Thread: Learning Bahasa Bali

I've found Bahasa Bali to be very difficult, while I think Bahasa Indonesia is extremely easy. I've only been here for 8 months (8 months exactly today) and it is my first time here in Bali, but my Bahasa Indonesia is already proficient enough to handle any day to day situation that arises. I wouldn't call myself fluent yet, but almost.

Bahasa Bali on the other hand, with it's caste system gets really hard, because I will learn a word, and then use it, only to be told that the word is impolite to use with the person I just said it to, or way too formal for the situation. For example, if I were to speak with an older man I would have to speak to him in High Balinese, while he would respond to me, a young man, in Low Balinese. Low Balinese amongst friends, Middle Balinese out and about. It's just like Bahasa Sunda in that way.

I see it as almost like having to learn 3 languages (more like 2 and a half actually, as Middle Balinese is a mixture of low and high), just to learn one. I've yet to meet an expat who can speak Bahasa Bali (I'm sure they exist in the more rural areas of Bali compared to south Bali), and even most expats that I meet don't have very good Indonesian either.

I asked a friend if he knows anything about Bahasa Bali lessons, as I enjoy learning new languages, and he says he had never heard of any, but would be more than willing to teach me for free. Actually 2 friends have said the exact same thing. Gotta love the Balinese.

I believe the best method is to just hack it out with your Balinese friends, This is how I learn. However I think you will find that a lot of what you are learning is Kasar. I see you mentioned you wanted to learn Alus. I personally concentrate on Kasar as this is what my friends speak between each other, However, I am mindfull when talking to my friends parents that I incorporate as much Alus that I know. Its for this reason that I only now a few of the basics in Alus.

For those that believe that Balinese is a natural and easy progression from Indonesian, i would beg to differ... however, The way I am slowly (really slowly) learning a little Balinese is by mixing my Indonesian and Balinese together. If say, for example I am talking with a Balinese friend and I know the expression or word in Balinese I just use it, My friends are used to it and help me along, although sometimes it becomes a point of amusement. Now I find that people that know that I can speak just a little Balinese always use it with me all the time, this forces me to learn, for example, I might be at my local DVD store and the girls inside talk to me in Balinese, although I can only understand a few words here and there, it motivates me to have learnt just a little more the next time I come in.....

All in all, Every Balinese person I have met that see's my willingness to learn their language is always delighted...

Btw- A girl (A long haired dictionary) is always a tried and true method... However, during my first year learning Indonesian I mainly learnt listening to my girlfriend gossiping with her friends in the Kos, later this would sometimes prove embarrassing whilst hanging with my Balinese mates, as I sometimes reverted to the use of an expression or word that is considered effeminate.

Apologies for the thread resurrection but I thought some of you might find these links useful for learning Balinese.
Balinese lessons is an 18 lesson online course with limited audio and is in the process of being translated from the original Japanese.

As for books, there's Practical Balinese, which seems to be a phrasebook plus grammar explanations, and Everyday Balinese, which is a textbook with 23 lessons.