Various languages are spoken in Bali. On the one hand, Indonesian is spoken there – a language that is spoken throughout Indonesia. On the other hand, the Balinese population also speaks their very own language: Bahasa Bali. This ‘Bali language’ is only spoken in a few other parts of Indonesia besides the Island of the Gods. In the following article, you will learn why two languages are spoken in Bali and whether you can get by on the island as a tourist with knowledge of English.
Overview of the languages in Bali
As already mentioned in the introduction, several languages are spoken in Bali. Here is a brief introduction to the background and prevalence of the three languages Balinese, Indonesian and English.
Balinese
Balinese, or Bahasa Bali, is the very own local language of the Balinese. This language is primarily spoken in the Indonesian province of Bali, which also includes the Nusa Islands. Due to the resettlement project known as ‘Transmigrasi’ in the early 1970s, smaller regions where Balinese is spoken can still be found in other parts of Indonesia today.
On the Island of the Gods itself, Balinese has a special position. In most occasions based on Balinese traditions, Balinese is used. This applies, for example, to weddings, various ceremonies in the temples or village meetings. But even in everyday conversations, the inhabitants of Bali often resort to their own Balinese language.
Indonesian
Indonesian, or Bahasa Indonesia, is the official language of the Republic of Indonesia and thus also of Bali. The Indonesian language was introduced to create a common language for the many different ethnic groups in Indonesia. Until then, primarily regional languages were used, such as Balinese on Bali. The introduction of Bahasa Indonesia as the official language made it possible to communicate uniformly across all regions of Indonesia.
On Bali, too, most inhabitants speak Indonesian today. Only people who have not yet learned Indonesian at school do not speak this language today. These are often older people who went to school before the introduction of the language. In order for the Indonesian population to find their way around the language easily, it was kept simple. Overall, it is said that Indonesian is relatively easy to learn. Today it is the second most widely spoken language in Bali.
English
With the increase in tourism, English has also become more and more important in Bali over time. Today, English is also taught at school, so that many Balinese people have a good command of the language. However, even Balinese people who have not yet had English lessons at school often speak English. Some of them report that they have learned the language themselves by communicating with tourists – without any lessons.
As a visitor to the island of Bali, you can get by wonderfully with English. Most people you come into contact with speak English. So there should be no communication problems on a trip to Bali – provided, of course, that you speak English yourself.
Conclusion: They speak several languages in Bali
In summary, it can be said that the Balinese population is multilingual. Meanwhile, almost all inhabitants speak the Indonesian national language Bahasa Indonesia. At the same time, however, the Balinese also maintain their very own Balinese language: Bahasa Bali. This is used in particular for traditional events and occasions, but is still used in everyday life. English is also spoken by most Balinese. For tourists, this is a great advantage, as it makes it very easy to communicate on your trip.
