanto, Muhammad; Padang, Naomi Baso; Saputra, Kelfin Jaya; Arifin, Nur Hikmah; Fatmawati, Galuh; Ardhian, Dany (13 November 2022). "Leksikon Tanaman pada Boneka Petra dalam Ritual Kematian Masyarakat Tengger sebagai Simbol Leluhur: Kajian Antropolinguistik". SeBaSa. 5 (2): 279–289. doi:10.29408/sbs.v5i2.5901. ISSN 2621-0851.
  6. ^ a b Reswati, Windi Agustia Dwi; Widayati, Wahyu; L, Victor Maroli Tua (2023). "Analisis Penggunaan Dialek Tengger Pada Masyarakat Desa Ngadirejo Kecamatan Tutur dan Desa Mororejo Kecamatan Tosari (Kajian Dialektologi)". ALFABETA: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya. 6 (2): 168–174. doi:10.33503/alfabeta.v6i2.1171. ISSN 2654-735X.
  7. ^ Afiah, Fiodita Nur (1 April 2022). "Bentuk-bentuk Relasi Masyarakat Hindu dan Islam pada Suku Tengger Desa Ngadisari Kabupaten Probolinggo: Komunikasi dalam Kerukunan". Icon: Islamic Communication and Contemporary Media Studies. 1 (1): 93–106. doi:10.35719/icon.v1i1.52. ISSN 2986-7649.
  8. ^ Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 22-23.
  9. ^ a b Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 20-21.
  10. ^ a b Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 21.
  11. ^ Sutarto, Ayu (2006) Sekilas Tentang Masyarakat Tengger. Working Paper. Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan: BPNB D.I. Yogyakarta.
  12. ^ a b Batoro, Jati (1 May 2017). Keajaiban Bromo Tengger Semeru: Analisis Kehidupan Suku Tengger – Antropologi-Biologi di Lingkungan Bromo Tengger Semeru Jawa Timur (in Indonesian). Universitas Brawijaya Press. ISBN 978-602-432-141-3.
  13. ^ a b Fitriana, Hanifah Nur (2018). "Variasi Dialek Tengger di Kabupaten Pasuruan, Probolinggo, dan Lumajang". Jurnal Sapala (in Indonesian). 5 (1).
  14. ^ a b c Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 23.
  15. ^ Jalil, Muhammad Muhtar (2013). Language Socialization and Family Value in Maintaining Local Dialect: A Case of Tengger Community (Bachelor thesis). Airlangga University.
  16. ^ Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 24.
  17. ^ Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 32.
  18. ^ Soedjito et al. 1984, p. 33.
  19. ^ Dwi Astuti Wahyu Nurhayati 2016, p. 9

Bibliography

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