Malay-based creole languages
Encyclopedia
The Malay language
, through its history has experienced both pidginization and creolization. This occurred mostly through inter-island trading and interaction where people from various ethnic groups, languages and backgrounds met.
Malay, particularly in Eastern Indonesia, was brought by traders and missionaries, particularly during Dutch colonization over three centuries.
As the result, for daily speaking, Malay has been blended with many European languages (especially Dutch
and Portuguese
) as well as local languages.
The creoles are based on Malay, but highly influenced by European and indigenous structures. For example:
In pronunciation, the creolized Malays are also influenced by local phonological systems, and, in Eastern Indonesia, nasalization and simplification are common, such as :
There are several varieties of Malay Creoles spoken in different parts of Malaysia and Indonesia:
is a creolized-Malay which is spoken in Jakarta
(the modern name for Betawi) and its surroundings. Betawian or Omong Betawi is based on Bazaar Malay (Melayu Pasar) but influenced by various languages such as Javanese
, Sundanese
(the area is surrounded by Sundanese speaking area), Chinese
, Portuguese, Dutch, Balinese
and others. Betawian creole began to be used after 1750 in Batavia, and replaced Portuguese creole
as the lingua franca.
Betawian Malay was also influenced by Chinese-style Malay spoken by the Chinese settlers who had come earlier.
It has now become a very popular language particularly amongst the younger generations in Indonesia due largely to its use on television (such as sinetron or sitcom).
Betawian Malay is divided into two main dialects
Another Betawi Udik variant is called Betawi Ora, which was highly influenced by Javanese.
There is a significant Chinese community which lives around Tangerang
, called Cina Benteng, who have lost their mother tongue. They now speak Betawian Malay.
Examples :
code: ), once a diverse group of language varieties, is spoken in Malaysia but is now now almost extinct. These are Malay varieties spoken by the Peranakan
, Chinese descendants who live in Malaysia, Singapore
and Indonesia
since the 15th Century. A kind of Baba Malay is spoken among Chinese living in East Java
. It is a mixture of Malay or Indonesian
with local Javanese
(East Javanese dialect) and Chinese
elements (particularly Hokkien
). This particular variety is found only in East Java, especially in Surabaya
and surrounding areas. While other Chinese tend to speak the language varieties of the places in which they live (the Chinese of Central Java speak High or Standard Javanese in daily conversation even among themselves; in West Java, they tend to speak Sundanese
), in Surabaya
younger ethnic Chinese people tend to speak pure Javanese (Surabaya dialect) and learn Mandarin in courses.
Example (Spoken in Surabaya):
is another creole which is the lingua franca
in Manado
and Minahasa, North Sulawesi
.
It is based on Ternatean Malay and highly influenced by Ternatean, Dutch, Minahasa languages and some Spanish and Portuguese words.
Examples :
Sentences :
ngana : you (sg)
ngoni : you (pl)
bifi : ant
ciri : to fall
Spoken in Ternate
, Tidore
and Halmahera
islands, North Maluku
for intergroup communications, and in the Sula Islands
.
Example :
. Distinct from both Ambonese and Ternate Malay.
, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara
. Based on Malay and distinct from Kupang Malay.
While other parts of Flores island tend to use standard Indonesian
, in Sikka and in some communities in Larantuka Portuguese
is also spoken, particularly in religious matters. It can be heard during Holy Week
rituals in Larantuka.
Example :
, East Nusa Tenggara
West-end of Timor Island. It is based on archaic Malay which mixed mostly with Dutch, Portuguese and local languages. Similar to Ambonese Malay with several differences in vocabularies and accents. Its grammatical system resembles that of other East Indonesian Malay Creoles.
Examples :
). This was the first example of the transliteration of Malay into Roman script, and used as a tool of the missionaries in Eastern Indonesia. Malay has been taught in schools and churches in Ambon, and because of this, has become a lingua franca
in Ambon and its surroundings.
Christian speakers use Ambonese Malay as their mother tongue, while Muslims speak it as second language as they have their own language. Muslims in Ambon island particularly live in several areas in Municipality of Ambon, dominant in Salahutu and Leihitu Peninsula. While in the Lease (pron : LAY-AH-SAY) islands, Christian Ambonese-speaking community is dominant in part of Haruku, Saparua
and Nusa Laut islands. Ambonese Malay Creole has also become lingua franca in Buru
, Seram
, Geser-Gorom and South-West Maluku Islands
, though with different accents.
Ambonese Malay is based on Malay with a great influences from both European languages (Dutch and Portuguese) as well as the vocabularies or grammatical structures of indigenous languages. It is famous for its melodious accent. Muslims and Christian speakers tend to make different choices in vocabulary.
Examples :
Ambonese word samples
, Maluku
and it has specific accents. Different from Ambonese Malay and for Ambonese, Bandanese Malay is widely perceived as sounding funny due to its unique features.
Example :
and West Papua) for trading and daily communication. Papuan and Irian declared Malay as their language since 1926, before the Sumpah Pemuda declaration. Nowadays, they tend to speak more formal Indonesian
. This variant is also understood in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
near Indonesian border.
Example :
Kedah
Kedah is the northern state of Malaysia, bordering with Thailand
.
Penang (Malay: Pulau Pinang)
Penang island was colonised by Britain in 1786 and became a mecca for immigrants. This island once was the part of Kedah. Penangite Muslims are descendants from various ethnic groups, such as Malays
, Thais
, Burmese
, Cambodians, Chinese
, Indians
, Javanese, Minangkabaus, Bataks
, Boyanese, Buginese
, Banjarese
, Arabs and Persians
. Through intermarriages, the local Kedah
dialect has absorbed numerous foreign words especially from the Penang Hokkien
dialect.
Examples:
Kedahan word samples:
For more Kedahan words, see Kamus Kedah.
Examples:
Sarawakian word samples:
and Indonesian
.
Examples:
Examples given:
For more Bruneian words, see www.kamusbrunei.blogspot.com
The Sri Lankan Creole Malay language is a unique mixture of the Sinhalese language and the Tamil language with Malay. Sri Lanka Malay (SLM) is a restructured vernacular of Malay base spoken by at least five different communities in Sri Lanka which has evolved to be significantly divergent from other varieties of Malay due to intimate contact with the dominant languages of Sinhala and Tamil. The Malays in Sri Lanka
, whose ancestry include laborers brought by the Dutch and British, as well as soldiers in the Dutch garrison, now constitute 0.3% of the population, numbering some 46,000. It is spoken exclusively by the Malay ethnic minority in Sri Lanka.
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, through its history has experienced both pidginization and creolization. This occurred mostly through inter-island trading and interaction where people from various ethnic groups, languages and backgrounds met.
Malay, particularly in Eastern Indonesia, was brought by traders and missionaries, particularly during Dutch colonization over three centuries.
As the result, for daily speaking, Malay has been blended with many European languages (especially Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) as well as local languages.
The creoles are based on Malay, but highly influenced by European and indigenous structures. For example:
- 'Rumah saya' becomes 'Saya punya rumah': "My house"
- 'Saya pukul dia' becomes 'Saya kasi pukul dia': "I hit him"
- 'Ini bukan milik Mama' becomes 'Ini bukan Mama punya': "It is not Mom's belongings"
- 'Megat dipukul Robert' becomes 'Megat dipukul dek Robert': "Megat is hit by Robert"
In pronunciation, the creolized Malays are also influenced by local phonological systems, and, in Eastern Indonesia, nasalization and simplification are common, such as :
- 'makan' becomes 'makang'
- 'pergi' becomes 'pigi', or 'pi'
- 'terkejut' becomes 'takajo'
- 'lembut' becomes 'lombo'
- 'dapat' becomes 'dapa'
There are several varieties of Malay Creoles spoken in different parts of Malaysia and Indonesia:
Betawian Malay
Betawian MalayBetawi language
The Betawi language is the spoken language of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the native language of about 2,700,000 people . It is a Malay-based creole, and closely related to Malay language. Betawi vocabulary have large amount of Hokkien Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch loanwords...
is a creolized-Malay which is spoken in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
(the modern name for Betawi) and its surroundings. Betawian or Omong Betawi is based on Bazaar Malay (Melayu Pasar) but influenced by various languages such as Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
, Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
(the area is surrounded by Sundanese speaking area), Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Portuguese, Dutch, Balinese
Balinese language
Balinese or simply Bali is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by 3.3 million people on the Indonesian island of Bali, as well as northern Nusa Penida, western Lombok and eastern Java...
and others. Betawian creole began to be used after 1750 in Batavia, and replaced Portuguese creole
Portuguese Creole
Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have been significantly influenced by Portuguese.- Origins :Portuguese overseas exploration in the 15th and 16th century's led to the establishment of a Portuguese Empire with trading posts, forts and colonies in the Americas, Asia and Africa...
as the lingua franca.
Betawian Malay was also influenced by Chinese-style Malay spoken by the Chinese settlers who had come earlier.
It has now become a very popular language particularly amongst the younger generations in Indonesia due largely to its use on television (such as sinetron or sitcom).
Betawian Malay is divided into two main dialects
- Betawi Kota dialect: Originally spoken within Jakarta with the typical strong e like (ada becomes ade).
- Betawi Udik dialect: Originally spoken in suburban Jakarta, Tangerang, BantenBantenBanten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
, and Bogor and Bekasi in West JavaWest JavaWest Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
. It has a strong a like (ada, pronounced adah).
Another Betawi Udik variant is called Betawi Ora, which was highly influenced by Javanese.
There is a significant Chinese community which lives around Tangerang
Tangerang
Tangerang is a city in the Province of Banten, Indonesia. It is located about 25 km west of Jakarta. It is the third largest urban center in the Jabotabek region after Jakarta and Bekasi. It has an area of 164.54 km² and an official intercensal estimated population of 1,537,244 for 2005...
, called Cina Benteng, who have lost their mother tongue. They now speak Betawian Malay.
Examples :
- aye (kota), sayah (udik), gue (informal) : I
- lu (informal or intimate) : you
- iye (strong e, not schwa like Malaysian), iyah : yes
- kagak, ora (udik variant and it is Javanese influence) : no
- Encing mo pegi kemane? : Where will you go, mam?
- Dagangan aye udeh bures, dah : My stuff has been sold out.
Baba Malay
Baba Malay (ISO 639-3ISO 639-3
ISO 639-3:2007, Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive coverage of languages, is an international standard for language codes in the ISO 639 series. The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages. It extends the ISO 639-2...
code: ), once a diverse group of language varieties, is spoken in Malaysia but is now now almost extinct. These are Malay varieties spoken by the Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
, Chinese descendants who live in Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
since the 15th Century. A kind of Baba Malay is spoken among Chinese living in East Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. It is a mixture of Malay or Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
with local Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
(East Javanese dialect) and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
elements (particularly Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
). This particular variety is found only in East Java, especially in Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
and surrounding areas. While other Chinese tend to speak the language varieties of the places in which they live (the Chinese of Central Java speak High or Standard Javanese in daily conversation even among themselves; in West Java, they tend to speak Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
), in Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
younger ethnic Chinese people tend to speak pure Javanese (Surabaya dialect) and learn Mandarin in courses.
Example (Spoken in Surabaya):
- Lu bo' gitu! : Don't act that way!
- Yak apa kabarnya si Eli? : How's Eli?
- Nti' kamu pigio ambek cecemu ae ya : Go with your sister, okay?
- Nih, makanen sa'adae : Please have a meal!
- Kamu cari'en bukune koko ndhek rumae Ling Ling : Search your brother's book in Ling Ling's house.
Manado Malay
Manado MalayManado Malay
Manado Malay is a language spoken in Manado and the surrounding area. The local name of the language is Bahasa Manado, and the name Minahasa Malay is also used, after the main ethnic group speaking the language. Since Manado Malay is used only for spoken communication, there is no standard...
is another creole which is the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in Manado
Manado
Manado is the capital of the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Manado is located at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area. The city has about 405,715 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar...
and Minahasa, North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west . The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border Davao del Sur in the Philippines.The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is...
.
It is based on Ternatean Malay and highly influenced by Ternatean, Dutch, Minahasa languages and some Spanish and Portuguese words.
Examples :
- Kita = I
- Ngana = you
- Torang = we
- Dorang = they
- Io = yes
- Nyanda' = no (' = glottal stop)
Sentences :
- Kita pe mama ada pi ka pasar : My mom is going to the market
- Ngana so nyanda' makan dari kalamareng : You haven't eaten since yesterday.
- Ngana jang badusta pa kita : Don't lie to me
- Torang so pasti bisa : we can surely do that
Ternatean Malay
This creole resembles Manado Malay, but with different accents and vocabulary. A large percentage of its vocabulary is borrowed from Ternatean, such as:ngana : you (sg)
ngoni : you (pl)
bifi : ant
ciri : to fall
Spoken in Ternate
Ternate
Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate....
, Tidore
Tidore
Tidore is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. In the pre-colonial era, the kingdom of Tidore was a major regional political and economic power, and a fierce rival of nearby Ternate, just to the north.-Geography:Tidor...
and Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
islands, North Maluku
North Maluku
North Maluku is a province of northeastern Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group...
for intergroup communications, and in the Sula Islands
Sula Islands
The Sula Islands are a group of islands in North Maluku in Indonesia. Its three main islands are Mangole, Sanae and Taliabu, with smaller islands Lifamatola and Seho. It is administered as Kepulauan Sula Regency...
.
Example :
- Jang bafoya : Don't lie!
Bacanese Malay
Spoken in Bacan islands and its surroundings, North MalukuNorth Maluku
North Maluku is a province of northeastern Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group...
. Distinct from both Ambonese and Ternate Malay.
Larantuka Malay
Spoken as lingua franca in LarantukaLarantuka
Larantuka is a subdistrict of East Flores Regency, on the eastern end of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Like much of the region, Larantuka has a strong a colonial Portuguese influence...
, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor...
. Based on Malay and distinct from Kupang Malay.
While other parts of Flores island tend to use standard Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, in Sikka and in some communities in Larantuka Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is also spoken, particularly in religious matters. It can be heard during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
rituals in Larantuka.
Example :
- Ongko te pi? : You don't go, do you?
Kupang Malay
Spoken in KupangKupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
, East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor...
West-end of Timor Island. It is based on archaic Malay which mixed mostly with Dutch, Portuguese and local languages. Similar to Ambonese Malay with several differences in vocabularies and accents. Its grammatical system resembles that of other East Indonesian Malay Creoles.
Examples :
- beta = I
- lu = You
- sonde = No
- Beta sonde tau, lai = I don't know
Ambonese Malay
This Malay creole has been apparent since the 17th century. It was first brought by traders from Western Indonesia, then developed when the Dutch Empire colonized the Molluccas (MalukuMaluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
). This was the first example of the transliteration of Malay into Roman script, and used as a tool of the missionaries in Eastern Indonesia. Malay has been taught in schools and churches in Ambon, and because of this, has become a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in Ambon and its surroundings.
Christian speakers use Ambonese Malay as their mother tongue, while Muslims speak it as second language as they have their own language. Muslims in Ambon island particularly live in several areas in Municipality of Ambon, dominant in Salahutu and Leihitu Peninsula. While in the Lease (pron : LAY-AH-SAY) islands, Christian Ambonese-speaking community is dominant in part of Haruku, Saparua
Saparua
Saparua is an island east of Ambon Island in the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main port is in the south at Kota Saparua.Saparua was the location of Indonesian national hero, Pattimura's rebellion against Dutch forces.Paperu is a village on the island....
and Nusa Laut islands. Ambonese Malay Creole has also become lingua franca in Buru
Buru
Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...
, Seram
Seram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
, Geser-Gorom and South-West Maluku Islands
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
, though with different accents.
Ambonese Malay is based on Malay with a great influences from both European languages (Dutch and Portuguese) as well as the vocabularies or grammatical structures of indigenous languages. It is famous for its melodious accent. Muslims and Christian speakers tend to make different choices in vocabulary.
Examples :
- Beta pung nama Ahmad = My name is Ahmed
- Ose su tau Ahmad pung maitua? = Do you know Ahmed's wife?
- Jang bakudapa deng dia dolo, dia ada gagartang deng ose = Never see him for a moment, he's angry to you.
- Susi dong pung kaka mo pi kamari = Susi's brother will come
- Ini beta kasi akang voor ose = This is for you.
- Ale badiang jua, beta cumang mo tipu-tipu Tuang Ala = Shut up, I am tricking God ( for joking )
- Beta seng tau = I don't know
Ambonese word samples
- Beta = I
- Ose, Ale = you (ose is based on voce in Portuguese)
- Dia = he, she
- Akang = (may) it
- Katong = we (cut from kita orang)
- Dong = they (cut from dia orang)
- Kamong, kamorang = you (pl) (cut from kamu orang)
- Antua = he, she (respectful form)
- iyo = yes
- seng = no
- bakubae = peace
- nanaku = pay attention to something
- su = already (indicating something has already happened or has been done)
Bandanese Malay
A distinct variant of Moluccan Malay. Spoken in Banda IslandsBanda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
, Maluku
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
and it has specific accents. Different from Ambonese Malay and for Ambonese, Bandanese Malay is widely perceived as sounding funny due to its unique features.
Example :
- Beta : I
- pane : you
- katorang : we
- mir : ants (deviated from Dutch : mier)
Papuan/Irian Malay
This is a contact language among tribes in Indonesian New Guinea (PapuaPapua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
and West Papua) for trading and daily communication. Papuan and Irian declared Malay as their language since 1926, before the Sumpah Pemuda declaration. Nowadays, they tend to speak more formal Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
. This variant is also understood in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
near Indonesian border.
Example :
- Ini tanah pemerintah punya, bukan ko punya! = It's governmental land, not yours!
- Kitorang tar pernah bohong = We don't lie.
Kedahan Malay
This language is spoken in Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and in North Perak of Malaysia and Satun province of Thailand.Kedah
Kedah is the northern state of Malaysia, bordering with Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Penang (Malay: Pulau Pinang)
Penang island was colonised by Britain in 1786 and became a mecca for immigrants. This island once was the part of Kedah. Penangite Muslims are descendants from various ethnic groups, such as Malays
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
, Thais
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
, Burmese
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
, Cambodians, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Indians
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
, Javanese, Minangkabaus, Bataks
Batak (Indonesia)
Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Toba, Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola and Mandailing, each of which are distinct but related groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and...
, Boyanese, Buginese
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
, Banjarese
Banjar people
The Banjar are a coastal, native ethnic group that settled in Tanah Laut and Banjarmasin in the south and in Hulu Sungai in the north of South Kalimantan, Indonesia, the second largest city on the island of Borneo. Several centuries ago, some of them had travelled to many places in the Malay...
, Arabs and Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. Through intermarriages, the local Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
dialect has absorbed numerous foreign words especially from the Penang Hokkien
Penang Hokkien
Penang Hokkien is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang, Malaysia. It is the lingua franca among the majority Chinese population in Penang as well as other northern states of Malaysia surrounding it, and is characterised by the pronunciation of words according to the Zhangzhou dialect,...
dialect.
Examples:
- "Hangpa mai mana?" = Where do you all come from? (standard Malay: "Awak semua dari mana?")
- "Cek pi merket tiap-tiap haghi neik geghek" - I go to the market every day by bicycle (standard Malay: "Saya pergi ke pasar tiap-tiap hari naik basikal").
- "Hang ni ghaplah!" - You're careless!
- "Hangpa dorang mai sini sat!" - Both 2 of you, come here now!
- "Insat" - Wait
- "Haria!!" - Ambush!!
Kedahan word samples:
- "Saya", "Aku", "Cek" - I
- "Hang" - You (singular)
- "Hangpa" - You (plural)
- "Dia", "Dea" - He/She
- "Depa" - They
- "Mai" - Come
- "Pi" - Go
- "Merket" - Market
- "Beiskel", "Geqhek" - Bicycle
- "Ghaplah" - Careless
For more Kedahan words, see Kamus Kedah.
Sarawakian Malay
Sarawakian Malay is a Malay dialect influenced by many Javanese (since that parts of Borneo was under Majapahit rule) and Dayak words, and it has many unique words when compared to standard Malay.Examples:
- "Sine rumah kitak?" = Where is your house?
- "Nak ne rumah kitak?" = Which one is your house?
- "Kamek dari Kuching." = I am from Kuching.
- "Nya tetak nangga Awang gugok/terusuk ke dalam parit" = He laughed seeing Awang fell down into the sewers.
- "Pusak tok kamek empun/mpun!" = "This is my cat!"
- "Kamek sik kerja hari tok" = "I'm not working today"
- "Nenek kamek polah bubur" = "My grandmother is making porridge"
Sarawakian word samples:
- "Kitak", "Kawu" = You
- "Kamek" = I
- "Kamek orang" = we
- "Sine" = Where
- "Pusak" = Cat
- "Nya" = He/She
- "Gugok" = fell down/fell into
- "Asuk" = Dog
- "Tetak" = laugh
- "Burit" = buttocks
- "Paluk" = hit
- "Aok" = yes
- "Sik" (equivalent to "tidak" in Standard Malay) = no, not
- "Nangga" = look,see
- "Sitok" = here
Bruneian Malay
Although Bruneians speak standard Malay, which is the official language, it has some unique words when compared with MalaysianMalay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
.
Examples:
- "Dia atu bini-bini." = She is a lady.
- "Sudah ko makan?" = Have you eaten?
- Tekaduhung kitani kemari ani baiktah tarus makan saja sini = Since we're here, we might as well have lunch here too
- "Awda mendapat cabutan bertuah" = You received a lucky draw.
Examples given:
- "Awda/Ko" = You
- "Bini-bini" = lady ("bini" is also used in Malaysian Malay, bini however means wife. However in Malaysian and Singaporean Malay, this is not considered a polite word either refer to someone's wife or to refer to one's own wife to friends, relatives, strangers etc. In Malaysia and Singapore, the word ' isteri ' is used in polite company. 'Orang Rumah' is also acceptable, the term literally means ' Person of the House'. In Indonesia, 'isteri' is used. )
- "Baiktah" ("Baik saja" in MalayMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
) = might as well - "tarus" = straight ahead, immediately
- "Kitani" = We ( might be corrupted from ' Kita Ini ' - meaning ' Us Here ' in Malay )
- "Karang" = later
For more Bruneian words, see www.kamusbrunei.blogspot.com
Sri Lanka Malay
Main Article Sri Lankan Malay languageThe Sri Lankan Creole Malay language is a unique mixture of the Sinhalese language and the Tamil language with Malay. Sri Lanka Malay (SLM) is a restructured vernacular of Malay base spoken by at least five different communities in Sri Lanka which has evolved to be significantly divergent from other varieties of Malay due to intimate contact with the dominant languages of Sinhala and Tamil. The Malays in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, whose ancestry include laborers brought by the Dutch and British, as well as soldiers in the Dutch garrison, now constitute 0.3% of the population, numbering some 46,000. It is spoken exclusively by the Malay ethnic minority in Sri Lanka.