Most people in Bali speak Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and many speak some English. All Balinese however, speak Balinese (Bahasa Bali). In villages and towns across the island, kids are brought up in the family home speaking Balinese, later learing Indonesian, the national language in school, or while mixing with friends. It is still possible to meet older Balinese people, who do not speak Indonesian.

Balinese has 3 main forms and many variations. The 3 main forms are Ida / Basa alus (high), Ipun / Basa Bali Madia (Middle / Polite and Ia / Basa kasar (low). When addressing another Balinese person, the speaker soon finds out there caste, by the name of the person. If a high caste Balinese encounters a low caste person, the will speak to them in low Balinese (speaking downward), the other person responding in High Balinese (speaking upward). In this day and age, the strict lingusitic observations are confined to the village and the temple. In everyday life people will generally use the rule that they will speak low Balinese to family and fiends, Middle Balinese to strangers, and in the work place, Indonesian is the common language.

The language, Basa Bali (in Balinese), is a member of the Malayo-Austronesian language family. Many visitors to Bali can speak some Indonesian, but few speak Balinese. If you know a few words it will impress the locals for sure.

Balinese words place the stress on the last syllable, whereas in Indonesian, its often on the second last syllable. So ‘Bali’doesn’t sound like ‘Baa-li’(the way I say it), it sounds more like ‘ba-LEE’. Interacting with street vendors and Kuta lcoals, you’ll soon pick up that stress on the last vowel, even when speaking English (’CanNOT, ticKET no GOOOD, must come back tommoRROW.’).

Vowels:
As a general rule for us Anglos is Asia, vowel sounds out here across the board tend to go as follows: A=ah E=egh I=igh O=oh U=oo.

Consonants:
Balinese doesn’t have f,q,v,z, or th. Special pronounciations include b or d in the middle of a word, after another consonant are very faint, eg gambelan (gamelan). Letter C is pronounced as a ch eg. ‘that’s a bencong’(benchong). Letter G is always hard, like ‘g”in girl. H is silent at the beginning of a word eg. ‘halus’(alus). Letter H sounds strongly in between 2 vowels, eg.’kesugihan’(property) and makes a dead stop at the end of a word, eg. ‘mudah’(cheap). Letter J is like the English pronounciation, except when at the beggining of a word. eg. jagi (will happen), where it sounds like a ‘dy’. Letter K is pronounced as you would expect when located at the front and middle of a word. When located at the end it makes a dead stop eg. nampek (near), almost missing the ‘K’ sound. Letter R is rolled as in latin languages. Ng is pronounced softly eg. Ningrum. In situations where the ‘g’ is followed by a second ‘g’, the second one is pronounced as a hard ‘g’, eg. genggong (Jew’s harp). Ny can be prononced like ‘ny’ in lanyard, eg. nyuh (coconut).

Phew! glad that’s over. Now for some chit-chat.

The original Balinese language, as it was when foreigners first arrived, was wrriten in aksara text, which vagely resembles hindi. The writings were preserved on lontars, dried palmleaves, like the ones on sale in Tenganen. Signs around the island will offer the phrase ‘Matur suksma’ (thank you) in aksara and in romanized text.

People visiting Bali cannot be expected to understand all the linguistic rules regarding Basa Bali and th appropriate time to use kasar (low Balinese) and Alus (high Balinese). For a visitor you’ll probalby go with the kasar, popping in the occasion alus word. That will mean people will understand you. Bear in mind that Balinese themselves may not be so familiar with Alus.

Thank you. Matur suksma.
What’s your name? Sira pesengen ragane?
Where are you going? Lunga kija?
Where have you been? Kija busan?
How are you? Kenken kabare?
How are things? Napa orti?
I’m / everythings fine. Becik becik kemantan.
I. Tiang.
I am sick. Tiang gele.
What is that? Napi punika?
Bad. Corah.
Big. Ageng
Child. Putra (boy), putri (girl).
To come. Rauh, dateng
Delicious. Jaen
To eat. Ngajeng, nunas
Family. Panyanman, pasa metonan
Food. Ajeng-ajengan, tetedan
Friend. Switra
To go. Lunga
Good. Becik
House. Jeroan.
Husband. Rabi.
No. Tan, nente.
Rice. Pantu, beras, ajengan
To sleep. Sirep sare.
Small. Alit.
Wife. Isteri.Timpal
Yes. Inggih, patut.

Here are numbers in Basa Bali from 1 to 10.
1 - Siki, diri
2 - Kalih
3 - Tiga
4 - Pat
5 - Lima
6 - Nem, enem
7 - Pitu
8 - Kutus
9 - Sia
10 - Dasa

Here are some sentences in Basa Bali.
Bapa bisa basa Bali? Do you know the Balinese language?
Sira wasten jerone? What’s your name?
Adan titiange madan Nick-inggih. Sira wasten bapane? My name is Nick, indeed. What is your name?
Tiang Barrie. I (am) Barrie.
Nick uli negara dija? Nick is from which country?
Tiang uli negara England, inggih. I (am)from England, indeed.
Mara teka uli dija? (You) just came from where?
Tiang mara teka uli Ubud. I just came from Ubud.
Bapa suba makurenan? Are you already married?
Inggih. Tiang suba nganten. Yes. I am already married.
Kurenan bapane dija jani? Where is your wife now?
Ia jani di Ubud, di losman. She is now in Ubud, in the guestthouse.
Akuda bapa ngelah pianak? How many children do you have?
Dadua-abesik luh, abesik muani. Two-one female and one male.
Bapa/Meme lakar lunga kija? Where do you want to go?
Tiang lakar ka airport. I want to go to airport.
Ada ajengan Bali ane tulen? Do you have native Balinese dishes?
Wemten-inggih! We have, indeed!
Ajengan napi sane wenten? Which dishes are they?
Wenten be guling miwah bebek betutu. There is roast pork and steamed duck.
Barrie sering sering ring Bali? Barrie are you oftten in Bali?
Titiang suba ping telu di Bali. This is my third time in Bali.
Nuju dina Pekenan di Ubud. Today its market day in Ubud.
Wenten manas? Do you have pineapple?
Aksama tiang-tusing wenten. Jero kayun biu? Kayun markisa? Pardon me-there are none. Do you want bananas, passion fruit?

Questions & Requests
1. For most questions you can simply raise your voice towards the end of the sentence. eg. Bapa bisa basa Bali. Do you know the Balinese language?
2. You may add the suffix -ke to the frist word in the sentence, which is its ‘topic’or main idea.
eg. Bapake bisa basa Bali? Are you the one who knows Balinese?
3. You may use a question word.

Apa (kasar) napi (alus) what (English)
Nyen - sira - who
Engken - encen - what / which / which one
Ane encen - sane encen - which one
Kuda - adi kuda - how much / how many
Dija - ring dija - where
Kija - lunga kija - where to
Uli dija - saking napi - where from
Nguda - ngudiang - why
Apakrama - punapi awinan - why
Kenken - sapunapi - how
Pidan - ring pidan - when (past)
Bulin pidan - malih pidan - when (future)
Nyen adane - Sira wastane - what’s (your, his, her) name.
Apa orta - napi gatrane - what’s new
Kuda - aji kuda - how much
Apa ento - napi punika - what’s that
Pukul kuda jani - pukul kuda mangkin - what time
Lakar nguda - pacang ngudiang merikat - Why do you want to go there also.

More grammar rules for Basa Bali.
Balinese sentences follow a regular word order, similar to English - subject-verb-object.
eg. Bapa ruah sakeng Kuta. Bapa teka uli Tabanan. (Father comes to Kuta. Father comes from Tabanan).

Possession:
The pronoun or noun after its subject indicates possession. eg Warung tiang (my stall), Barang pak (Your package).

Adjectives:
Adjectives follow a noun. eg. Ada kopi panes? (Do you have hot coffee?) (Lit: There is coffee hot?)

One could go one for ever detailing grammar rules and exceptions. I think this will give you a insight anyway, into how the Balinese language sounds and works. I’ll tell about a thing that happened as I was writing this. Down at La Cabana in Kuta the sun was setting and I was typing away. Paying my bill I let slip a couple of Balinese words, and it was like magic. The wait staff and chefs all stopped what they were doing, looked my way and grinned. One of them continued the conversation, myself trying to remember more Balinese words. It doesn’t take long to get into the local’s consiousness.

Periplus does a handy little pocket guide to Basa Bali (Balinese), entitled ‘Practical Balinese’. Mine cost 29,000rp at Bintang supermarket, has 138 pages and is written by Gunter Spitzing.

(http://www.baliblog.com)

The wedding ceremony is a very authoritative moment in the journeying of human life, not much another from most regions passim the world who have a culture. The wedding ceremony is very precious in the eyes, as important as the ceremonials such as birth and demise.
Therefore, many of whom are hoping that the wedding was held just as much as imaginable one time in his life.
Wedding ceremony in Bali is called the ceremony "Mesakapan or Pewiwahan", which means to unite the two different types of human beings, who loved each other into a very sacred bond.
For most people in Bali of course this is very in apprehension, because it is part of the observance which included the briny ceremonial groupings in order istiadatnya habitual.
But no matter, I tell you this once more with the intention that the cultural beauty of this custom, also can be understood by the general public, at least they can enjoy the meaning behindhand the beauty in the structure of the subsisting cultural custom.

Living in Bali is very intimately associated with profession organizations, agriculture and even create art objects attained by people. Local governances are responsible for civilizes, clinics, hospitals, roadstead, but all aspects of traditional life in the 2nd band by the traditional scheme that has existed since earlier times. The first, subak, dealing with problems of rice production and manage irrigation systems. Anyone who has a field must be a member subak in the domain which will assure that every extremity of the division of irrigation water received a fair audition. Other community of interests administration is the Banjar village regulate activities, marriage and demise ceremonies. Most hamlets have at least 1 banjar and all men who are espoused must be a member of the banjar. Banjar at least cause a appendage of the family head and 50-100 severally banjar have a meeting place called the Bale Banjar. Besides comprising used as a function meeting, bale banjar also used as a place to exercise music (gamelan) traditional.

While no artifacts were commemorated on the stone age, believed that the first residents in Bali bersal from China around 2500 BC. In the bronzy age culture around 300SM appeared and was developed in Bali. Irrigation systems and rice production complex, which is still in use sektrang, developed at this age.

Not until the 11th century, Bali received the first stream of a strong culture of the Hindu and Javanese. With his father's death around the year 1011 AD, Prince Bali, Airlangga, moved to East Java and to unite the kingdoms in one kingdom there. Because of his success, he then constituted his brother as leader Wungsu children in Bali. In the next period, comes the Javanese linguistic process, Kawi, which became the language used by the nobility, one of the Java community features and customary clothing worn because it is.

With the death of Airlangga, in the mid-11th century, Bali delighted a period of freedom to run their own government. However, this proved not to last long during the year 1284, the king of East Java, Kertanagara, conquered Bali and lead it from Java. In the year 1292, murdered and Bali Kertanagara get back the fortune to escape once again. But in the year 1343, Bali cover under the authority of the Billie Jean King of Java since its defeat at the hands of Gajah Mada, a general in the Hindu-Javanese realm last, Majapahit. With the bedcover of Islam passim Sumatra and Java during the 16th century, the Majapahit empire began to decline and displacement on a large scale by aristocrats, priests, artists, and artisans skilled in Bali occurred afterward. For the time being, bali growing rapidly and the next century is considered as the golden age of cultural history bagii bali. Gelgel Kingdom, near Klungkung, became the center of the arts and Bali became the major force leading yangmenguasai and some neighboring Lombok and East Java

Dutch sailors first set foot on Bali in 1597, not until the 1800s, the Dutch people have depicted a desire to colonise Bali. Year 1846, the Dutch people have occupied the region in Indonesia since a extensive range 1700an epidemic. The Dutch government sent troops into northern Bali. In 1894, Dutch allied with the Sasak people in lombok bali against their leader. In the year 1911, all the kingdoms of Bali has been defeated on the battlefield, or has been submitted under the Dutch colony. During World War II, the Dutch were forced out by the Japanese, who had occupied Indonesia from 1942 to 1945.

After Japan was defeated, the Dutch tried to reestablish their power, but on 17 August 1945, Indonesia announced its independence by the first president, Sukarno. After four years of hard struggle of the international criticism finally recognized and in 1949, Indonesia is known as an freelance country.

With a name that became one of the most beautiful sights and deserve in Asia, Bali draw at least 1,000,000 visitors annually from around the world.

Geographically, Bali lies between the islands of Java and Lombok. Small Bali island, stretching approximately 140 km from east to west 80 km from north to south. The highest volcanoes stretching from east to west is Mount Agung, which last erupted in 1963. located just 8 south of the equator, Bali has a tropical iklmi only 2 seasons (wet and dry) a year and an average temperature of 28C. Broad area south and sloping fields into houses terraced on Bali's famous among the most attractive places in the world. In the hilly, northern coastal areas, the main result is coffee, copra, spices, vegetables, livestock and rice.

People of Bali have strong roots and beliefs despite the influx of tourists in large numbers every year, their culture is still very strong and alive. Majority religion is Hindu Dharma, and even though it originated from India, the Balinese religion is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient beliefs of the nearly extinct and different from the Hinduism practiced in India today.

Creativity has been born, the Balinese have traditionally used their skills for religious purposes and most beautiful works of art can be found here is a story inspired by the Ramayana and other Hindu epic.

The majority of public housing Bali berjumalah 3,000,000 people mostly living in rural communities are dense with their large families. Largest city is Denpasar and Singaraja in northern Bali. The main tourist attraction stretches from Kuta to Seminuak. Kuta became a major attraction tourist arrivals since the 1970s because the beaches in the familiar white sand, where the sinking sun berselancarnya and fascinating.

Today, along Kuta and Seminyak is a major tourist destination with hundreds of hotels, restaurants and shops. For those who seek a little peace and quiet tend to go to inns a calmer in Sanur, Candi Dasa, on the east coast or Lovina in the north. Nusa Dua is located at the southern tip of the island nBali peninsula, offers many five-star hotels. The main village of Ubud, Gianyar in the hills, is also a tourist attraction and is now regarded as art and cultural center of Bali.