{"id":152560,"date":"2019-06-04T14:12:22","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T06:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/?p=152560"},"modified":"2023-10-26T08:35:22","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T00:35:22","slug":"do-malaysians-speak-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/do-malaysians-speak-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Malaysians Speak English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As a tour guide, it\u2019s always fun to watch the amazed and delighted expressions on tourists\u2019 faces when they have their first real experience interacting with the locals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

When it comes to the airport staff and guides, they expect them to speak English, it\u2019s their job, but when they approach a vendor or any random person on the street they prepare to spill out broken sentences backed with exaggerated hand gestures. The Malaysian local smiles and speaks to them in perfect English.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Well, nearly perfect. It\u2019s called Malaysian English.<\/p>\n

And the response from the tourist is almost always the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I didn\u2019t know Malaysians can speak such good English!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201d Yes, Malaysians do speak English, so don\u2019t be shy to go ahead and speak as you normally would and they will reply to you in Malaysian English. Of course, there will be some differences in the usage of words, perhaps phonetics and a little Malaysian flare will be added in. But these types of differences exist even among English-speaking countries such as the US, UK and Australia. So if you\u2019re a first-timer in Malaysia, you\u2019re bound to hear (and even pick up) some local lingo throughout your stay.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Interesting fact: When it comes to language \u2014 or languages, I should say, Malaysia hosts an impressive 137 languages, dialects and indigenous sub-dialects throughout the nation. Let\u2019s\u2019 take a look at languages in Malaysia, so you\u2019ll have a better understanding of what to expect and to feel a little more at ease.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Maylay: The Official<\/h3>\n

So this is where it might get a little confusing. Malay is the official national language of Malaysia, which is broken up into ten dialects. Of those, Bahasa Melayu is the official, standardized dialect which is also spoken in Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand for a total of about 18 million speakers worldwide. So when we use the word, Malay, to describe the official language, we are referring to the Bahasa Melayu dialect. Coincidentally, Indonesian, spoken by 170 million people, is also a form of Malay.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The earliest known record of Malay is found on inscriptions in southern Sumatra and on the island of Bangka, and dates back to 683-6 CE. At that time it was written in Indian script and heavily influenced by Sanskrit. It was transformed in the 14th century to Arabic, then again in the 17th century to the modern Latin alphabet.<\/p>\n

 <\/h2>\n

British English<\/h3>\n

By the mid-18th century, the British had set up trading posts on the Malay peninsula. With them, they brought politics, goods for trade and English. Since 1819, the British already had control of Singapore and English began to have an influence on the Malaysian language, and vice versa. Words like paddy, lorry, amok, rattan, bamboo, and sarong are just a few examples of Malay infiltration into the English language.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The English used in Malaysia today is based on British English and is called Malaysian English. They follow British spellings, however, American slang is strong, especially among Malaysian youth.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Like Malay, English plays an important role to bridge the gap between dialects and languages, such as among Chinese or Tamil speakers, so they can communicate comfortably. When talking to people who don\u2019t understand their language, they will instead use Malay, English or a mixture mentioned before, Manglish.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Manglish or Malaysian Standard English (MySE)<\/h3>\n

This is where the fun begins. This is such a fun language to listen to and even more fun to speak, And it\u2019s almost impossible not to pick up a little bit, even on a short tour.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

About a month ago I overheard a tourist talking to her daughter back home in the US. Her and her husband were on their second trip to Malaysia and she was having a little trouble with the connection, so she was talking a bit loud. What caught my attention was when she said \u201cSee HOW la,\u201d which is Manglish for something like \u201cI\u2019ll see and let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The entire group stopped and stared at her, myself included then we all erupted with laughter when she had realized what she said. And with an almost perfect accent! This isn\u2019t the first time I have heard tourists speaking Manglish and I always get a kick out of it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Let me give some examples of Manglish and how certain words are used, so you\u2019ll have an idea of how the blend of the two languages fit together.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Warning: Manglish can be addicting \u2014 please use Manglish responsibly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Digging into Manglish<\/h3>\n

Manglish shouldn\u2019t be confused with Malaysian English. Even though they may have similar names, unlike Malaysian English which follows the rules with some local flare added, Manglish doesn\u2019t always follow the grammatical structure of British English.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Manglish also has influences from other languages as, Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tamil.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Take note: As with any country and language, Manglish can vary from region to region in its usage and slang according to certain influences.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

La<\/h3>\n

Understanding \u201cla\u201d is fundamental. It can be used in a variety of ways in daily communication and describes different kinds of emotions, but it really has no specific meaning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u2022 Frustration \u2013 what la<\/p>\n

\u2022 To emphasize \u2013 ya la<\/p>\n

\u2022 Feeling so so \u2013 OK la<\/p>\n

\u2022 Trying to chill \u2013 come on la<\/p>\n

\u2022 To ask \u2013 serious la?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Denying \u2013 no la<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

You to the vendor: Can you give me a discount?<\/p>\n

In Manglish: Ei, cheaper la!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no definite answer to where the usage of \u201cla\u201d came from, however, the Chinese do make use of \u201clah\u201d and lay claim to its influence.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Here are a few interesting words used by locals that have a different twist on their original meaning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Boss<\/h3>\n

Only used with males, it literally means what it\u2019s supposed to mean, but here in Malaysia, it\u2019s widely used as a sign of respect or to make someone feel important. It\u2019s not an official calling, but more of a respectful way to address someone. Even, if we are in the Mamak restaurant, it\u2019s normal to call the waiter boss.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/p>\n

Loan officer: Your application is denied because you don\u2019t meet the qualifications.<\/p>\n

You : Please la, boss. Can\u2019t you help me this time? Can la, boss?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

One<\/h3>\n

This one can be confusing. No pun intended. When a local uses the word \u201cone\u201d they aren\u2019t referring to the number. It\u2019s used more for emphasis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/p>\n

Local: So handsome one. Going out with leng loi is it?<\/p>\n

Meaning: So handsome! Going out with a girl?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Spender<\/h3>\n

This isn\u2019t what you would think it is. This is not referring to a person who likes to spend lavishly on things they don\u2019t need. No, in our local lingo spender means a male\u2019s brief. Yes, you read correctly. Spender is underwear. I don\u2019t think an example is really needed here.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tackle<\/h3>\n

For football fans, this word has a pretty common meaning, kill the guy with the ball. In other places in English, it can be used to describe taking on a huge problem or challenge. It can also mean fishing gear. In Manglish, it means none of these. Here is an example of a bit of a gap between English and Manglish.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

If you hear a local saying he wants to tackle a girl, please don\u2019t call the police. In Manglish, \u201ctackle\u201d means to get a girl\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Mix Doesn\u2019t Stop There<\/h3>\n

Manglish has a converse side to the above. Besides English words being used in different variations, Malay words make their way into English sentences.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of how Malay words are used in conjunction with English.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tapau<\/h3>\n

Tapau means to take away or pack up the food.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/p>\n

(To the waiter) Boss, can you tapau this chicken and rice for me?<\/p>\n

Bos, tapau chicken rice, can?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Kautim<\/h3>\n

This word comes from Cantonese and means \u201cto settle\u201d as in to finish some work or to settle a problem.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/p>\n

Boss: Lee, don\u2019t forget to update me on that deal tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Lee: Don\u2019t worry boss. I will kautim it for you. Other interesting words you may hear:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Mat Salleh<\/h3>\n

This word is referring to westerners, but not in a derogatory way.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Example:<\/p>\n

Local (to the taxi driver): Tolong jap tunjuk Mat Salleh tu macam mana nak gi Kuantan.<\/p>\n

Meaning: Please help to assist the westerner, he wanted to go to Kuantan.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Jambu<\/h3>\n

Jambu\u2019s original meaning was supposed to be a guava fruit but has been transformed to refer to a cute boy like the author of this article and Korean boy bands.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Other Dialects and Influences The British were not the only outside culture to make its mark on Malaysia. For instance, In southern Malaysia, Mandarin is widely spoken and taught in schools due to the high Chinese-Malaysian population. They also speak other Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Hainanese, Hok-chew, Yue, and Min. However, a lot of the smaller dialects are facing extinction as Mandarin becomes more dominant.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tamil is another popular language used by the Indian-Malaysians. Sinhalese is a language mainly by the Sri Lankan population and Thai is spoken in some parts but is considered a minority language.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Indigenous Languages Of Malaysia<\/h3>\n

There are over 30 native tribes in Malaysia each with its own unique ancestral language including sub-dialects. Kazadandusuns and Iban are the most recognizable among the native languages.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t feel pressured to learn a whole new language before your vacation. Although the locals do appreciate the respect for their mother tongue, they are always more than happy to practice their English with a real westerner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malaysians do speak English and there are many other languages you can pick up whilst in Malaysia. We dive deeper into the languages spoken in Malaysia including Manglish, one of the funniest languages to listen to when you’re a native English speaker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Do Malaysians Speak English?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Malaysians do speak English and there are many other languages you can pick up whilst in Malaysia. We dive deeper into the languages spoken in Malaysia including Manglish, one of the funniest languages to listen to when you're a native English speaker.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[479,481],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152560"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158389,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152560\/revisions\/158389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyenak.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}