Banjarese

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A Malayic language spoken in South Kalimantan, Indonesia ; of or relating to the Banjar people and their traditions
2. The Malay-based tongue used by the Banjar community of southern Borneo ; describing the customs, arts or identity of the Banjar ethnic group
3. An Austronesian language of southern Borneo, Indonesia ; characteristic of the Banjar people, their heritage or their way of life

Etymology: Banjarese is a plain formation: the name of the Banjar people of south-eastern Borneo, with the suffix "-ese" added to label their language. The pattern is the same one that gives English "Chinese", "Japanese" and "Maltese", where a people's name is extended to name the language they speak. The people take their name from Banjarmasin, the city that grew into the centre of the Banjar sultanate on the Barito river delta. Banjar speakers settled along the rivers and coasts of the southern and eastern parts of the island, and their language became a lingua franca in the region, which is why a regional name ended up attached to the whole tongue. Because the word is built transparently from a place-based name and a standard suffix, its history is largely the history of that name. The noun and adjective share one form: a Banjarese speaker is someone from the Banjar community, and Banjarese things belong to that culture.