ABOUT THE LANGUAGE Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of the Republic of Indonesia. The word bahasa means 'language', so Bahasa Indonesia literally means 'Language Indonesia.' Bahasa Indonesia is based on Malay, the common language of trade and inter-area relations in the region for several centuries. In its spread throughout Indonesia, the vocabulary and idioms of the language have been enriched by a great number of local languages. Many words and terms have been derived from foreign languages, including Dutch, Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic and, later, Portuguese. The formal spoken and written form of the language is an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) tongue of amazing complexity. The colloquial form of the language, the form presented in this tutorial web site, is more widely used throughout the archipelago, and is quite simple to learn. Though Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, it is not the only language spoken in the Indonesian archipelago. Over 580 local languages and dialects continue to be spoken, and many Indonesians speak two or more languages. Most languages and dialects are limited to particular localities and in general are used only between members of the same ethnic group. They include Javanese, with more than 80 million speakers, and Sundanese, spoken by residents of the western end of Java. Acehnese, Batak, Minangkabau, and Malay are spread throughout Sumatra. Among the languages spoken on Sulawesi are Minahasan, dialects of Torajan, Buginese, and Makassarese. On the eastern islands, Balinese, Sasak (Lombok), and Sumbawan are spoken. The people of Kalimantan speak Malay dialects, Iban, and other dialects. Trans-New Guinea and West Papuan languages are spoken in Irian Jaya and in the northern parts of Maluku. English is in growing use as the language of business and is now considered to be the country's second language.