Malaysian Malay

Standardized variety of Malay language

This article is about the official language of Malaysia. For an overview of all languages used in Malaysia, see Languages of Malaysia. For ethnic Malays in Malaysia, see Malaysian Malays.

Malaysian Malay

Standard Malay
Bahasa Melayu Piawai
بهاس ملايو ڤياواي‎
Bahasa Melayu Malaysia
بهاس ملايو مليسيا‎
Bahasa Malaysia
بهاس مليسيا‎
Pronunciation| [baˈha.sə mə.la.ju mə'lej.sjə],[baˈha.sə mə'lej.sjə]
Native to| Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei
Speakers| Native: Few (2022)[1]
L2: Spoken by the vast majority of those in Malaysia, although most learn a local Malay dialect or another native language first.

Language family

Austronesian

* Malayo-Polynesian
* Malayic
* Malay
* Malaysian Malay

Early forms

Old Malay

* Classical Malay (Johor–Riau Malay)[2][3]
* Pre-Modern Malay (British Malayan Malay)

Writing system

| Latin (Rumi)
Arabic (Jawi)[4]
Malaysian Braille

Signed forms

| Manually Coded Malay
Official status

Official language in

* Malaysia
* Singapore
* Brunei

Regulated by| Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Malaysian Institute of Language and Literature)
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei (Brunei Language and Literature Bureau)[5]
Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura (Singapore Malay Language Council)[6]
Language codes
ISO 639-3| `zsm`
Glottolog| `stan1306`
Linguasphere| `33-AFA-ab`

Countries where Malaysian Malay is spoken:

Malaysia

Singapore and Brunei, where Standard Malay is an official language

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.

Malaysian Malay (Malay: Bahasa Melayu Malaysia) or Malaysian (Bahasa Malaysia)[7] – endonymically known as Standard Malay (Bahasa Melayu piawai) or simply Malay (Bahasa Melayu, abbreviated to BM) – is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia and also used in Singapore and Brunei (as opposed to the variety used in Indonesia, which is referred to as the "Indonesian" language). Malaysian Malay is standardized from the Johor–Riau dialect of Malay, particularly a branch spoken in the state of Johor south of the Malay Peninsula.[8] It is spoken by much of the Malaysian population, although most learn a vernacular Malay dialect or another native language first.[1]

## Terminology

[edit]

### In Malaysia

[edit]

Article 152 of Malaysia's Constitution as drafted in 1957 (revised in 1963) merely mentions "Malay" (Bahasa Melayu) as the designation of its "national language" without any further definition,[9] but the term bahasa Malaysia (lit. 'Malaysian language') is used in official contexts from time to time.[10] The latter term was endorsed by Tunku Abdul Rahman during his premiership.[11]

The exact wording of either names above can be politically contentious. Between 1986 during Mahathir Mohamad's tenure and 2007, the term bahasa Malaysia was replaced by "bahasa Melayu";[12] even in 1999 the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka rejected the publication of some short stories as the preface to the publication used the term bahasa Malaysia instead of bahasa Melayu.[13] In 2007, to recognize that Malaysia is composed of many ethnic groups (and not only the ethnic Malays), the term bahasa Malaysia became the government's preferred designation for the national language.[10][14][15][16] The Ministry of Education's official communications used bahasa Malaysia from 2011 to 2015 but has preferred bahasa Melayu in its syllabi as of 2023.[17][18]

### Other countries

[edit]

In Singapore, "the Malay language" in the "Roman script" is afforded the status of national language in part 13 of its constitution's general provisions.[19] The term bahasa Melayu is used continuously in Singapore's educational literature[20] and is considered to be identical to Malaysian Malay.[21]: 81

The national standard variety of Malay employed in formal communications of Brunei dubbed "Standard Brunei Malay"[22] (or internally "Standard Malay"[23]) is observed to largely follow the Malaysian standard; the main differences being minor variation in pronunciation and some lexical influence from Brunei Malay, the local non-standard vernacular variety of Malay.[21]: 72 [22]

## Writing system

[edit]

Main article: Malay alphabet

Comparison of the Malay language written in Rumi and Jawi with other languages Traffic signs in Malaysian: Warning sign "Level crossing" and regulatory sign "Stop".

The Latin alphabet, known in Malay as Rumi (Roman alphabet), is prescribed by law as the official script of Malaysian Malay, and the Arabic alphabet called Jawi (or Malay script) is not legally prescribed for that purpose. Rumi is official while efforts are currently being undertaken to preserve the Jawi script and to revive its use in Malaysia.[24][25][26] The Latin alphabet, however, is still the most commonly used script in Malaysia, for both official and informal purposes.

## Borrowed words

[edit]

Main article: List of loanwords in Malay

While literary Malay throughout the region has mostly absorbed from Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani (Hindi–Urdu), Arabic, Persian, Portuguese and Sinitic languages; the variety spoken within British colonies that eventually make up Malaysia following the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty borrowed majorly from English (in particular many scientific and technological terms) compared to Dutch as spread within the East Indies.

Since Malayan independence and later Federation formation, its own Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka followed a purist approach in lexicography away from Western loanwords (even favouring established roots like Sanskrit and Arabic) as well as neologizing from native roots.[27] In recent years, Malaysian has also been influenced lexically by the Indonesian variety largely through the popularity of neighbouring mass media like dramas, soap operas, and music – akin to the effect of American media towards other Englishes like those of Britain and Australia.[28]

1. Sanskrit: This language had a significant influence on the Malay language through trade and the spread of Hindu-Buddhist religions that arrived in the Malay Archipelago from the 1st to the 14th century. Borrowed words include bahasa (language), raja (king), syurga (heaven), neraka (hell), desa (village).
2. Arabic: With the arrival of Islam in the region during the 7th century, Arabic began influencing the Malay language, especially in religious and philosophical terminology. Examples include kitab (book), masjid (mosque), ilmu (knowledge), iman (faith), zakat (almsgiving).
3. Tamil: The influence of the Tamil language came primarily through maritime trade between India and the Malay Archipelago. Borrowed words from Tamil include kedai (shop), mangga (mango), and vadai (a type of snack).
4. Chinese: Trade relations between Chinese merchants and the local population led to the borrowing of words such as tauhu (tofu), mi (noodles), lombong (mine).
5. Portuguese: The Portuguese occupation of Malacca in the early 16th century introduced words like gereja (church), keju (cheese), jendela (window), and almari (cupboard).
6. Dutch: Borrowing from Dutch occurred during the Dutch colonial period, including words like kabin (cabin), sekolah (school), kontrak (contract).
7. English: The English language introduced many technical and modern words into Malay, especially during British colonial rule. Examples include telefon (telephone), komputer (computer), bank, internet, and stesen (station).

## Grammar

[edit]

Main article: Malay grammar

## Colloquial and contemporary usage

[edit]

Main article: Bahasa Rojak

Colloquial and contemporary usage of Malay includes modern Malaysian vocabulary, which may not be familiar to the older generation, such as:

* Awek (means girl, in place of perempuan).
* Balak (means guy, in place of jantan).
* Cun (means pretty, in place of cantik / jelita).

New plural pronouns have also been formed out of the original pronouns popularly nowadays and the word orang (person), such as:

* Korang (kau \+ orang, "you all", in place of kalian / kamu semua).
* Kitorang (kita \+ orang, the exclusive "we", in place of kami).
* Malaysian speakerDiorang (dia \+ orang, the exclusive "they", in place of mereka).

In addition, Arabic terms that is originally used in Standard Malay nowadays has been popularly changed where some of the words and pronunciations in the involved terms have been added by the local conservative Muslims by disputing the terms suggested by the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), claiming that the involved terms with implementation of the additional words and pronunciations is the real correct terms as same as stated in the Qur'an, where it is predominantly used by the local Muslim netizens in the social medias nowadays. The several involved terms in comparison to Standard Malay that is popularly used, such as:

* Ramadhan (means the holy fasting month, in place of Ramadan).
* Aamiin (means asking Allah (Islam) to verify the prayer (Du'a); real term is Ameen, in place of Amin).
* Fardhu (means obligatory (in Islam), in place of Fardu).
* Redha (means accepting, in place of Reda).
* Mudharat (means harm, in place of Mudarat).
* Dhaif (means poverty, in place of Daif).
* Zohor (means mid-day or noon time, in place of Zuhur).
* Hadith (means Prophet (Mohamed) terms or speeches, in place of Hadis).

Code-switching between English and Malaysian and the use of novel loanwords is widespread, forming Bahasa Rojak. Consequently, this phenomenon has raised the displeasure of linguistic purists in Malaysia, in their effort to uphold use of the prescribed standard language.

## See also

[edit]

* Comparison of Standard Malay and Indonesian
* Indonesian language
* Jawi, an Arabic script based writing system for Malay
* Language politics
* Malaysian English, English language used formally in Malaysia.

## References

[edit]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

1. ^ a b Malaysian Malay at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
2. ^ Adelaar, K. Alexander (2000). "Malay: A Short History". Oriente Moderno. 19 (2): 234. JSTOR 25817713.
3. ^ Mukhlis Abu Bakar (2019). "Sebutan Johor-Riau dan Sebutan Baku dalam Konteks Identiti Masyarakat Melayu Singapura" [Sebutan Johor-Riau and Sebutan Baku in the Context of the Singapore Malay Identity]. Issues in Language Studies (in Malay). 8 (2): 61–78\. doi:10.33736/ils.1521.2019.
4. ^ "Kedah MB Defends Use of Jawi on Signboards". The Star Online. 26 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012.
5. ^ Clynes, Adrian; Deterding, David (2011). "Standard Malay (Brunei)". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 41 (2): 259–268\. doi:10.1017/S002510031100017X. S2CID 146544336.
6. ^ "Standard Malay made simple / Liaw Yock Fang - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore".
7. ^ Asmah Haji Omar (1992). "Malay as a pluricentric language". In Clyne, Michael G. (ed.). Pluricentric Languages: Differing Norms in Different Nations. Contributions to the sociology of language 62. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 403–4\. ISBN 3-11-012855-1.
8. ^ Ibid. pp. 402, 413–417.
9. ^ Federal Constitution of Malaysia  – via Wikisource.
10. ^ a b Wong, Chun Wai; Edwards, Audrey (4 June 2007). "Back to Bahasa Malaysia". The Star Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
11. ^ "English must continue – Tengku". The Straits Times. 22 October 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2 September 2024. "At the same time, greater importance and more time must be given to the use of the national language in the schools and elsewhere. I would rather prefer to call it the Malaysian language (or bahasa Malaysia), rather than the national language (or bahasa kebangsaan)..."
12. ^ "Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia? As Putrajaya tightens reins on national language, linguistic experts argue why it should be the former". 12 February 2024.
13. ^ Tay, Eddie (October 2001). "Unsettling Ways of Exile". Quarterly Literary Review Singapore. 1 (1). Retrieved 2 October 2022.
14. ^ "Mahathir Regrets Govt Focussing Too Much on Bahasa". Daily Express. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
15. ^ "Bahasa Rasmi". MyGovernment (in Malay). Government of Malaysia. Retrieved 19 April 2021. "Perkara 152 Perlembagaan Persekutuan menjelaskan bahawa bahasa Melayu yang dikenali juga sebagai bahasa Malaysia adalah bahasa rasmi yang tidak boleh dipertikai fungsi dan peranannya sebagai Bahasa Kebangsaan."
16. ^ Encik Md. Asham bin Ahmad (8 August 2007). "Malay Language Malay Identity". Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
17. ^ Roslina binti Ibrahim, ed. (2023). E-Katalog Buku Teks (PDF) (in Malay). Ministry of Education Malaysia. pp. 2–3.
18. ^ "Soalan Lazim Berkaitan Dasar Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia Memperkukuh Bahasa Inggeris (MBMMBI)" [Frequently Asked Questions Related to the Policy to Uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to Strengthen the English Language (MBMMBI)]. Portal Rasmi Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
19. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Singapore - Part 13: General Provisions". Singapore Statutes Online. Attorney-General's Chambers of Singapore.
20. ^ Kamsiah Abdullah (8–9 November 2006). Penyelidikan bahasa Melayu di Singapura (1959-2000): Satu refleksi dan tinjauan selayang pandang. Prosiding Persidangan Antarabangsa Pengajian Melayu. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
21. ^ a b Steinhauer, Hein (2005). "Colonial History and Language Policy in Insular Southeast Asia and Madagascar". In Adelaar, Alexander; Himmelamnn, Nikolaus (eds.). The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. London: Routledge. pp. 65–86\. ISBN 9780700712861.
22. ^ a b Clynes, Adrian (2001). "Brunei Malay: An Overview". Occasional Papers in Language Studies. 7. Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam: 11–2.
23. ^ Clynes, Adrian; Deterding, David (2011). "Standard Malay (Brunei)". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 41 (2): 259–268\. doi:10.1017/S002510031100017X. ISSN 0025-1003. JSTOR 44527038.
24. ^ "Malay". Baystate Interpreters. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
25. ^ "Use of Jawi Should Be Encouraged, Not Condemned – Faidhur Rahman Abdul Hadi and Fatihah Jamhari". Malay Mail. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
26. ^ "Khat to Be Included in School Curriculum". The Star. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
27. ^ Coluzzi, Paolo (March 2017). "Language planning for Malay in Malaysia: A case of failure or success?". International Journal of the Sociology of Language (244): 24–6\. doi:10.1515/ijsl-2016-0055. ISSN 1613-3668.
28. ^ Sneddon, James N. (2003). The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society. Sydney: UNSW Press. p. 157\. ISBN 0-86840-598-1.

## Further reading

[edit]

* S. Takdir Alisjahbana (1976). Language Planning for Modernization: The Case of Indonesian and Malaysian. The Hague: Mouton. ISBN 90-279-7712-7.

## External links

[edit]

Malay edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Malaysian Malay test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

For a list of words relating to Malaysian Malay, see the Malaysian Malay category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

* Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Institute of Language and Literature Malaysia, in Malay only)
* The Malay Spelling Reform, Asmah Haji Omar, (Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society, 1989-2 pp. 9–13 later designated J11)

* v
* t
* e

Languages of Malaysia

Main|

| Official|

* Malaysian
* English
* comparison with British English
* Arabic

|

Families|

* Austroasiatic
* Aslian
* Austronesian
* North Bornean
* Kayan–Murik
* Land Dayak
* Malayic
* Philippine
* Sama–Bajaw
* Tai-Kadai
* Tai

Natives &
Indigenous|

| Nationwide|

* Malay

|

Peninsular
Malaysia|

* Batek
* Cheq Wong
* Duanoʼ
* Jah Hut
* Jahai
* Jakun
* Jedek
* Johor–Riau Malay
* Johor Malay
* Malacca Malay
* Selangor Malay
* Judeo-Malay2
* Kedah Malay
* Kelantan-Pattani Malay
* Kenaboi1
* Kensiu
* Kintaq
* Kristang
* Lanoh
* Mah Meri
* Minriq
* Mintil
* Negeri Sembilan Malay
* Mos
* Orang Kanaq
* Orang Seletar
* Pahang Malay
* Perak Malay
* Reman Malay
* Sabüm1
* Semai
* Semaq Beri
* Semelai
* Semnam
* Southern Thai
* Temiar
* Temoq2
* Temuan
* Terengganu Malay
* Wila'1

East
Malaysia|

* Abai
* Bahau
* Bajau
* Belait
* Berawan
* Biatah
* Bintulu
* Bonggi
* Bookan
* Bruneian/Kedayan Malay
* Brunei Bisaya
* Bukar–Sadong
* Bukitan
* Coastal Kadazan
* Daro-Matu
* Dumpas
* Dusun
* Eastern Kadazan
* Ganaʼ
* Iban
* Ida'an
* Jagoi
* Jangkang
* Kajaman
* Kalabakan
* Kanowit
* Kayan
* Kelabit
* Kendayan
* Keningau Murut
* Kinabatangan
* Kiput
* Klias River Kadazan
* Kota Marudu Talantang
* Kuijau
* Lahanan
* Lelak1
* Lengilu1
* Lotud
* Lun Bawang
* Mainstream Kenyah
* Melanau
* Momogun
* Murik Kayan
* Narom
* Nonukan Tidong
* Okolod
* Paluan
* Papar
* Punan Bah-Biau
* Punan Batu2
* Penan
* Remun
* Sa'ban
* Sabah Bisaya
* Sama
* Sarawak Malay
* Sebop
* Sekapan
* Selungai Murut
* Sembakung
* Seru1
* Serudung
* Sian
* Sungai
* Tagol
* Timugon
* Tombonuwo
* Tring
* Tringgus
* Tutoh
* Ukit2
* Umaʼ Lasan

Significant
minority|

| Chinese|

* Sino-Tibetan
* Yue
* Cantonese
* Malaysian Cantonese
* Hakka
* Min
* Eastern Min
* Fuqing
* Fuzhou
* Hainanese
* Pu-Xian Min
* Southern Min
* Hokkien
* Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien
* Penang Hokkien
* Chaoshan Min
* Teochew
* Mandarin Chinese
* Malaysian Mandarin

|

Indian|

* Dravidian
* Malayalam
* Tamil
* Malaysian Tamil
* Telugu
* Indo-European
* Gujarati
* Hindi
* Punjabi
* Urdu

Indonesian
archipelago|

* Acehnese
* Banjar
* Madurese
* Bawean
* Buginese
* Javanese
* Kerinci
* Mandailing
* Minangkabau
* Rawa

Philippine|

* Philippine
* Iranun
* Maranao
* Molbog
* Suluk

Others|

* Cham

Creoles|

* Chavacano
* Kristang
* Manglish
* Malay trade and creole languages
* Baba Malay
* Chetty Malay
* Cocos Malay
* Sabah Malay

Mixed & Others|

* Rojak
* Tanglish
* Esperanto

Immigrants|

* African
* Arabic
* Bengali
* Burmese
* Khmer
* East Timorese
* Filipino
* Indonesian
* comparison with Malaysian
* Persian
* Japanese
* Korean
* Lao
* Nepalese
* Urdu
* Sri Lankan
* Thai
* Vietnamese

Signs|

| Main|

* Malaysian Sign Language
* Manually Coded Malay

|

By states|

* Penang Sign Language
* Selangor Sign Language

* 1 Extinct languages
* 2 Nearly extinct languages

* v
* t
* e

Greater North Borneo languages

North Borneo *|

| Northeast Sabah *|

* Idaʼan
* Bonggi
* Molbog ?

|

Southwest Sabah *|

| Greater
Dusunic *|

| Bisaya–Lotud|

* Brunei Bisaya
* Lotud

|

Dusunic|

* Kadazandusun
* Central Dusun
* Coastal Kadazan
* Kuijau
* Eastern Kadazan
* Kota Marudu Talantang
* Rungus / Momogun
* Klias River Kadazan

Paitanic|

* Tombonuwo
* Kinabatangan
* Abai Sungai
* Serudung

Greater
Murutic *|

* Tatana ?
* Papar

Murutic|

* Tagol
* Timugon
* Keningau
* Selungai
* Sembakung
* Baukan
* Okolod
* Paluan
* Ganaʼ
* Kalabakan
* Nonukan Tidong
* Sesayap Tidong

North Sarawak *|

* Kenyah / Bakung
* Sebob
* Tutoh
* Umaʼ Lasan
* Wahau Kenyah
* Penan ?
* Kelabit
* Lengilu
* Lundayeh
* Saʼban
* Tring
* Berawan
* Belait
* Kiput
* Narom
* Tutong
* Bintulu

Central Sarawak|

* Kajaman
* Lahanan
* Sekapan
* Daro-Matu
* Kanowit–Tanjong
* Melanau
* Bukitan
* Punan Batu
* Sian
* Ukit
* Burusu
* Bah-Biau Punan
* Sajau
* Bukat
* Seru †
* Lelak †

Kayanic|

* Kayan
* Bahau
* Modang
* Segai
* Hovongan
* Aoheng
* Aput
* Punan
* Krio Dayak
* Murik
* Merap

Land Dayak ?|

* Bakatiʼ
* Sara
* Laraʼ
* Bukar–Sadong
* Biatah
* Tringgus
* Jagoi
* Jangkang
* Kembayan
* Semandang
* Ribun
* Benyaduʼ
* Sanggau

Malayo–Chamic *|

| Aceh–Chamic|

* Acehnese
* Cham dialects
* Chru
* Haroi
* Jarai
* Rade
* Roglai
* Tsat

|

Malayic|

| Ibanic|

* Iban
* Keninjal ?
* Mualang
* Remun
* Seberuang

|

* Malay
* Malaysian
* Indonesian
* Minangkabau
* Brunei/Kedayan Malay
* Bamayo
* Banjar
* Berau Malay
* Bangka Malay
* Bengkulu
* Col
* Duanoʼ
* Haji
* Jambi Malay
* Jakun
* Kedah Malay
* Kendayan / Selako ?
* Kutai Malay
* Kaur
* Kerinci
* Kelantan-Pattani Malay
* Kubu
* Orang Laut
* Lubu
* Musi
* Negeri Sembilan Malay
* Orang Kanaq
* Orang Seletar
* Pahang Malay
* Pekal
* Perak Malay
* Pontianak Malay
* Reman Malay
* Sarawak Malay
* Temuan
* Terengganu Malay
* Urak Lawoiʼ

Sundanese ?|

* Sundanese
* Old Sundanese †
* Baduy
* Bantenese
* Cirebonese

Rejang ?|

* Rejang

Moklenic ?|

* Moken
* Moklen

* * indicates proposed status
* ? indicates classification dispute
* † indicates extinct status

Portals:

* Malaysia
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