Bhāṣā

Bhāṣā (or one of its derived forms) is the word for "language" in many South and Southeast Asian languages, which derives from the Sanskrit word bhāṣā (भाषा) meaning "speech" or "spoken language". In transliteration from Sanskrit or Pali, bhasa may also be spelled bhasa, basa, or phasa.

The word Bahasa in English is sometimes used to refer specifically to the Malay language (including Indonesian and Malaysian standards), this standalone usage however is considered incorrect within the language:^[1] when referring to other languages, a non-capitalized bahasa ("language") is used preceding a toponym or ethnonym (e.g. bahasa Ingg[e]ris "English", bahasa Italia "Italian").^[2]

References[edit]

^ "Bahasa Indonesia: The Indonesian Language," George Quinn, Australian National University
^ Wilkinson, Richard James (1932). "bahasa". A Malay-English dictionary (romanised). Vol. I. Mytilene: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis. pp. 65–6 – via TROVE.

External links[edit]

Rules on the use of Languages (bhāṣā), Chapter XVIII of the Nāṭyaśāstra

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[1] "Bahasa Indonesia: The Indonesian Language," George Quinn, Australian National University

[2] Wilkinson, Richard James (1932). "bahasa". A Malay-English dictionary (romanised). Vol. I. Mytilene: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis. pp. 65–6 – via TROVE.

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