Malay language
The Malay language, or Bahasa Melayu, is a language spoken by ethnic Malays an ethnic group that live in the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia. It is the national languages of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, an official language in Singapore, a working language in East Timor (Indonesian), and a recognized and significant minority in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Malay language is part of the Austronesian family of languages.
The standard Malay spoken in Indonesia is called "Bahasa Indonesia" or simply "Indonesian". Whereas in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand it is known as "Melayu" or "Bahasa Melayu". In Brunei, it is called "Bruneien Malay" or "Brunei Melayu".
[change] Writing system
Malay is normally written with the Latin alphabet called Rumi. But there is also a modified Arabic alphabet that is called Jawi. Rumi is official in Malaysia and Singapore, and the Indonesian language has a different official orthography that uses also the Latin script. Rumi and Jawi are both official in Brunei. Efforts are currently being undertaken to preserve Jawi script and to revive its use amongst Malays in Malaysia, and students taking Malay language examination in Malaysia have the option of answering questions using Jawi script. But the Latin alphabet is still the most commonly used script in Malaysia, both for official and informal purposes.
Historically, Malay has been written in various types of script. Before the introduction of Arabic script in the Malay region, Malay was written using Pallava, Kawi and Rencong script and are still in use today by the Champa Malay in Vietnam and Cambodia.
[change] Other websites
- Malay-English Dictionary (Dr Bhanot's)
- Malay-English Dictionary (from Malay to English only) from Webster's Dictionary
- Malay-Chinese Online Dictionary
- Malay Translator
