"Sasak" Natural Recordings by Native Speakers
Sasak is a language spoken by the Sasak people, an ethnic group indigenous to the island of Lombok in Indonesia. It belongs to the Austronesian language family.
The Sasak language is spoken by around 2 million people in Eastern Indonesia, mostly on the island of Lombok, but also in some parts of Sumbawa and other nearby islands. It is one of the official languages of East Nusa Tenggara Province in Indonesia, along with Indonesian and Indonesian Sign Language.
The Sasak language has various dialects, with some speakers using a more literary style and others using a more informal style. It is considered a “highly inflected” language, meaning that it has a complex system of inflection, which affects the meaning of the words.
Sasak has a significant cultural and linguistic significance in Lombok, with many traditional ceremonies and rituals being carried out in the language. However, like many Indonesian languages, it has faced the threat of language shift, with younger generations often preferring to use Indonesian as their primary language.
Efforts are being made to document and preserve the Sasak language, including language education programs and the creation of language learning materials.
Sasan means "reign" or "king" in Middle Persian, a language spoken from the 3rd century BC to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Avestan language, which was an ancient Iranian language related to Sanskrit.