''Bahasa Rojak'' (
Malay for "mixed language") or Rojak language is a Malaysian
pidgin (trade language) formed by
code-switching
In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation. Code-switching is different from plurilingualis ...
among two or more of the many
languages of Malaysia
The indigenous languages of Malaysia belong to the Mon-Khmer languages, Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian languages, Malayo-Polynesian families. The national, or official, language is Malaysian language, Malay which is the mother tongue of the maj ...
. ''Bahasa'' means "language", while ''rojak'' means "mixture" in Malay, and is a
local food of the same name.
History
Rojak language of Malaysia can be traced back to 1402, in the early
Malacca of
Parameswara, an international port where more than 80 languages from a variety of cultures were spoken. Worldwide traders, settlers, and original dwellers speaking multiple languages in a conversation was common.
According to the ''
Encyclopedia of Malaysia'' (''Languages and Literature''), it is a
contact language
Language contact occurs when speakers of two or more languages or varieties interact and influence each other. The study of language contact is called contact linguistics. When speakers of different languages interact closely, it is typical for the ...
, specifically a
pidgin, known in modern Malaysia as Rojak language. The uniqueness of Rojak language is in its code-switching style. A person who speaks Rojak language may begin with
standard Malay
Malaysian Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Malaysia), also known as Standard Malay (Malay: ''Bahasa Melayu Standard''), ( English translation: Malaysian language), or simply Malay, is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia (as o ...
, continue with
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, then mix one or two words in
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
garnished with
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
, and finish with
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...
or some fashionable
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
words. During Parameswara's time, when two groups of traders without a shared language met, they would try many possible languages in order to best understand each other, and the result would be a pidgin or ''Rojak''.
In the early 16th century, Portuguese visitor
Tome Pires
A tome or codex is a large book, especially one volume of a multi-volume scholarly work.
Tome may also refer to:
Places
* Tome, Miyagi, city in Japan (formerly Tome District)
*Tome, New Mexico, an unincorporated community and census-designated ...
found in Malacca
These peoples came to Malacca with
junks, pangajavas, and ships, and by 1511, Malacca had a population of 50,000 people, including a resident trade community that spoke 84 languages.
The British brought in large numbers of immigrants from China and India from the late 18th to mid 20th century. The presence of local Malays,
Orang Asli,
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
s,
Portuguese settlers,
Siamese Thais, newly arrived Chinese and Indians, Sarawakians and Sabahans, as well as the others resulted in the wide use of mixed language.
Examples
* ''Kau memang teruk la!'' - You're really bad!
* ''Tempat makan ni best sangat!'' - This food court is really cool!
* ''Nak makan sini ke nak tapau?'' - Do you want to dine here or take away?
* ''Jangan susah hati maa, lu punya bos mesti boleh kaw tim punya maa!'' - Don't worry, your boss can surely compromise!
* ''Apasal lu buat ini kerja cincai?'' - Why do you do this task sloppily?
Colloquial and contemporary usage of Malay includes modern Malaysian vocabulary, which may not be familiar to the older generation, such as:
*''Awek'' (means girl, in place of ''perempuan'').
*''Balak'' (means guy, in place of ''jantan'').
*''Cun'' (means pretty, in place of ''cantik / jelita'').
New plural pronouns have also been formed out of the original pronouns popularly nowadays and the word ''orang'' (person), such as:
*''Korang'' (''kau'' + ''orang'', the
exclusive "us", in place of ''kalian / kamu semua'' (or ''hangpa / ampa'' in Kedah)).
*''Kitorang'' (''kita'' + ''orang'', the
exclusive "we", in place of ''kami'').
*''Diorang'' (''dia'' + ''orang'', the
exclusive "they", in place of ''mereka'' (or ''depa'' in Kedah)).
In addition, Arabic terms that are originally used in Standard Malay nowadays have been popularly changed where some of the words or pronunciations in the involved terms has being added by the local conservative Muslims by disputing the terms suggested by the
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka ( en, Institute of Language and Literature, Jawi: ديوان بهاس دان ڤوستاک), abbreviated DBP, is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language and Malay-language litera ...
(DBP), claiming that the involved terms with implementation of the additional words or pronunciations is the real correct terms as same as stated in the Qur'an, where it is predominantly used by the local Muslim netizens in the social media nowadays. The several involved terms in comparison to Standard Malay that is popularly used, such as:
*''Ramadhan'' (means the holy fasting month, in place of ''Ramadan'').
*''Aamiin'' (means asking Him to verify the prayer (''Du'a''); real term is Ameen, in place of ''Amin'').
*''Fardhu'' (means obligatory (''in Islam''), in place of ''Fardu'').
*''Redha'' (means accepting, in place of ''Reda'').
*''Mudharat'' (means harm, in place of ''Mudarat'').
*''Dhaif'' (means poverty, in place of ''Daif'').
*''Zohor'' (means mid-day or noon time, in place of ''Zuhur'').
*''Hadith'' (means Prophet (Mohamed) terms or speeches, in place of ''Hadis'').
Jangan lupa diri
"Do not forget your roots" or "Jangan lupa diri" is a rallying cry commonly heard among Malaysians interested in protecting their linguistic heritage. This statement suggests that, regardless of race, the Malaysian people have their own roots and ancestral origin to protect. In 2002, Tun Dr. Mahathir proposed that English be 'a tool' to obtain knowledge in the sciences and mathematics, as part of
education in Malaysia.
Controversy
Code-switching between English and Malaysian and the use of novel loanwords is widespread, forming ''Bahasa Rojak''. Consequently, this phenomenon has raised the displeasure of
linguistic purists in Malaysia, in their effort to uphold use of the prescribed
standard language.
''Bahasa Rojak'' is widely used, especially by Malaysian urban youths, which has triggered concerns about continued proficiency in the Malaysian (specifically Malay) and English languages being mixed, and consequent risks to job opportunities for new graduates. The
Malaysian government
The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Mala ...
is promoting the use of standard Malay (''bahasa Melayu (baku)'') since the end of 1980s, especially in the private sector, and discouraging the usage of Bahasa Rojak, similar to the
Singapore Government
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise ...
's
Speak Good English Movement and its discouragement of the use of the
Singlish
Singlish (a portmanteau of ''Singapore'' and ''English'') is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. Singlish arose out of a situation of prolonged language contact between speakers of many different languages in Singapore, inc ...
(Singaporean-English) pidgin. For example, Malaysian TV station
TV3 in April 2006 changed the name of its carnival ''Karnival Sure Heboh'' to ''Karnival Jom Heboh'' as a result of this concern.
Comic magazines are often criticized for using Bahasa Rojak. Words or phrases written in Bahasa Rojak are often printed in boldface to enable readers to identify them. By the end of 2003, ''
Gempak'' magazine began using a more formal language style and minimizing use of Bahasa Rojak, including the usage of bold lettering for words deemed colloquial.
During the Standard Malay Language Framework Congress held in November 2017, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi ( ms, أحمد زاهد بن حميدي, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 4 January 1953) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 11th and 14th Deputy Prime Minister from July 2015 t ...
expressed his disappointment at the poor usage of the national language. Despite Malaysia having achieved 60 years of independence, there are still many Malaysians (especially Malays) who could not speak proper Malay despite being born, raised, and educated in Malaysia.
Public opinion
Lecturer teaching in ‘rojak’ EnglishSpeak Bahasa Malaysia, not bahasa rojakGag order on using bahasa rojakDBP cannot fight bahasa rojak aloneBahasa rojak is part of the Malaysian identityPoliticians should first set an exampleFocus on language skills and noble values
See also
*
Bahasa gaul
Indonesian slang ( id, bahasa gaul, bew, basa gaul), or informal Indonesian language ( id, bahasa informal, bahasa sehari-hari) is a term that subsumes various vernacular and non-standard styles of expression used throughout Indonesia that are n ...
*
Rojak
Rujak (Indonesian language, Indonesian spelling) or Rojak (Malay language, Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese cuisine, Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries ...
*
Manglish
Manglish is an informal form of Malaysian English with features of an English-based creole principally used in Malaysia. It is heavily influenced by the dominant languages of the country, Malay, Chinese languages, and Tamil. It is not an o ...
*
Singlish
Singlish (a portmanteau of ''Singapore'' and ''English'') is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. Singlish arose out of a situation of prolonged language contact between speakers of many different languages in Singapore, inc ...
*
Malaysian English
Malaysian English (MyE), formally known as Malaysian Standard English (MySE) (similar and related to British English), is a form of English used and spoken in Malaysia. While Malaysian English can encompass a range of English spoken in Malaysia ...
References
Further reading
''The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages & Literature''by Prof. Dato' Dr Asmah Haji Omar (2004) .
External links
Mind your languageSURVEY REPORTBlog Rojak Language
{{authority control
Languages of Malaysia
Code-switching