Sundanese (Basa Sunda, literally "language of Sunda") is the language of about 39 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population.
Sundanese appears to be most closely related to Madurese and Malay, and more distantly related to Javanese. It has several dialects, conventionally described according to the locations of the people:
- Western dialect, spoken in the provinces of Banten & some parts of Lampung,
- Northern dialect, spoken in Bogor & northern coastal area of West Java,
- Southern or Priangan dialect (Bandung & its surroundings),
- Mid-east dialect, spoken in Majalengka & Indramayu,
- Northeast dialect, spoken in Kuningan, Cirebon & Brebes (Central Java),
- Southeast dialect, spoken in Ciamis, Banjar & Cilacap (Central Java).
Priangan, which covers the largest area of Sunda (Tatar Pasundan in Sundanese), is the most widely spoken type of Sundanese language, taught in elementary till senior-high schools (equivalent to twelfth-year school grade) in West Java and Banten Province.
