Malay trade and creole languages
In addition to its classical and literary form, Malay has
various regional dialects established before the rise of
the Malaccan Sultanate. Also, Malay spread through in-
terethnic contact and trade across the Malay archipelago
as far as the Philippines. That contact resulted in a lingua
franca that was called Bazaar Malay or low Malay. It is
generally believed that Bazaar Malay was a pidgin, inu-
enced by contact among Malay, Chinese, Portuguese, and
Dutch traders.
Besides the general simplication that occurs with pid-
gins, the Malay lingua franca had several distinctive char-
acteristics. One was that possessives were formed with
punya 'its owner'; another was that plural pronouns were
formed with orang 'person'. The only Malayic axes that
remained productive were tr- and br-.
Other features:
Ada became a progressive particle.
Reduced forms of ini 'this and itu 'that' before a
noun became determiners.
The verb prgi 'go' was reduced, and became a
preposition 'towards.
Causative constructions were formed with kasi or
bri 'to give' or bikin or buat 'to make'.
A single preposition, often sama, was used for
multiple functions, including direct and indirect
object.[1]
For example,[2]
Rumah-ku 'my house' becomes Saya punya rumah
Saya pukul dia 'I hit him' becomes Saya kasi pukul
dia
Megat dipukul Robert 'Megat is hit by Robert' be-
comes Megat dipukul dek Robert
Bazaar Malay is still used to a limited extent in Singapore
and Malaysia. The most important consequence, how-
ever, has been that pidgin Malay creolised and created
several new languages.[3]
1 Baba Malay
Baba Malay or Peranakan Malay, once a diverse group Main article: Betawi language
of pidgins, is spoken in Malaysia but is now almost
1
extinct. These are Malay varieties spoken by the
Peranakan, descendants of Chinese settlers who have
lived in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia since the 15th
Century.[8] Baba Malay is close to the trade pidgins which
became creolised across the Malay Archipelago, produc-
ing the variety of Malay creoles seen today. A kind of
Baba Malay, called Peranakan, is spoken among Chi-
nese living in East Java. It is a mixture of Malay or
Indonesian with local Javanese (East Javanese dialect)
and Chinese elements (particularly Hokkien). This par-
ticular 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 Stan-
dard Javanese in daily conversation even among them-
selves; 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):
Lu bo' gitu! : Don't act that way!
Yak apa kabarnya si Eli? : Hows 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 brothers book in Ling Lings house.
Example (Spoken in Melaka-Singapore):[9]
Dia suka datang sini sembang. : He likes to come
here and gossip.
Keliap-keliap, dia naik angin. : Slightly provoked,
he gets angry.
Gua tunggu dia sampai gua k'ee geram. : I waited
for him till I got angry.
Oo-wa! Kinajeet, dia pasang kuat. : Wow! Today
he dresses stylishly!
2 Betawi Malay
2 9 EAST INDONESIAN MALAY

Betawi Malay, also known as Jakarta or Java Malay, is 6 Sabah Malay

a creolised-Malay which is spoken in Jakarta (the mod-
ern name for Betawi) and its surroundings. Betawian or A pidginised variant of standard Malay, Sabah Malay is
Omong Betawi is based on Bazaar Malay (Melayu Pasar) a local trade language. There are a large native speakers
but inuenced by various languages such as Javanese, in urban areas, mainly children who have a second na-
Sundanese (the area is surrounded by Sundanese speaking tive language. There are also some speakers in the south-
area), Chinese (especially Hokkien), Portuguese, Dutch, ernmost parts of the Philippines, particularly in the Sulu
Balinese and others. Betawian creole began to be used Archipelago as a trade language.
after 1750 in Batavia, and replaced Portuguese creole as
the lingua franca.[10]
Betawian Malay was also inuenced by Chinese-style 7 Macassar Malay
Malay spoken by the Chinese settlers who had come ear-
lier. Macassar Malay is not a creole, but a mixed Malay
It has now become a very popular language particularly Macassarese language, with Malay lexicon, Macassarese
amongst the younger generations in Indonesia due largely inections, and mixed Malay/Macassarese syntax.[19]
to its use on television (such as sinetron or sitcom).
Betawi Malay was the ancestor of Cocos Malay.
8 Balinese Malay
Balinese Malay is a trade language of the island.

3 Malaccan Creole Malay

9 East Indonesian Malay
Spoken since the 16th century by descendents of Tamil
merchants of the Malacca Straits. It may be historically The creoles of eastern Indonesia[21] appear to have
related to Sri Lanka Creole Malay. formed as Malays and Javanese, using lingua franca
Malay, established their monopoly on the spice trade be-
fore the European colonial era. They have a number of
features in common:

4 Sri Lanka Malay becomes a, e, or assimilates to the following vowel

i, u lower to e, o in some environments
Main article: Sri Lankan Malay language
there is a loss of nal plosives p, t, k, and the neu-
tralisation of nal nasals in part of the lexicon
The Sri Lankan Creole Malay language is a unique mix-
ture of the Sinhalese language and the Tamil language the perfective marker sudah reduces to su or so[1]
with Malay. Sri Lanka Malay (SLM) is a restructured
vernacular of Malay base spoken by at least ve dierent For example,[2]
communities in Sri Lanka which has evolved to be sig-
nicantly divergent from other varieties of Malay due to
makan becomes makang
intimate contact with the dominant languages of Sinhala
and Tamil. The Malays in Sri Lanka, whose ancestry in- pergi becomes pigi or pi
clude labourers brought by the Dutch and British, as well
as soldiers in the Dutch garrison, now constitute 0.3% of terkejut becomes takajo
the population, numbering some 46,000. It is spoken ex- lembut becomes lombo
clusively by the Malay ethnic minority in Sri Lanka.[13]
dapat becomes dapa

Bacan (next) is perhaps the most archaic, and appears to

5 Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin
Main article: Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin
A pidgin used in the pearl industry in West Australia.
be closely related to Brunei Malay (which is not a creole).
9.1 Bacanese Malay
Spoken in Bacan Island and its surroundings, North
Maluku.
9.5 Kupang Malay 3

9.2 Manado Malay 9.5 Kupang Malay

Main article: Manado Malay
Manado Malay is another creole which is the lingua
franca in Manado and Minahasa, North Sulawesi. It is
based on Ternatean Malay and highly inuenced by Ter-
natean, Dutch, Minahasa languages and some 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 mother is going
to the market
Ngana so nyanda' makang 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
Kupang language redirects here. For other language
called Kupang, see Helong language.
Spoken in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on the 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 dif-
ferences in vocabularies and accent. Its grammatical sys-
tem resembles that of other East Indonesian Malay Cre-
oles.
Examples :
beta = I
lu = You
sonde = No
Beta sonde tau, lai = I don't know
9.6 Ambonese Malay
Main article: Ambonese Malay
Malay was rst brought to Ambon by traders from West-
ern Indonesia, then developed into a creole when the
Dutch Empire colonised the Molluccas. Ambonese
Malay was the rst example of the transliteration of
Malay into Roman script, and used as a tool of the mis-
sionaries in Eastern Indonesia.

9.7 Bandanese Malay

9.3 Gorap
A distinct variant of Moluccan Malay. Spoken in Banda
Gorap is lexically 85% Malay, but has many Ternate Islands, Maluku and it has specic accents. Dierent
words as well, and word order diers from both Aus- from Ambonese Malay and for Ambonese, Bandanese
tronesian and Halmahera languages. Children no longer Malay is widely perceived as sounding funny due to its
acquire the language. unique features.
Example :

9.4 Ternate / North Moluccan Malay Beta : I

Main article: North Moluccan Malay pane : you

katorang : we
This creole resembles Manado Malay, but with dierent
accents and vocabulary. A large percentage of its vocab- mir : ants (deviated from Dutch : mier)
ulary is borrowed from Ternatean, such as: ngana : you
(sg) ngoni : you (pl) bi : ant ciri : to fall Spoken in
Ternate, Tidore and Halmahera islands, North Maluku 9.8 Papuan/Irian Malay
for intergroup communications, and in the Sula Islands.
Originally a contact language among tribes in Indone-
Example : sian New Guinea (Papua and West Papua) for trading
and daily communication, now a growing number of na-
Jang bafoya : Don't lie! tive speakers. Papuan and Irian declared Malay as their
4 12
language since 1926, before the Sumpah Pemuda dec-
laration. Nowadays, they tend to speak more formal
Indonesian. This variant is also understood in Vanimo,
Papua New Guinea near Indonesian border.
Example :
Ini tanah pemerintah punya, bukan ko punya! = Its
governmental land, not yours!
Kitorang tak pernah bohong = We don't lie.
10 See also
10.1 Creoles of the Malay Archipelago
based on languages other than Malay
Javindo language
Petjo language
Portuguese-based creole languages
11 External links
A Baba Malay Dictionary by William Gwee Thian
Hock
Malay creole boy, Hottentot Square Cape Town;
Malay boy of Cape Town [picture] / George French
Angas delt. et lithog.
The Malay Chetty Creole Language Of Malacca A
Historical And Linguistic Perspective
12 References
[1] Wurm, Mhlhusler, & Tryon, Atlas of languages of inter-
cultural communication in the Pacic, Asia and the Amer-
icas, 1996:673.
[2] MALAY DIALECT RESEARCH IN MALAYSIA: THE
ISSUE OF PERSPECTIVE1.
[3] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Vehicular Malay.
Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science
of Human History.
[4] Baba Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[5] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Baba Malay.
Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science
of Human History.
[6] Peranakan Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
REFERENCES
[7] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Peranakan.
Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science
of Human History.
[8] Baba Malay of Malacca.
[9] BABA / PERANAKAN MALAY. The Peranakan Re-
source Library. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
[10] Why Malay/Indonesian Undressed: Contact, Geography,
and the Roll of the Dice, by David Gil
[11] Malaccan Creole Malay at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
[12] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Malaccan Cre-
ole Malay. Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for
the Science of Human History.
[13] Malays contact with Sri Langka.
[14] Sabah Malay at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
[15] Sabah Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[16] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Sabah Malay.
Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science
of Human History.
[17] Macassar Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[18] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Makassar Malay.
Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science
of Human History.
[19] Wurm, Mhlhusler, & Tryon, Atlas of languages of inter-
cultural communication in the Pacic, Asia and the Amer-
icas, 1996:682.
[20] Balinese Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[21] Hammarstrm, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath,
Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). Eastern Indonesia
Trade Malay. Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute
for the Science of Human History.
[22] Bacanese Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[23] Gorap at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[24] Kupang Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[25] Bandanese Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
[26] Papuan Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Ethnologue: Malay-based creoles
 5

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