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Arabic–Javanese of Klego, also known as Colloquial Arabic-Javanese, is a Para-Arabic language or more precisely a mixed language derived from the varieties of Arabic spoken in Indonesia, Indonesian Arabic, and Javanese. This language is spoken in Klego, a subdistrict in the city of Pekalongan, Central Java. Its speakers are not only of Arab descent but also include the native Javanese population in the area.

It can be said that this language is one of the varieties within the cluster of Pekalongan Arabic dialects, which has been strongly influenced by the Coastal Javanese dialect in Pekalongan. Its speakers can be considered bilingual or even multilingual.

History

Pekalongan is a small city located on the northern coast of Java, characterized by its dynamic conditions, partly due to the thriving batik industry and trade in the area. Trade practices, both interregional and international, have been conducted in Pekalongan for a long time, dating back to the 11th century. In the past, Pekalongan was a major port city, attracting traders from various parts of the world, as it was one of the stops along the Maritime Silk Road. Eventually, many foreign traders settled in Pekalongan, including Chinese, Bengali, Arab, and possibly Persian and Gujarati merchants.

During the Dutch colonial period, these ethnic groups became part of the city's settlement divisions, which included indigenous people (pribumi), the Dutch, the Chinese, and the Arabs (including Indians and Persians). The Arab ethnic settlement still exerts a strong influence in Pekalongan to this day. This area is often referred to as 'Kampung Arab,' including the Klego subdistrict, where the community was led by a Kapitan Arab who served as the head of the community.] This is where the largest community of Hadrami Arabs is found, originating from Hadramaut in Yemen, although many Arab communities also exist in other areas such as Sugihwaras, Poncol, Noyontaan, and other parts of Pekalongan.

Due to the diverse ethnic groups, a daily language or marketplace language ('amiyah) was needed—an oral language used to facilitate communication among the community. This vernacular language is significantly different from Standard Arabic, which is typically studied in academic settings. Therefore, it can be said that this language does not adhere to proper grammatical rules, and many of its vocabulary items are not even found in Arabic dictionaries. The Colloquial Arabic-Javanese used by the Klego community exhibits a uniqueness that can only be understood by their community or those living among them, even if they are not of Arab ethnicity.

As a result of linguistic contact between the dominant Javanese natives and the incoming Arab population, language mixing phenomena are frequently observed in social interactions. This mixed language phenomenon has become a particular subject of sociolinguistic studies. Code-mixing and code-switching occur in their language, especially between its two largest communities, Javanese and Arab.

The history of the arrival of Arabs in Klego is closely linked to the arrival of Arabs in Indonesia, the majority of whom came from Hadramaut in Yemen, often stopping first in Gujarat. They generally consisted of two groups: the Sayyid group (claiming descent from Ali through Husain bin Ali, also known as Alawi or Habaib), identified by their clan names such as Al-Attas, Al-Habsyi, and Al-Idrus, among others. There was also the Qabili group, who did not claim descent from Ali, identified by clan names such as Basyir, Baswedan, and Al-Kathiri. These groups lived in long-established social harmony, with no evidence of significant issues or ethnic conflicts between the Arab immigrants and the native Javanese population. In fact, many intermarriages occurred, predominantly with Arab men marrying Javanese women.

Although their relations were not marked by major conflicts, this does not mean that interactions between Javanese and Arabs were free from prejudice and stigma. Negative stereotypes about both ethnic groups have been prevalent, such as the perception that Javanese people are less Islamic or that Arabs are stingy, harsh, and unsociable, believing themselves to be of higher status than the Javanese.

Geographic distribution and usage

In the Klego subdistrict, at least based on the language used as a social identity or means of communication, two speech communities can be identified: the Javanese-speaking and Arabic-speaking communities. Among these, Javanese is the most widely spoken language and serves as the native identity of the area. Based on preliminary observations, the social condition of Klego's community can be described as harmonious and mutually respectful, despite the presence of two major ethnic groups, Javanese and Arabs. An interesting aspect of the lives of these two ethnic groups is their social harmony. The harmony or closeness between the Arab and Javanese communities is evident in the process of language mixing, linguistic variety, and their assimilation.

Code-switching and code-mixing between Arabic and Javanese are very common among the residents of Klego. These linguistic phenomena are no longer perceived as linguistic chaos but rather as a linguistic diversity that has become the lingua franca for the Klego community. The phenomenon of mixing languages, whether from Javanese to Arabic or vice versa, is a familiar occurrence in Klego, known as 'Kampung Arab.' Therefore, it is common to encounter mixed-language conversations in their daily communication. This practice is carried out by both Arab descendants and Javanese locals. Examples of such communication include: ente pak endi? 'where are you going?', aku pak requd si 'I am going to sleep first', anakku pak zuwaj 'my child is getting married', and others, where the bolded vocabulary is borrowed from Arabic and pronounced with a local accent.

However, the Arabic words that appear in the code-mixed sentences above are lexically easy to understand, especially for Javanese speakers with some knowledge of Arabic. This linguistic phenomenon can be seen as a form of language convention, a mutual agreement on the use of certain words. With this convention, both Arab and Javanese communities can use and understand the language, fostering social harmony between them.

Patterns and Structure

Sentence examples

There are several patterns of code-mixing in sentences commonly spoken by the residents of Klego, both by the Arabs and Javanese. Below are some examples of commonly used sentences in Klego:

The mixed Arabic-Javanese conversational vocabulary, as described above, represents the everyday language of the people in Klego subdistrict, Pekalongan. In its linguistic structure, all words and communication structures used are mutually agreed upon, a concept often referred to in linguistics as language convention.

Arabic loanwords

There are many Arabic lexical conventions commonly used by its speakers. The borrowed words from Arabic include:

Among the words used, some have literal correspondences with only slight differences in the lexicon compared to Standard Arabic, while others do not share the same meaning as in Standard Arabic. Meanwhile, some vocabulary has undergone only minor changes in meaning.

The following are some vocabulary items that do not conform to the derivational and lexical rules of Standard Arabic:

Phonology

The linguistic adaptation among the residents of Klego illustrates a tendency toward the formation of a harmonious social structure. This adaptation is evident in the communication between Javanese and Arabic speakers, where both alternately use words from their respective languages. Upon closer examination, the linguistic adjustments between the Javanese and Arabic communities extend beyond the lexicon to phonetic (sound) adjustments. These adaptations aim to simplify pronunciation for speakers of the other language, particularly in adjusting Arabic vocabulary to align with Javanese phonetics. Similarly, linguistic modifications are also made in grammatical order.

At the phonetic level, whether coincidentally or not, the phonetic system of conventional Arabic words tends to shift to resemble the Javanese sound system. This adjustment makes it easier for Javanese speakers to pronounce these words, enabling communication with little to no disruption in fluency. For instance, the word ‘ajuz changes to ajus. In this case, a phonetic adjustment occurs where the sound is replaced by , and shifts to . Javanese speakers generally find it easier to articulate and than and . Thus, when Javanese speakers say ajus, the pronunciation closely resembles how it would be spoken by an Arabic speaker. Other examples include ta'ab becoming ta'ap, qahwah becoming gahwe, and roja’a becoming reja, among others. Such phonetic adjustments facilitate smoother communication between the Javanese and Arabic communities in Klego.

Lexicons

Lexically, the formation of conventional words has long been practiced by Arabic and Javanese speakers in the development of this language. These conventional words have become part of everyday language and serve as a means of communication among the residents of Klego. What is particularly interesting in this communication process is that vocabulary from two different languages is often used interchangeably.

For example, a Javanese speaker may ask an Arabic speaker using Arabic vocabulary, and the Arabic speaker will respond with Javanese vocabulary, and vice versa. The Arabic vocabulary used by Javanese speakers is the everyday Arabic vocabulary that has been commonly accepted by the Klego community. For instance, when an Arab person says pak endi 'Where are you going?' or pak opo 'What do you want?', the Javanese speaker might answer regud si 'I want to sleep,' syerob si 'I want to drink,' gahwe si 'I want coffee,' and so on. Similarly, if a Javanese speaker asks an Arab person ila feen 'Where are you going?', the Arab person might answer pak mangan 'I want to eat,' pak turu 'I want to sleep,' pak ngombe 'I want to drink.' This linguistic adaptation among the Klego community is considered to foster a sense of familiarity in social communication.

References

1. Azzuhri 2016, p. 109.
2. ^ Azzuhri 2016, p. 114.
3. ^ Sholihatin 2008, p. 18. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSholihatin2008 (help)
4. Sholihatin 2008, p. 57. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSholihatin2008 (help)
5. Kinasih 2013, p. 41.
6. Azzuhri 2016, p. 113.
7. Kinasih 2013, p. 39.
8. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 114–115.
9. Sholihatin 2008, p. 19. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSholihatin2008 (help)
10. Kinasih 2013, p. 43.
11. Azzuhri 2016, p. 128.
12. Kinasih 2013, p. 52.
13. Kinasih 2013, pp. 42–49.
14. Azzuhri 2016, p. 110.
15. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 110–111.
16. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 115–116.
17. Azzuhri 2016, p. 116.
18. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 116–118.
19. Azzuhri 2016, p. 123.
20. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 123–124.
21. Azzuhri 2016, p. 125.
22. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 126–127.
23. Azzuhri 2016, pp. 125–126.
24. Azzuhri 2016, p. 126.

Bibliography

• Azzuhri, Muhandis (2016). "Kontribusi Konvensi Bahasa Arab - Jawa Terhadap Harmonisasi Sosial". Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam (in Indonesian). 11 (1). Kudus, Indonesia: Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kudus. doi:10.21043/edukasia.v11i1.807.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Kinasih, Dian (2013). "Interaksi Masyarakat Keturunan Arab Dengan Masyarakat Setempat di Pekalongan". International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture (in Indonesian). 5 (1). Kudus, Indonesia: MA NU Banat Kudus. doi:10.15294/komunitas.v5i1.2372.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Sholihatin, Anis (2008). "Pemilihan Kode Pada Masyarakat Keturunan Arab di Noyontaan, Kota Pekalongan: Kajian Sosiolinguistik" (PDF). Tesis Magister Linguistik (in Indonesian). Semarang, Indonesia: Universitas Diponegoro.

• Languages of Indonesia
• Arabic-based pidgins and creoles
• Arabic languages