History does not belong to us, we belong to it. - Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher
When we think about the history of the Malay language, it is easy to focus solely on how the language has evolved in Malaysia. In reality, however, its history is much richer and more diverse because it spans across continents!
Apart from serving as a lingua franca, the Malay language, or Bahasa Melayu, is representative of elements such as national identity and international trade. Let's look at some special events in Malay language history and their influence on our lives today. Read on!
What is special about the Malay language history?
The Malay language is formally known as an Austronesian language. The origins of the Malay people, better known as Orang Melayu, can be traced back to the Austronesian people who inhabited parts of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula (now West Malaysia), Borneo (areas in Sabah and Sarawak) and their surrounding islands. Often, these inhabited regions were coastal areas.
It is therefore unsurprising that the history of the Malay language involves recognising the Malay people as "traders of their time". With their early culture involving trade along coastal areas, it's no wonder that those who currently live along the coasts of West Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah are referred to as "local Malays".
Following the popularisation of trade, the Malay language was incorporated into administrative and federal matters, before finally moving into the textbooks you read at schools. Bahasa Melayu thus became a unifying language that transcended races and cultures. In fact, many dialects spoken across different states in Malaysia are derived from the Malay language!
Even if you're just starting to learn Malay as a second language, you can easily pick it up from anywhere in Malaysia.
How did Malay language history evolve?
While there are many opinions on how the Malay language came to be, the history of the Malay language can be divided into four significant periods as we take Malaysia into account. Explore further about the Malay language history when you learn Malay in school.
Old Malay (around 2000 B.C. to 15th century)
Much of the earliest records of Old Malay demonstrate a strong Indian influence, as reflected by its references to Sanskrit vocabulary and Pallava, an ancient Tamil script, which was accepted as the Malay writing system at the time.
The Malay writing system evolved to include Kawi, an ancient Javanese script. With the Srivijaya regime that ruled the Malacca Sultanate, people then recognised Malay as lingua franca at the time.
Classical Malay (15th to 19th century)
Following the Malacca Sultanate, there was a radical shift in to use of the Malay language in expressing the Islamic faith. However, certain pronunciations in Arabic, which are used in the Quran and Hadis, could not be found in the Pallava and Kawi languages. This led to the creation of the Jawi script, which is synonymous with the Malay language itself.
Modern Malay (19th century to the year 1957)
By this era, the evolution of the Malay language throughout history came to adopt words from colonial languages such as English, Portuguese and Dutch. At the same time, the Malay language started to become standardised, with dictionaries and grammar rules on the rise. And when Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore gained independence, the Malay language was elevated to national language status.
Contemporary Malay (1957 onwards)
In this final period of the Malay language history, there were challenges to standardising the language once again, but this was normalised due to the linguistic collaboration between Malaysia and Indonesia in 1966. While recent years have seen many new Malay words borrowed from English, Malaysia nonetheless sees it remain as the widely-spoken language of the country.
What is the role of Malay in official life?
Bahasa Melayu is one of only 20 languages that have been recognised as an official language.
To understand the role of Malay in official life, we can look at how the use of Malay has expanded in Malaysia. Now that Malay has been standardised in the country, what does that mean for its people?
We can begin by looking at Malaysia's monarchy. From the 1957 independence onwards, the nation has since elected 16 monarchs. What is unique about this structure is that it comprises nine hereditary ethnic Malay royals. At the same time, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or the king elected by these nine rulers, must also be a Malay royal and is also officially recognised as the head of state.
With the king being of ethnic Malay descent and nine royals each ruling separate states in Malaysia, it is foreseeable that the Malay language is customarily used in all state-related matters. From official functions to international meetings, Bahasa Melayu has easily incorporated itself into every ministry, department and agency. With civil servants upholding the Malay language history, so has the wider society.
As such, the Malay language continues to be emphasised in the national education curriculum, where even students who are not of Malay descent can learn the basic level of Jawi in vernacular schools. Even mathematics and science subjects are taught in Malay up until the secondary school level. As it remains, learning how to communicate in Malay is an integral part of the Bahasa Melayu syllabus in Malaysia.
Who uses Malay as lingua franca?
Did you know that Bahasa Melayu is the 10th most popular language in the world?
Apart from just Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia maintaining Malay as the national language, it is also spoken throughout Brunei and southern parts of Thailand. While still considered Bahasa Melayu in all these places, do take note that each country has made their own adaptations to the Malay language.
For instance, we can look at the difference between Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, which are different forms of Bahasa Melayu. In Malaysia, the word kereta is used for car, but it is called mobil when you are in Indonesia. Sometimes there are only slight differences, such as the word lelaki in Malaysia and laki-laki in Indonesia, which are both used to refer to males.
Regardless of these differences, the fact that these countries recognise Malay as lingua franca goes to show its widespread use, and therefore the need to continue to educate young people about this language. That is why Bahasa Melayu remains a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools, even as we look back at the evolution of the Malay language throughout history.
Malay is now officially written in the Latin script, or Rumi, throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Even so, the Jawi script continues to be used in order to preserve its significance to Malay history. Sekolah Agama, for instance, are religious schools in Malaysia that make it compulsory for Muslim students to learn Jawi alongside its Latin counterpart.
You can still learn Malay fast as an adult even if you are just a beginner.
How to learn more about Malay language history
You don't have to look far to learn about the rich history of the Malay language.
One of the best ways is to study the language itself.
With Superprof, you can choose from over 800 tutors teaching Malay in Malaysia. You can easily find your desired tutor on the Superprof Tutors page, which allows you to find Malay tutors in your area. Our Superprof tutors teach Malay from as young as primary school age up until adult education. Did you know you can find Superprof tutors who are native speakers of the language?
Whether you are already learning Malay in school or are new to the language, learning is a breeze if you are keen on learning about Malay language history. Along with this history, pick up on skills such as reading, writing and speaking in Malay - soon, you'll become fluent in a second language! Superprof tutors are equipped to support your learning experience and help you achieve such fluency.
You can select from options such as in-person or virtual classes, and even private or group settings. Making your Malay language-learning journey both comfortable and exciting is part of what we do at Superprof, and that's why if you sign up today, you can talk to your preferred tutor for free!
At Superprof, you can let your tutor know your preferred lesson format and set a date for your first Malay lesson! Malay learning has never been more accessible.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
