Kedah Malay

Short description: Malay dialect of northwestern Malaysia and Thailand

Kedah Malay

بهاس ملايو قدح
ภาษามลายูไทรบุรี
Pelat Utagha
Bahasa Melayu Kedah, Bahasa Melayu Utara
Native to| Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia
Region| Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perlis, northern Perak (Kerian, Manjung, Larut, Matang and Selama), Trang, Satun, Ranong, Tanintharyi, Langkat, Aceh
Ethnicity| Kedahan Malays
Thai Malays
Burmese Malays
Jaring Halus Malays

Native speakers

| 2.6 million (2004)[1]

Language family

Austronesian

* Malayo-Polynesian
* (disputed)
* Malayic
* Kedah Malay

Dialects|

* Coastal Kedah (prestige dialect)
* Northern Kedah
* Perlis-Langkawi
* Penang
* Satun
* Jaring Halus

Writing system

| Latin script, Arabic script, Thai script
Language codes
ISO 639-3| `meo`
Glottolog| `keda1251`[2]
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
Distribution of Kedah Malay language
Dark Blue: Regions where Kedahan is currently spoken, Blue: Regions where Kedahan is historically spoken

File:WIKITONGUES- Senful speaking Malay.webm Kedah Malay or Kedahan (Malay: bahasa Melayu Kedah; also known as Pelat Utara or Loghat Utara 'Northern Dialect') or as it is known in Thailand, Syburi Malay (Thai: ภาษามลายูไทรบุรี Phasa Malāyū Saiburī) is a Malayic language mainly spoken in the northwestern Malaysian states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and northern Perak and in the southern Thai provinces of Trang and Satun. The usage of Kedah Malay was historically prevalent in southwestern Thailand before being superseded by the Thai language. Enclaves of Kedah Malay can be found in Kawthaung District in Myanmar; Ranong and Krabi in upper southern Thailand; Jaring Halus, Langkat and Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia and up north in Bangkok, central Thailand, where most of the Kedah Malay speakers are descendants of historical settlers from Kedah.[3]

Kedah Malay can be divided into several dialects, namely Coastal Kedah (Kedah Persisiran; which is the de facto prestige dialect of Kedah Malay), Northern Kedah (Kedah Utara), Perlis-Langkawi, Penang and some others outside Malaysia.[4] Speakers in Trang as well as Satun are heavily influenced by the Thai language. However in the district of Baling, they speak a different variant more closely related to Kelantan-Patani Malay than it is to Kedah Malay.[5]

## Contents

* 1 Phonology
* 1.1 Consonants
* 1.2 Vowels
* 1.2.1 Monophthongs
* 1.2.2 Diphthongs
* 1.2.3 Change of Standard Malay Vowel Clusters
* 1.3 Comparison with Standard Malay
* 2 Vocabulary
* 3 References
* 3.1 Citations
* 3.2 Bibliography
* 4 External links

## Phonology

### Consonants

| Labial  | Alveolar  | Palato-alveolar  | Dorsal  | Glottal

|
|
|
|
|

Plosive  | p b | t d | t͡ʃ d͡ʒ | k ɡ | ʔ
Fricative  |  | s |  | ʁ | h
Nasal  | m | n | ɲ | ŋ |
Trill  |  | (r)  |  |  |
Approximant  |  | l | j | w |

Note(s):

* /ʁ/ corresponds to Standard Malay prevocalic and intervocalic /r/ whereby ramai (many) is pronounced as /ʁamaj/.[6]
* In the Tanjung subdialect of the Pulau Pinang dialect of Kedah Malay, /ʁ/ is pronounced as [ɣ] or [r] so the aforementioned word would be pronounced as [ɣamaj] or [ramaj] instead.[7]
* [ʕ] is an allophone of /ʁ/ and corresponds to Standard Malay word-final /r/ so Standard Malay bakar /bakar/ (to burn) would be pronounced as [bakaʕ] in Kedah Malay.[8][6]
* /r/ is only found in certain loanwords and onomatopoeic words such as arnab /arnap/ (rabbit) and brang /braŋ/ (sound of plate falling).[9]
* Velar nasal /ŋ/ does not occur following /i/ and instances of that in Standard Malay correspond to /n/ in Kedah Malay so Standard Malay kucing /kut͡ʃiŋ/ 'cat' and kuning /kuniŋ/ 'yellow' are pronounced /kut͡ʃin/ and /kunin/ in Kedah Malay (and even spelt accordingly in rare manuscript instances i.e. کوچين for the former[10]) though some argue that the final consonant is still underlyingly /ŋ/ as can be seen from the derived forms of these words such as kekuningan /kəkuniŋan/ 'yellowness' [kəkuniŋan] which retains the [ŋ].[11][12]
* Word-final Standard Malay /s/ corresponds to /h/ in Kedah Malay, so Standard Malay kurus /kurus/ 'thin' is pronounced /kuʁujh/ in Kedah Malay.[12][13][14]
* Word-final /l/ after /a/ and /u/ in Standard Malay corresponds to Kedah Malay /j/ so a word like tebal /təbal/ is pronounced /təbaj/ in Kedah Malay.
* In the Northern Kedah and Perlis-Langkawi dialects, the homorganic nasal-oral consonant clusters /mb, ŋɡ, nd/ can have its oral portion removed so lembu (cow), tunggu (to wait) and mandi (to bathe) can respectively be pronounced as either /ləmbu/ or /ləmu/, /tuŋɡu/ or /tuŋu/ and /mandi/ or /mani/.[15] In the case that the oral portion is retained, it is weakly pronounced in the Perlis-Langkawi dialect so /ləmbu/ (cow) would be realized as [ləmᵇu].[16]

### Vowels

#### Monophthongs

Kedah Malay has eight monophthongs, unlike Standard Malay which has six with /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ not having phonemic status.[17][18][19]

| Front  | Central  | Back

|
|
|

Close  | i |  | u
Close-Mid  | e |  | o
Mid  |  | ə |
Open-Mid  | ɛ |  | ɔ
Open  |  | a |

#### Diphthongs

Kedah Malay has four diphthongs /aj, aw, oj, uj/ with /uj/ being the only one that does not exist in Standard Malay.[20][21]

Coda | /j/ | /w/

|
|

/a/ | /aj/ | /aw/
/o/ | /oj/ |
/u/ | /uj/ |

#### Change of Standard Malay Vowel Clusters

In Kedah Malay, Standard Malay instances of vowel clusters correspond to usually a diphthong (e.g. Standard Malay baik (good) /ba.ik/ ≙ Kedah Malay /bajʔ/) or less commonly, a monophthong (e.g. Standard Malay biasa (normal) /bi.a.sa/ ≙ Kedah Malay /bɛ.sa/) in Kedah Malay.[22] The /i.a/ vowel cluster still occurs though in positions that correspond to Standard Malay word-final /ir/ (e.g. Standard Malay pasir (sand) /pa.sir/ ≙ Kedah Malay /pa.si.aʕ/.

### Comparison with Standard Malay

Below is a table showing sound correspondences between Kedah Malay and Standard Malay.[23][24]

Standard Malay

Sound

| Kedah Malay

Correspondence

| Example

(Standard Malay ≙ Kedah Malay)

|
|

/-al/ | /-aj/ | tebal /təbal/ 'thick'  | ≙  | /təbaj/
/-ul/ | /-oj/ | pukul /pukul/ 'to hit'  | /pukoj/
/-il/ | /-e/ | katil /katil/ 'bed'  | /kate/
/-el/ | /-ɛ/ | comel /t͡ʃomel/ 'cute'  | /t͡ʃɔmɛ/
/-a.ul/ | /-oj/ (Coastal Kedah)

/-aj/ (Northern Kedah)

| gaul /ɡa.ul/ 'to mix'  | /ɡoj/ (Coastal Kedah)

/ɡaj/ (Northern Kedah)

/-as/ | /-ajh/ | malas /malas/ 'lazy'  | /malajh/
/-us/ | /-ujh/

/-ojh/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

| bagus /baɡus/ 'good'  | /baɡujh/

/baɡojh/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

/-is/ | /-eh/ | tapis /tapis/ 'to filter'  | /tapeh/
/-oh/ | /-ɔ/ | bodoh /bodoh/ 'stupid'  | /bɔdɔ/
/-ar/ | /-aʕ/ | lapar /lapar/ 'hungry'  | /lapaʕ/
/-ur/ | /-ɔʕ/

/-u.aʕ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

| bubur /bubur/ 'porridge'  | /bu.bɔʕ/

/bu.bu.aʕ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

/-ɔʕ/

/-ɔ.aʕ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

| tohor /tohor/ 'shallow'  | /tɔ.hɔʕ/

/tɔ.hɔ.aʕ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)

/-ir/ | /-i.aʕ/ | hampir /ham.pir/ 'nearly'  | /ham.pi.aʕ/
/-a.ir/ | /-a.jaʕ/ | air /a.ir/ 'water'  | /a.jaʕ/
/-ut/ | /-u.əʔ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)  | lutut /lutut/ 'knee'  | /lu.tu.əʔ/ (Perlis-Langkawi)
/i.a/ | /ja/  | biar /bi.ar/ | /bjaʕ/
/ɛ/ | biasa /bi.a.sa/ 'normal'  | /bɛ.sa/
/a/ | siapa /si.a.pa/ 'who'  | /sa.pa/
/u.a/ | /wa/ | buah /bu.ah/ | /bwah/
/ɔ/ | kuala /ku.a.la/ 'estuary'  | /kɔ.la/
/a.i/ | /aj/ | baik /ba.ik/ 'good'  | /bajʔ/
/a.hi/ | dahi /da.hi/ 'forehead'  | /daj/
/-a.u/ | /aw/ | bau /ba.u/ 'smell'  | /baw/
/-a.hu/ | mahu /ma.hu/ 'to want'  | /maw/
/-a.u-/ | /aw/

/aj/ (Northern Kedah)

| daun /da.un/ 'leaf'  | /dawn/

/dajn/ (Northern Kedah)

/-a.hu-/ | tahun /ta.hun/ 'year'  | /tawn/

/tajn/ (Northern Kedah)

## Vocabulary

Pronouns[25] Kedah Malay  | Standard Malay  | English Translation

|
|

hang | awak/kamu/kau | 'you' (singular)
hangpå/hampå | kalian | 'you' (plural)
cek/aku | saya/aku | 'I'
cek | saya | 'I' (young to old)
cek | kamu | 'you' (old to young)
depå/lepå | mereka | 'they'
sépå (In a few certain areas) / kitorang | kami | 'we' (exclusive)
Question Words[26] Kedah Malay  | Standard Malay  | English Translation

|
|

sapadiå, sapå | siapa/siapakah | 'who'
apå,på,padiå,natangpå | apa/apakah | 'what'
bilå,mengkalå | bila/bilakah | 'when'
genå, lagumanå | bagaimana/bagaimanakah | 'how'
manå | mana | 'where'
pasaipå,sepå,awat,

buatpå, sebabpå

| mengapa | 'why'
bapå | berapa | 'how much'
Basic Words[25] Kedah Malay  | Standard Malay  | English Translation

|
|

camcå | sudu | 'spoon'
habaq | cakap | 'talk'
mai | datang, mari | 'come'
mau | nak | 'want'
payah | susah | 'difficult'
lå, lani | sekarang | 'now'
lagu | macam | 'sort'
cabai | cili/lada | 'chilli'
hakap | tamak | 'greedy'
pi | pergi | 'go'
sat | sebentar, sekejap | 'one second'
mengkalā | bila, apabila | 'when'
ketegaq | degil, keras kepala | 'stubborn'
geghék,beskat | basikal | 'bicycle'
mertun | tukul | 'hammer'
lempaq | baling | 'throw'
ghabat,ghagaih | memanjat | 'climb'
ligan | kejar | 'chase'
loqlaq | tak senonoh | 'indecent'
ketit | gigit kecil | 'bite softly'
tokak | gigit | 'bite'
belemoih | comot | 'messy'
cemuih | bosan | 'bored'

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ Kedah Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds (2017). "Kedah Malay". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/keda1251.
3. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2017, p. 38.
4. ↑ See Malayan languages for a comparison between Kedah Persisiran and Penang dialects.
5. ↑ Mohd Noor Aswad 2019.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 237–238.
7. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, p. 245.
8. ↑ Shahidi A. H. 2009, pp. 309–311.
9. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 238–239.
10. ↑ Gallop, Annabel Teh (Dec 21, 2015). "A Malay manuscript artist unveiled: Datuk Muda Muhammad of Perlis". The British Library. https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2015/12/a-malay-manuscript-artist-unveiled-datuk-muda-muhammad-of-perlis.html.
11. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, p. 235.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ajid Che Kob 1997, pp. 40–42.
13. ↑ Shahidi A. H. 2009, pp. 310–311.
14. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 236–237.
15. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 241–242.
16. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, p. 242.
17. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, p. 232.
18. ↑ Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf et al. 2021, p. 78-80.
19. ↑ Shahidi A. H. 2009, pp. 305–308.
20. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, p. 233.
21. ↑ Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf et al. 2021, pp. 81–82.
22. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 233–234.
23. ↑ Asmah Haji Omar 2015, pp. 233–245.
24. ↑ Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf et al. 2021, pp. 68–69.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Strife 2007.
26. ↑ Fazal Mohamed Mohamed Sultan & Nurulafiqah Suhaimi 2012, p. 490.

### Bibliography

* Fazal Mohamed Mohamed Sultan; Nurulafiqah Suhaimi (2012). "Kata Soal Dalam Dialek Kedah" (in ms). GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies 12 (2): 475–493. https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/article/view/622.
* Nurul Shahida Jamil; Maslida Yusof (2015). "Analisis Deiksis Dialek Kedah" (in ms). GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies 15 (1): 163–187. doi:10.17576/GEMA-2015-1501-10.
* Shahidi A. H. (2009). "Alternasi Dalam Fonologi Subdialek Kedah Utara" (in ms). Jurnal Bahasa 9 (2): 302–325. https://myjurnal.mohe.gov.my/public/article-view.php?id=66566.
* Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf; Stefanie Pillai; W. A. Wan Aslynn; Roshidah binti Hassan (2021). "Vowel Production in Standard Malay and Kedah Malay Spoken in Malaysia". Linguistics International Journal 15 (1): 65–93. https://connect.academics.education/index.php/lij/article/view/19. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
* Asmah Haji Omar (2017). "Language in Kedah in Late 19th Century-Language Situation in a Malay State in Late 19th Century". Malaysian Journal of Languages and Linguistics 6 (2): 36–47. doi:10.24200/mjll.vol6iss2pp36-47. https://mymla.org/journals/index.php/MJLL/article/view/138.
* Ajid Che Kob (1997). "Word Final Nasal in Malay Dialects" (in en). Proceedings of Seventh International Conference on Austronesian. Amsterdam: Rodopi. pp. 35–43. ISBN 9789042002531. https://books.google.com/books?id=iyGd2N1KwO4C&dq=Word+final+nasal+in+Malay+Dialects&pg=PA35.
* Mohd Noor Aswad (2 November 2019). "Getting to know the unique Baling dialect". New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/11/535086/getting-know-unique-baling-dialect.
* Strife, Fiq (2 November 2007). "Kamus Dialek Melayu-Kedah" (in ms). https://melayu-kedah.blogspot.com/2007/11/rujukan.html.
* Asmah Haji Omar (2015) (in ms). Susur Galur Bahasa Melayu (2nd ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (published 23 October 2015). pp. 227–263. ISBN 9789836298263.

## External links

* Kedahan-Standard Malay Online dictionary

| Kedah Malay test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

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