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BASAbali launches digital dictionary to save Balinese language
Non-governmental organization BASAbali
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on-governmental organization BASAbali.org has launched a digital dictionary -- Balinese-English-Indonesian Wiki -- through the website dictionary.basabali.org/ as part of efforts to save the Balinese language.
BASAbali.org organizer Ayu Mandala said that her organization was worried about the increasing number of Balinese people who did not use their mother tongue during daily life, such as when communicating with their friends on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
She said that her concern arose when research revealed that only a quarter of Balinese people were still using the Balinese language. Therefore, BASAbali decided to create the digital dictionary.
'[The digital dictionary] also aims to help anyone who wants to study the Balinese language,' she said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co. She added that the Balinese language was not owned only by Balinese people but by people across the archipelago.
She said that the dictionary could not only translate words from Indonesian and English into Balinese, but also explained their contexts. It also displays the Balinese alphabet (aksara Bali) and Youtube videos made by Balinese people.
Academic I Gede Nala said that he warmly welcomed the dictionary, as it would help Balinese people to conserve their mother tongue. (alz)
