Batak Karo language
| Karo | |
|---|---|
| Cakap Karo | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Karo Regency, North Sumatra |
|
Native speakers
|
(600,000 cited 1991) |
| Batak, Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | bata1293 |
Karo, referred to in Indonesia as Bahasa Karo (Karo language), is an Austronesian language that is spoken by the Karo people of Indonesia. It is used by around 600,000 people in North Sumatra. It is mainly spoken in Karo Regency, southern parts of Deli Serdang Regency and northern parts of Dairi Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It was historically written using the Batak alphabet which is descended from the Brahmi script of ancient India by way of the Pallava and Old Kawi scripts, but nowadays only a tiny number of Karo can write or understand the script, and instead the Latin script is used.
Karo is a Northern Batak language, and is closely related to Pakpak and Alas. It is mutually unintelligible from the Southern Batak languages, such as Toba, Angkola and Mandailing.
There are several dialects within Karo. A major dialect boundary exists between the dialects spoken in the east and the dialects spoken in the west. These are largely distinguished according to phonological and lexical differences. Vowels in the eastern dialect are lowered and fronted in the western dialect. Similarly, diphthongs in the eastern dialect are realised as monophthongs in the western dialect.
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