Every language in the world has its formal version — used in official documents, correspondence and newspapers — and its informal daily version — slang, bahasa pasar (literally: ‘market language’), streetwise lingo.
Here are 10 Malay terms that fall in the latter category:-
1. “On The Way”
I dare say that this phrase — ironically, in English — [...]
This may look like Arabic to you, but it’s not.
This is Jawi, previously the standard script for writing the Malay language. Adapted from the Arabic language, it uses all of the original 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet. In addition, Jawi has six unique supplementary letters: va (same as wa but with a single dot [...]
Envelopes marked ‘Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda‘ always fill my heart with dread for some reason. That phrase, loosely translated to ‘Affairs of His Majesty’ [NB: Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy] marks envelopes containing official letters come from government agencies, like Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and Imigresen Malaysia (Malaysian Immigration).
So when DH [...]
Continue reading about The Long & Winding Road…To A Malaysian PR (Permanent Residence)
This shot of the Petronas Twin Towers that I took yesterday using my HTC Desire (from a moving car at that!) somehow reminds me of the late John Denver’s song “Sunshine On My Shoulders“.
Hope your Monday’s not too toxic :)
SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS
- John Denver
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes [...]
At first glance, Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian language) and Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) look very similar. Most of the words are the same — makan (eat), ikan (fish), rumah (house); the structure of sentences are also the same, e.g. Ini anak saya (This is my child).
But after countless trips to Indonesia, it is becoming more and [...]
Continue reading about The Great Malaysian-Indonesian Divide
