Kelantan-Pattani Malay (; ; in Pattani; in Kelantan) is an
Austronesian language of the
Malayic subfamily spoken in the Malaysian state of
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in the ...
and the neighbouring southernmost provinces of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. It is the primary spoken language of
Thai Malays
Thai Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu Thai, th, ไทยเชื้อสายมลายู: Jawi: ملايو تاي; Pattani Malay: Oré Nayu, Jawi or Bangso Yawi; Songkhla Malay: Oghae Nayu), with officially recognised terms including 'Malay ...
, but is also used as a
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
by ethnic Southern Thais in rural areas, Muslim and non-Muslim and the Sam-Sam, a mostly Thai-speaking population of mixed Malay and Thai ancestry.
Kelantan-Pattani Malay is highly divergent from other Malay varieties because of its geographical isolation from the rest of the Malay world by high mountains, deep rainforests and the
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in l ...
. In Thailand, it is also influenced by
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
.
Kelantanese-Pattani Malay is distinct enough that radio broadcasts in
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 ...
cannot be understood easily by native speakers of Kelantan-Pattani Malay, such as those in Thailand, who are not taught the
standard variety of the language. Unlike Malaysia where Standard Malay is compulsory in the school curriculum, no one is required to learn Standard Malay in Thailand and so there is potentially less language influence from Standard Malay but potentially more from
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
. It is also distinct from
Kedah Malay
Kedah Malay or Kedahan (); also known as ''Pelat Utara'' or ''Loghat Utara'' ('Northern Dialect') or as it is known in Thailand, Syburi Malay () is a variety of the Malayic languages mainly spoken in the northwestern Malaysian states of Perlis ...
,
Pahang Malay
Pahang Malay (Standard Malay: ; Jawi: ) is a Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is regarded as the dominant Malay dialect spoken along the vast riverine systems of Pahang, but co-exists with other Malay dialects traditi ...
and
Terengganu Malay
Terengganu Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Terengganu; Terengganu Malay: ) is a Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Terengganu all the way southward to coastal Pahang and northeast Johor. It is the native language of Terengganu Malays an ...
, but those languages are much more closely related to the Kelantanese-Pattani Malay language.
Names
The language is often referred to in Thai as (; ), which is a corruption of the Malay name for the modified Arabic alphabet for writing Malay,
Jawi (
Jawi: جاوي; ). It is also referred to in Thai as (; ) and similarly locally in Malay as (
Jawi: ,
Rumi
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلالالدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...
: , ). The language is often simply just called in Pattani.
Kelantanese is known in Standard Malay as , and in Kelantanese as . It is also known as or in Besut and Setiu of Terengganu State.
One variant of Kelantan-Pattani Malay is the Reman variant, also known as (according to the speakers of this area; the areas where this variant was spoken were under the
Reman state of ''the''
Kingdom of Pattani that was abolished in 1902 in which the areas were Batu Kurau, inland Perak (Gerik, Pengkalan Hulu, Lenggong) and inland Kedah (Sik, Baling, Padang Terap)). The Reman viarants are known as various names such as , , , , , etc. It is also known as the Kedah Hulu dialect (in Kedah) and the Perak Hulu dialect (in Perak) but these two terms only apply to political and geographical factors rather than linguistic ones. This Reman variant has many dialects and subdialects across the areas where this variant is spoken.
Writing system
Kelantanese Malay is written both in Latin and in the
Jawi alphabet
Jawi (; ace, Jawoë; Kelantan-Pattani: ''Yawi''; ) is a writing system used for writing several languages of Southeast Asia, such as Acehnese, Banjarese, Kerinci, Maguindanaon, Malay, Minangkabau, Tausūg, and Ternate. Jawi is based o ...
, a writing system based on the
Arabic script
The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and the ...
. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the general population of Malay speakers in both Malaysia and Indonesia that now mainly use the Latin script, known in Malay as (), for daily communication. Today, Pattani Malay itself is generally not a
written language
A written language is the representation of a spoken or gestural language by means of a writing system. Written language is an invention in that it must be taught to children, who will pick up spoken language or sign language by exposure even i ...
, though it is sometimes written in informal settings. When writing is needed, an old-fashioned form of standard Malay is used rather than the local dialect. A phonetic rendering of Pattani Malay in the Thai alphabet has been introduced, but it has not been met with much success, due to the socio-religious significance of Jawi to Muslim Malays.
History
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...
has continued to be a region affected by two cultural spheres: the mainly Buddhist, Thai-speaking
Siamese kingdoms and the mainly Muslim, Malay-speaking sultanates. The region was a warehouse of trade where merchants from Europe, India, Arabia, China, Siam, and other parts of the Malay world met. At first dominated by Hindu-Buddhist Indian influences, the great kingdom of
Srivijaya
Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...
would later fall in chaos.
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
was introduced by Arab and Indian traders in the 11th century and has been the dominant religion ever since, replacing the Buddhism and Hinduism that had held sway before. By the 14th century, the area became vassals to
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
, but the region was autonomous and never fully incorporated into the modern Thai
nation-state
A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group.
A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...
until 1902. This political autonomy and isolation from the rest of the Malay world allowed for preservation of the Malay language and culture but also led to the divergence of the dialect.
Variation
Kelantan-Pattani Malay can be divided into three major variants and several dialects (and a few subdialects):
Kelantan: Coastal (Narathiwat, Besut dialects), Central / River, Dabong / Inland
Pattani: Yala, Saiburi, Bana Taning, Chenok / Chana, Nonthaburi / Bangkok
Reman: Grik, Sik, Baling, Padang Terap, Batu Kugho / Selama, Southern Yala
* The Reman variants of Kedah and Perak show some vocabulary influence from Perak Malay and Kedah Malay (e.g. ('you'), ('you'), ('brag/show off'), etc.).
Creole/Pidgin: Samsam Malay (a mixed language of Thai and Pattani Malay spoken by those of mixed Thai-Malay ancestry)
Distribution
Kelantanese is spoken in the Malaysian state of
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in the ...
, as well as in
Besut
Besut is a district in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is bordered by the state of Kelantan to the north and west and the South China Sea to the east. It is the northern gateway to Terengganu. Kampung Raja is the district capital, though Jerteh is more ...
and
Setiu
Setiu is one of the districts in Terengganu, Malaysia. This district is bordered by Besut to the north, Hulu Terengganu to the south, and on the east, Kuala Nerus District.
Setiu is the second youngest and least populated district in Terengganu. ...
districts of
Terengganu
Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith"). ...
and the
Perhentian Islands
The Perhentian Islands (Malay: ''Kepulauan Perhentian'') are islands in Besut District, Terengganu, Malaysia.
The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Greater Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Lesser Perhentian"). The small, uninhabited is ...
. It is also spoken in the
Merapoh
Merapoh is a small town in Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is located next to the Pahang-Kelantan border. A railway station of the KTM East Coast Line
The East Coast railway line (ECRL) is the single track metre gauge runs between Gema ...
township, in the
Lipis
The Lipis District is a district located in north-west of Pahang, Malaysia. The district covers an area of 5,198 km2. Lipis district is bordered by Cameron Highlands and Perak on the west, Jerantut on the east, Kelantan and Raub on the nort ...
district of
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
since this town borders the state of Kelantan.
Many people in the districts of
Baling
The Baling District is an Districts of Malaysia, administrative district in southeastern Kedah, Malaysia. Located about 110 km from Alor Setar, it borders Perak and Betong, Thailand, Betong, the southernmost town of Thailand.
Name
The name ...
,
Sik and
Padang Terap
The Padang Terap District is a district in Kedah, Malaysia. It is governed by the Padang Terap District Council ( ms, Majlis Daerah Padang Terap).
Etymology
Padang Terap is named after the Terap tree (''Artocarpus elasticus'') which is a type of ...
in
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
as well as the
Hulu Perak
Hulu Perak District (Upper Perak) is a district in Perak, Malaysia. As the largest district in Perak, there are border to the east of the district is the state of Kelantan, to the west is Kedah, to the south is the district of Kuala Kangsar while ...
district of
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...
speak Kelantan-Patani language of ''Reman'' dialects, since most of the Malay people there are the descendants of Kelantanese migrants and Pattani refugees (in which whereby these regions were once parts of the Reman Kingdom of Pattani).
Pattani Malay is the main language of the Thai provinces
Narathiwat
Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, ) is a town (thesaban mueang) in southern Thailand and capital of Narathiwat Province. The town is in the Mueang Narathiwat District and was established in 1936. As of 2008, the population was 40,521. ...
,
Yala and
Pattani where ethnic Malays make up the majority of the population, it is also spoken in parts of
Songkhla
Songkhla ( th, สงขลา, ), also known as Singgora or Singora (Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ), is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies south of Ba ...
and
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
. It is less spoken in the province of
Satun
Satun (, , ms, Setul) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Satun Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Phiman of Mueang Satun. Satun lies 985 km south of Bangkok. As of 2005 it has a population of 21,498 ...
, where despite making up the majority, ethnic Malays generally speak
Southern Thai
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded t ...
and their Malay dialect is similar to
Kedah Malay
Kedah Malay or Kedahan (); also known as ''Pelat Utara'' or ''Loghat Utara'' ('Northern Dialect') or as it is known in Thailand, Syburi Malay () is a variety of the Malayic languages mainly spoken in the northwestern Malaysian states of Perlis ...
. It is also spoken in scattered villages as far north as
Hat Yai
Hat Yai ( th, หาดใหญ่, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. It is south of Bangkok, and has a population of 156,802 (2019) in the city itself and an urban population of about 400,00 ...
. In the past, Malay was the main language as far north as the
Isthmus of Kra
The Kra Isthmus ( th, คอคอดกระ, ) in Thailand is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailand. The ...
, the traditional division between
Central Thailand
Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by ...
and
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...
, based on the preponderance of etymologically Malay place names.
Phonology
There are 21 consonants and 12 vowels in Pattani Malay. The phonemes and only appear in some loanwords or proper names.
Consonants
Vowels
Note(s):
* The close central unrounded vowel is believed to actually be a schwa according to Teoh (1994) and Adi Yasran (2005)
* Before a final and final coda and in open-ended words, is pronounced as:
** Open back unrounded according to Adi Yasran (2006, 2010) and Zaharani (2006)
** Open-mid back rounded according to Nawanit (1986)
** Near-open central according to Teoh (1984)
* Many such as Adi Yasran (2010) and Teoh and Yeoh (1988) believe that the nasal vowels of Kelantan-Pattani Malay do not count as phonemes
Comparison with Standard Malay
Kelantan-Pattani Malay is different enough from Standand Malay that it is often unintelligible to speakers of the standard language. Differences include some differences in vocabulary, and different sound correspondences. The influence of Southern Thai and the Kelantan-Pattani Malay in Pattani upon each other is great, and both have large numbers of loanwords from the other. The influence of the Thai language makes comprehension between the Pattani variety of Kelatan-Pattani Malay and Standard Malay a bit more difficult than comprehension between the Kelantanese variety of Kelantan-Pattani Malay and Standard Malay.
Vowels
Consonants
Vocabulary
Note(s):
* The spelling used for the Kelantan-Pattani Malay words is an
eye dialect.
Gemination
Gemination occurs for various purposes and in various forms in Kelatan-Pattani Malay. At the phonemic level, these geminations are transcribed as but they are pronounced as so is pronounced as .
Initial syllable reduction
These geminations are derived by deleting the initial syllable and replacing it with a geminated form of the initial consonant of the remaining word.
* From simple words
** > 'woman'
** > 'to give'
* From prefixed words
** > 'to walk'
** > 'to stand up'
Initial morpheme reduction
These geminates are derived by deleting the initial morpheme of a reduplicated word and replacing it with a geminated form of the remaining morpheme. Unlike the geminations acquired from initial syllable reduction, these geminates are not free variants of their Standard Malay counterparts.
* From the reduplicated form of a word
** > 'well'
** > 'properly'
* From words that are reduplications of a single word
** > 'kite'
** > 'tortoise'
Functional word reduction
In this situation, a word with a function is deleted and the word afterwards is geminated. This sort of gemination is a free variant of its Standard Malay counterpart.
* From a verbal linker
** > 'to wash clean'
** > 'to keep something so it'll grow long'
* From preposition reduction
** > 'to/at/from the shore'
** > 'since the morning'
Loanwords
Many loanwords tend to have initial geminated consonants too.
* > 'tar'
Stress
Kelantan-Pattani Malay has a set of stress rules that is quite different to that of Standard Malay.
Words with initial simple consonants
Generally, in Kelantan-Pattani Malay, the primary stress falls on the last syllable if the word starts with a single consonant.
* > 'to want'
* > 'in'
* > 'restless'
However, in words with more than one syllable, syllables with a schwa are unstressed.
* > 'afternoon'
* > 'back'
Syllables that do not have the schwa and are not in the word-final position take the secondary stress.
* > 'path'
* > 'food'
Words with geminated consonants
If a word has an initial syllable with a geminated consonant, that syllable automatically takes the primary stress.
* > 'to walk'
* > 'to/at/from the shore'
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{Austronesian languages
Agglutinative languages
Languages of Malaysia
Languages of Thailand
Malay Peninsula
Peninsular Malaysia
Southern Thailand
Malay-based pidgins and creoles
Malay dialects
Malayic languages