By: I PUTU ARIK BUDIARSANA
      0912021102
(A Final Project of Introduction To Linguistics)

A writing system as a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language in a systematic way. This simple explanation encompasses a large spectrum of writing systems with vastly different stylistic and structural characteristics spanning across the many regions of the globe. Writing systems differ in structure, stylistically, familiarly, geographically, and so on. A language has their own writing system which probably differs with other languages. However, there are also some languages which have the same writing system. Here, the writer would like to show the writing system of Balinese and Javanese which are geographically rather the same.
The writing system of Balinese and Javanese belongs to a segmental script writing system, especially abugida or alphasyllabary. An abugida, or alphasyllabary, is a segmental script in which vowel sounds are denoted by diacritical marks or other systematic modification of the consonants. Generally, however, if a single letter is understood to have an inherent unwritten vowel, and only vowels other than this are written, then the system is classified as an abugida regardless of whether the vowels look like diacritics or full letters.
The Balinese alphabet or Carakan descended ultimately from the from Brahmi script of ancient India by way of the Pallava and Old Kawi scripts. The oldest known inscriptions in the Balinese alphabet date from the 11th century AD, but they are thought to be reproductions of texts originally written on palm leaves at an earlier date.
The Balinese alphabet is still used to this day, although very few people are familiar with it and it is mainly used for religious works. Generally a version of the Latin alphabet is used instead, though what little Balinese printed material exists in the Latin alphabet consists mainly of school books, religious works and a few books of stories. Balinese children are taught to read and write Balinese in the Latin alphabet at primary school, though few read or write it in later life.
Each consonant in Balinese alphabet has an inherent vowel. Other vowels can be indicated using diacritics which appear above, below, in front of or after the consonant. If the vowels appear in the middle of a word, the vowel signs are attached to the syllable ha. Independent vowel letters are used when a word begins with a vowel. Each consonant has an appended form (Pangangge Akśara) which is used when one consonant follows another without a vowel in between.
Balinese writing is directed from left to right in horizontal lines. It is commonly hanging up on the upper line of books when we write in the usual book. In addition, there are no spaces between words. The letters of Balinese alphabet are 47 letters in which it consist of 14 vowels and 33 consonants.
Balinese consonants (Akśara Wreşāstra) are:

Additional Balinese consonants (Akśara Şwalalita) are:

There consonants are used for writing words from the Kawi (Old Javanese) language. The red shows the final consonants
Balinese vowels (Aksara Suara) are:

Balinese vowels diacritics are:

Balinese semi vowels are:

Balinese sound killers (Pengangge Suara) are:

Balinese numerals are:

Miscellaneous Balinese symbols are:

Balinese punctuations are:

While about Javanese writing system, the earliest known writing in Javanese dates from the 4th Century AD, at which time Javanese was written with the Pallava alphabet. By the 10th Century, the Kawi alphabet, which developed from Pallava, had a distinct Javanese form.

By the 17th Century, the Javanese alphabet, also known as tjarakan or carakan, had developed into its current form. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia between 1942 and 1945, the alphabet was prohibited. For a period from the 15th Century onwards, Javanese was also written with a version of the Arabic alphabet, called pégon or gundil.
Since the Dutch introduced the Latin alphabet to Indonesia in the 19th Century, the Javanese alphabet has gradually been supplanted. Today it is used almost exclusively by scholars and for decoration. Those who can read and write it are held in high esteem.
Each consonant in Javanese has two forms: the aksara form is used at the beginning of a syllable, while the pasangan form, which usually appears below the aksara form, is used for the second consonant of a consonant cluster and mutes the vowel of the aksara.
There are a number of special letters called aksara murda or aksara gedhe (great or important letters) which are used for honorific purposes, such as to write the names of respected people. The order of the consonants makes the following saying, "Hana caraka, data sawala padha jayanya, maga bathanga" which means "There were (two) emissaries, they began to fight, their valor was equal, they both fell dead"
The consonants of Javanese alphabet are:
Aksara consonants:

Pasangan Consonants:

Aksara Murda consonants:

Subscript aksara murda consonants:

Vowels, vowel dicaristics, and final consonant sicaristics:

Punctuations:

Numerals:

REFERENCES:
Aninoumous.2010.Writing System. Taken from www.ancientscripts.com/ws.html at June 24, 2011.
Ediwan, Tri. 2011. Balinese. Taken from www.omniglot.com/writing/balinese.htm at June 24, 2011.
Ediwan, Tri. 2011. Javanese. Taken from www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm at June 24, 2011.
Fromkin, Victoria A. 1985. An Introduction to Language. Australia; National Library of Australia.