Madurese language

Madurese ( MAD-juh-REEZ; Bhâsa Madhurâ, Pegon script: ݒا࣪سا ماڊۅرا࣪, Carakan script: ꦧꦱꦩꦝꦸꦫ, IPA: [bʰɤsa maʈʰurɤ]) is a language of the Madurese people, native to Madura Island and the eastern part of Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken by migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely Surabaya, Malang, Gresik, the eastern salient of Java (comprising Pasuruan, Bondowoso, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Jember, Lumajang, and Banyuwangi), the Masalembu Islands, Raas Island, and some on Kalimantan. The number of speakers, although shrinking, is estimated to be approximately 10–13 million, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the country. The Bawean language, which are dialect of Madurese, are also spoken by the Bawean people on Bawean Island, as well as by their descendants in Malaysia and Singapore. It was traditionally written in the Javanese script, but the Latin script and the Pegon script (based on the Arabic script) are now more commonly used.