External Influences on the Languages in Vernacular Settlements: Characteristics of the Indian Influenced Palawa-Derived Script in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

The Palawa script that had entered the Indonesian archipelago in the 10th Century AD has undergone many developments and has given rise to several forms of derived scripts. Evidence of the use of these scripts has been found in several areas, one of which is in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In Bima, two Palawa derived scripts have been found: the Javanese script and the Bima/Mbojo script. Although the two are not in a single form of paleographic scripts, both are important evidence of the development of culture that once existed in Bima. This research examines the characteristics of the ancient Javanese script and the Bima/Mbojo script based on the written sources found in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It employs qualitative exploratory methods adapted to the exploratory nature of the research. Data is gathered through a survey of written sources in the old Javanese script and the Bima/Mbojo script and interviews of the local communities. It concludes that the characteristics of the ancient Javanese script on the Wadu Tunti Inscription and the Wadu Pa'a Inscription in the Bima Regency, Indonesia are conceptually similar to the ancient Javanese script. However, they have several differences in the writing styles. It is hypothesized that the Wadu Tunti Inscription has been written in a later period compared to the Wadu Pa'a Inscription. The characteristics of the Bima/Mbojo script have similarities with the Lontara script too. The differences occur in the forms of the Bima/Mbojo script, such as the appearance of sukun signs or dead letters and tasydid signs or double or repeated letters.