Malay Loan Words in English
Aug 13th, 2008, in Society, by Patung
A not very taxing quiz to guess the Malay/Indonesian origins of some words in English.
“Jakarta Guy”, as some sort of way of celebrating Indonesian independence day anniversary on 17th August, holds a quiz where Indonesians are asked to guess the Indonesian Malay origins of ten words in English.
Most of them are very, very easy:
The words are:
- ketchup
- orangutan
- bamboo
- agar (gelatin from seaweed)
- amok
- rattan
- proa (type of boat)
- paddy
- compound
- boogeyman/bogeyman
There might be some dispute over the last one.
Feel free to list some more.
75 Comments on “Malay Loan Words in English”
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AchmadSudarsono says:
p.s. – some more Singapore funnies:
Two Singaporean-Chinese housewives:
HW#1: “My maid, Ah, I had to iron her shirt today !”
HW#2: “No one !! — You sack her Ah!”
HW#1: “I iron while she wearing it!”
Both: “HA HA HA HA HA !”
HW#1: “But then she slipped and fell. Fell off the 20th floor!!’
Both: “HA HA HA HA !”
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Purba Negoro says:
Unlike the West- breaking the law has consequences here.
Tomaculum- you are the personification of the demise of the West the bored petty cosmopolitan bourgeoisie – the pandering moralist emotive arm-chair activista.
Charity begins at home, does it not? So why are you not assisting the poor and needy of your own nation instead of being willfully distracted by your leaders to issues which have no relevance nor impact to you whatsoever.
Or is it the atypical patronizing Imperialist mindset of the petty bourgeoisie to impose their self-righteous subjective ideals upon non-whites as they are, by his own racist neo- Colonial mindesst in greatest need?
The West has nothing of any value- most especially the depraved Dutch- what do you not understand?
Your pathetic society shoudl instead duplicate the successes of the “Far East” before we conquer you as payback. -
Geordie says:
Or is it the atypical patronizing Imperialist mindset of the petty bourgeoisie to impose their self-righteous subjective ideals upon non-whites as they are, by his own racist neo- Colonial mindesst in greatest need?
‘Atypical’ is defined as ‘unusual, out of character, non-conformist’ and the antonym of it is ‘typical’. From the tone of the sentence, however, can I suggest that the antonym of atypical may be too neutral in meaning and substituting ‘stereotypical’ might better convey the intended message?
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tomaculum says:
“Charity begins at home, does it not? So why are you not assisting the poor and needy of your own nation instead of being willfully distracted by your leaders to issues which have no relevance nor impact to you whatsoever.”
What about this: I have 5 (five) children of poor familys I support for their school and live? Since years?
I do something for Indonesia without killing anybody, I do something although I live aboard.
And, believe it or not, I defend Indonesia intellectually against generalizations.“The West has nothing of any value- most especially the depraved Dutch- what do you not understand?”
One value I know, Purba, it is humanism. But I believe you won’t understand what this means. And there are other values like decency and some more.“Your pathetic society shoudl instead duplicate the successes of the “Far East” before we conquer you as payback.”
Indonesia conquer the west? In 1000 000 years? Or do you mean China? But I think you hate the Chinese, so I can’t understand your argumentation? Maybe you can explain “we conquer you as payback”? Who is in this case: “we”?“Unlike the West- breaking the law has consequences here.”
Sorry, I don’t understand this sentence. Do you mean the law breaker in the west wouldn’t be persecuted by law? And there are no consequences for law breaking in the west?
Like the law breakers during the riots in 1998 and the kidnapping end killing of some members of the democracy groups at this time? Whoever has done it?Purba,
we live in two very different worlds. In mine I try to solve problems intellectually and with conscience, not using guns or bombs, either calling others names. In yours? -
Lairedion says:
Achmad, is “Extant Light” Metallica’s new song? Never heard of it. And be aware of PN, he doesn’t like you writing Patoeng, the old “Dutch” spelling.
Mas Tomaculum,
Let this PN wank and whinge. I seriously doubt this comedian is even Indonesian, let alone Javanese.
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Achmad,
“Singaporean-Chinese housewives” can be changed into “arabian housewives” or “pribumi housewives”, can’t it?
Isn’t it simply a thread about Melayu or Indonesian words incorporated into the English language?
As I wrote in an other thread, we can talk about tahu and tempe, it will discharge into antipathy against another race or state. Ridiculous. -
mirax says:
Too true, Tomaculum. Maid abusers here come from all races and religions, including malay muslim of course but Achemad is too much of an asshole to admit any of this. Purba appears to be a genuine nutter but Achemad isnt of course, which makes it worse.
You may complain about there not being better pay, contractual obligations and work conditions for domestic helpers in S’pore (there are some here who’d agree with you) , but the government is totally serious about punishing abusive employers. My neighbour’s maid sought refuge at my apartment a few years back, alleging verbal abuse and a single slap from the rather crazy young woman (yes indian! ) who was her employer. I called the police and there were 3 squad cars and 6-8 detectives at the scene for the next 5 hours- yeah, the fringe benefits of living in a police state, I know- all rather overwhelming the maid who wanted to withdraw her complaint by that point, especially as her hysterical boss was begging her to. The upshot was the employer got 3 weeks in prison, despite her defence of postnatal depression (she was deffo crazy in some fashion because her husband claimed that his wife beat him up too). Maid abusers are also banned for life from hiring foreign maids.
Geordie, that was too funny for words!
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Achmad hold his ukulele ready to play a song: “calling names”.
Purba Negoro hold his shiny AKM (I don’t know AK-74 or AK-47) and Makarov ready to shoot.
In this case I would rather hear Achmads unmelodious ukulele piece. (Have mercy, Achmad .. 🙂 )Btw:
– also in Indonesia there are maid abusers (Chinese, Pribumis etc, etc.).
– I wonder that these russian weapons are still in use in the Indonesian armee, where the communism is demonized.OK, OK, I’ll stop writing about demons in this thread about “Malay loan words in english”. 🙂
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janma says:
Unlike the West- breaking the law has consequences here.
breaking the law has consequences here in Indonesia…. but not always for the one who breaks the law….
Example in point…. in Ubud, where I live, they love foreigners and hate Javanese. One morning I drove my car through a red light… (I know… but it was early and I was day dreaming…) a javanese guy on a motorbike came through the green light from the other way and crashed into my car. A policeman materialized on the spot and began to berate the javanese guy…. I pulled the car over and got out….. “hang on a tic!” I exclaim…. ” I went through a red light! Plus I don’t have a licence! He was in the right!” The policeman turned to me and enquired if I would like the man to pay for the scratch on my car…..Or here’s another one….. The newly elected President comes flying down the toll road from Bogor….. two sleepy policemen are standing at the juncture of that toll road onto the main Jakarta Toll. They see the motorcade approaching and literally leap out into oncoming traffic bringing it to a screeching halt, creating a huge pile up of cars injurying many and maybe even killing one… ( i don’t remember…) so who takes the rap?! They go to the last unfortunate driver in the back of the pile up. After an intensive investigation aimed at blaming someone other than those responsible, they decide to arrest him because he had two people over the acceptable limit for number of passengers on that bus, and because he was the one at the back, and everyone knows in Indonesia the one who crashes from the back is the one who pays…..
Yeah…… ini negara hukum alright….. hukum rimba
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Also…. I would think that compound would not come from Kampung…. compound is an english word that comes from Latin…. it means a collection of more than one element…. but it does say on the online etymological dictionary that it comes from Malay….. so I guess so…. so a compound element is a little village of chemical elements…. makes sense.
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Sarong Party Girl Toma:
you want to talk about power? Lah?
Ok- I talk-talk ya. No more talking cock.Don’t dare lecture on Singapore being Humanist or Law abiding.
Isn’t Singapore the only nation that offers donor organs to the highest bidder- approved by your Medical Association?
From Human Rights Watch International, number one meh:
http://hrw.org/reports/2005/singapore1205/
Read the 124 page HRW repot:“Ending Abuses Against Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore”
Another:
“Singapore: Domestic Workers Suffer Grave Abuses
Migrant Women Face Debt Burden and Exploitation”
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/07/singap12125.htmHere’s a link of how Singa-whore loves stolen money from its’ fifth columnist Chinese in Indonesia and fudges any extradition attempts from Indonesia:
theage.com.auSingapore allows sex-workers as legal but only if give Gah-men (singlish= Government) cut lah?
Common Singapore abuse of maid:
Singaporeans becoming more deviant in Maid abuse:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,170643,00.htmlSingapore hammered for abusing maids:
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=22845http://www.singapore-window.org/sw04/040830af.htm
Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 140th out of 167 countries in its press freedom index.
I do not like to toot own horn- but I am a principal sponsor of: Kop BUMI: Advocacy of Indonesian Migrant Workers Rights Konsortium
Indonesians in Malaysia often must work for less than 100 per month.
Singapore= 280/month- with additional cuts from Chinese agent.Who are the slave-traders of Pribumi maids?
Chinese.Want to help?
email:
kopbumi@link.net.id -
I have one “Malay” word= coolie.
But actually it is Mandarin- directly taken from “Ku li”- which is identical in meaning.
And no- compound is not from kampung- that is silly.
“to put together,” c.1380, from O.Fr. compon(d)re “arrange, direct,” from L. componere “to put together” (see composite). The -d appeared 1500s on model of expound, etc. The adj. is c.1400; the noun meaning “a compound thing” is from 1530.The confusions is from:
1679, from Du. (kampoeng) or Port., from Malay kampong “village, group of buildings.” Spelling infl. bycompound (v.). Originally, “the enclosure for a factory or settlement of Europeans in the East,” later used of S.African diamond miners’ camps (1893), then of large fenced-in spaces generally (1946).But French Compondre from the Latin componere predates.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=compound&searchmode=term
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AKM and Makarov waving Purba,
if you’re able to read my comments, you will find out, that I never deny the maid abuses in S’pore.
If you’re able …. Read again and stop waving with your weapons. 🙂 -
Toma-
anyone would think you have an infatuation with my weapon.I am not surprised as poor Singaporean housewife so frustrated with undersized “spear” and thus so day-dream of our hefty Pribumi Tombak- or lift up skirt to passing whitey.
Our Pribumi “spears” are of Tombak Ali wood- has greater mass- care to try holding?
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Purba,
not really, I find it just enjoyable that you often do “show forces” with mentioning your AKM and Makarov. 🙂
Seriously: I didn’t know that there are still russian made weapons in use of the indonesian army. -
“I am not surprised as poor Singaporean housewife so frustrated with undersized “spear” and thus so day-dream of our hefty Pribumi Tombak- or lift up skirt to passing whitey.”
Are you sure that your Tombak is longer than 2 Inch? -
And Purba,
I am a man and mine is longer than 2 Inch. 🙂 -
dewaratugedeanom says:
janma
Example in point…. in Ubud, where I live, they love foreigners and hate Javanese. One morning I drove my car through a red light… (I know… but it was early and I was day dreaming…) a javanese guy on a motorbike came through the green light from the other way and crashed into my car. A policeman materialized on the spot and began to berate the javanese guy…. I pulled the car over and got out….. “hang on a tic!” I exclaim…. ” I went through a red light! Plus I don’t have a licence! He was in the right!” The policeman turned to me and enquired if I would like the man to pay for the scratch on my car…..
But suppose the guy was Balinese instead of Javanese and he came through the red light, guess who would have to pay for the damage on his motorbike.
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If I remember correctly, a colleague was working on the word origins in Malay/Indonesian and he said while kecap and bambu could be traced back to Malay, their further origin remained a mystery. No Proto-Austronesian words could be found that would suggest themselves. FWIW
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But suppose the guy was Balinese instead of Javanese and he came through the red light, guess who would have to pay for the damage on his motorbike.
c’mon Dewa, the balinese probably went to school with those coppers…. you think they gonna make him pay for a javanese motorbike???? Get real.
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The discussion’s migrated off topic a little huh?
From my perspective as an Englishman I’m very happy that the language was and is able to absorb words from other languages; it is said that there are no perfect synonims as where this occurs one will fall into disuse.
This in turn means that the language evolves as need dictates though some of the ‘office-speak’ we’re subjected to can put my teeth on edge somewhat but if it works and the job is ‘actioned’ then perhaps I’m just a hopelessly outdated old git. Oh and another thing, that infuriating affectation of ending every sentence with a question…you see, I’m just a sad angry old man.
The language we speak in England has been influenced by all those that settled in the British Isles. The original tribes of Britain (who were, apparently, small, dark skinned and brown eyed) basically succumbed to the Celtic, Roman, Saxon, Scandinavian and Norman influxes. From my own part of the world, some words from Scandanavia survive that are not used elsewhere in other regions; hyem (pronounced heeyem), the word for home, is one example.
I’m imensely grateful for the contribution that other languages have made to English as it’s certainly the better, in my opinion, for it.
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Geordie,
discussion?
It is rather a polemic.
Fundamentally some of us don’t want to talk about language but polemizing about the relation or non-relation between the noble heroic Indonesian (must be more differentiated, because for some the Papuas don’t belong to human race 🙁 ), the evil western and the greedy bastardious China.
It is a pitty, but discussion isn’t part of the typical Indonesian quality. There are off course some exceptions. 🙂 -
Tomaculum, have to disagree with you there; my view is that discussion and debate is very well engrained in Indonesians though there are a few exceptions which do no more than prove the rule.
Manners are essential if we’re to have reasoned argument and it’s impossible to present a reasoned hypothesis, antithesis and get to a logical synthesis otherwise. Most people, I beleive anyway, indulge (and it is indulgent) in on-line debate to have their own views challenged and tested otherwise what’s the point? Reasoned argument might indeed influence me to alter my stance on a particular topic though I can’t say the same is true for strident vitriol.
Shouting loudly, Ya-Boo-Sucks-To-You (metaphoriclly speaking) isn’t going to help me, or even make me so inclined, to pick out the central tenet of an proposition and either agree with it or not. This is where the, in my view, the usually exquisite manners of the average Indonesian comes into play in my experience; one is allowed, encouraged even, to develop one’s theme and if there’s flaw in your logic be prepared to have this pointed out along with an invitation to review your position.
Of course, to go back to my original observation, there are exceptions that prove the rule.
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In the Indonesian culture there was/is a term “musyawarah”, which means, that to solve a problem the persons concerned, some witnesses and some middlemen (usually no women, anybody may correct me if it is wrong) have to discuss (yes: to discuss) sometimes untill several days and untill a solution is achieved.
But if you watch nowaday, the current and former generation have unlearned it. In the school we learned to memorize materials we have to learn. Discussion wasn’t desired. I need several years to learn it at the beginning of my life in Europe.
Surely there are some exceptions, but in most of cases, in which I am involved, the “discussions” will be discharged into polemic, (rough) conflict or sometimes into deprecative statement like: “Who are you to discuss with me”.
Some groups of the current generation, as an exception, didn’t lost this wonderfull competence.
Back to your observation, I would say too: exceptions prove the rule. Those, which are able to discuss, are the exceptions. -
Back to topic about boogeyman from Wikipedia:
“The word bogey is most likely derived from the Middle English bogge/bugge[2] (also the origin of the word bug). The words are linked to many similar words in other European languages, which may be cognates; bögge, böggel-mann (English “Bogeyman”) (German), Buse (Nynorsk), bòcan, púca, pooka or pookha (Irish Gaelic), pwca, bwga or bwgan (Welsh), puki (Old Norse), pixie or piskie (Cornish), puck (English), bogu (Slavonic)[3].
Other purported origins
In Southeast Asia the term is commonly accepted to refer to Bugis [4] or Buganese [5] pirates, ruthless seafarers of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia’s third largest island. These pirates often plagued early English or Dutch trading ships, namely those of the British East India Company or Dutch East India Company. It is popularly believed that this resulted in the European sailors bringing their fear of the “bugi men” back to their home countries. However, etymologists disagree with this because words relating to bogeyman have been commonly used centuries before European colonisation of Southeast Asia and it is therefore unlikely that the Bugis would have been commonly known to westerners during that time.“ -
As a boy the Boogieman (that’s how we spelt it) was always portrayed to me as a very tall man, long black coat and a big case in which he took bad children away. That image is unlikely to have evolved from a pirate in my view.
Also the first time I recall the Rent Man coming to the door I ran screaming and hid behind my Grandfather because the man who collected the rent seemed to me to epitomise the Boogieman. Everyone thought it hillarious, apart from me of course.
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Geordie,
Sorry,
Ya-Boo-Sucks-to-You, is too lame to qualify as an insult these days.
On the etymologists’ verdict of the bugiman, sounds like another attempt by the White Man to deny the supremacy of the Malay in history.
I thank you.
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In Germany nowaday the Rent men are musculous young guys skilled in one of the many martial arts.
They are more frightening. 🙁
In Indonesia some of them are uniformed. It is ominous.Btw: the White men should be very carefull with anything incl. etymologycal matters and talking about sushi, such “threatening” statements can aggravate the inferiority complex of some people. 🙂
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Achmad, quite agree with that ‘Ya-Boo-Sucks-to-You’ is, if taken literally, rather quaint but I was employing it as a metaphor about which I was explicit.
Comment on “Malay Loan Words in English”.
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Mirax,
It’s ok. I’m an open-minded guy (you have to be to play Metallica’s “Extant Light” on a Ukuele). Why don’t you share with us some funnies from Singapore ? I’ve got a few:
* Making chewing gum a controlled substance.
* Setting a state-sponsored dating agency
* Having how-to-diagrams on the men’s toilets teaching them not to wee on the floor
oh, here’s a good one..
* The engineer, who to please Lee Kuan Yew, designed air-conditioned thermal underwear to keep body temperature at about 21 degrees.
You see, sometimes, the Malay man, Mirax, doesn’t just fetch you teh tarik and clean your toilets.
I also love Singaporeans’ idea of being edgy and dangerous, like… getting mildly annoyed at the newspaper. Go Singapore !