In the past few weeks, we have been concentrating on the three main languages of Malaysia and how they have fused and come together in the Malaysian cultural melting pot. However, we are well aware of the many different ethnicities that have come to call Malaysia, home. So today, we’d like to briefly introduce to you our brothers and sisters under this same nationality. We mentioned earlier that half of Malaysia’s population (50.4% to be exact) comprise the largest ethnic … Continue reading
If you’re ever planning a holiday to this bustling cultural paradise, here are a few Malay phrases to help enrich your stay in Malaysia! While the English language is widely used in most cities throughout the country, you may come across a language barrier when visiting some of the innermost parts where the best and most traditional experiences are. In these parts, Bahasa Malaysia, also known as Bahasa Melayu or simply, Malay, is used in everyday conversation. This week, we … Continue reading
Ironing out misconceptions… In our last newsletter, we mentioned that our Malaysian language is influenced by the many different cultures that make up our country. In our everyday, Malaysians converse in Malaysian English – also known as Bahasa Rojak (Translation: Mixed Language), borrowing words from different languages. For example: ‘Let’s go makan (Bahasa Malaysia) at the kuey tiaw stall! The tau keh (Hokkien) always gives me extra.’ (Let’s go eat at the kuey tiaw stall! The boss always gives me … Continue reading
Now that you’ve learnt the basics when it comes to speaking Manglish, let’s delve a little deeper into our quirky way of speaking. We’d like to think that we’re a pretty creative bunch when it comes to speaking – and highly practical too – by simplifying sentences and re-using words to indicate different meanings. For example, the word ‘can’ would universally mean ‘have the ability to’. However, in Malaysia, we use this humble word (may not necessarily be accurate in … Continue reading
So you may all have heard of the ubiquitous ‘lah’ peppered in conversations with Malaysian students and have gotten a few raised eyebrows (or given some yourselves – depending on which side of the spectrum you’re on). For the typical Malaysian, this seemingly humble suffix is used in a lot of our sentences for very different situations. Absorbed from the Malay language (ed: also the national language) into English in the local vernacular, ‘lah’ is used in all our conversations … Continue reading
