Brunei Malay

This article is about the language. For Ethnic Malays residing in Brunei, see Bruneian Malay people.

Brunei Malay
Kedayan
Bahasa Melayu Brunei
Native to	Brunei, Malaysia
Ethnicity	Bruneian Malay, Kedayan
Native speakers	(270,000 cited 1984–2013)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Nuclear MP Malayic Malayan Malay? Brunei Malay
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kxd
Glottolog	brun1242[2]
Area where Brunei Malay is spoken

Brunei Malay (Bahasa Melayu Brunei) is the most widely spoken language in Brunei and a lingua franca in some parts of East Malaysia, such as Labuan, Limbang, Lawas, Sipitang and Papar.^[3][4] Though Standard Malay is promoted as the official language of Brunei, Brunei Malay is socially dominant and it is currently replacing the minority languages of Brunei,^[5] including the Dusun and Tutong languages.^[6] It is quite divergent from Standard Malay to the point where it is almost mutually unintelligible with it. Although the idea that Brunei Malay might be classified as a creole language has been discredited, it does bear considerable similarities to East Indonesian Malay-based creole languages.

Contents

• 
  1 Phonology
  


• 
  2 Dialects
  


• 
  3 Common Bruneian Malay words
  


• 
  4 Example sentences
  


• 
  5 Studies
  


• 
  6 References
  


• 
  7 Further reading
  


• 
  8 External links
  

Phonology

The consonants of Brunei Malay are shown in the following table.^[4]

	Bilabial		Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Plosive	p	b	t	d			k	ɡ
Affricate					tʃ	dʒ
Fricative			s						h
Nasal		m		n		ɲ		ŋ
Trill/Tap				r
Approximant		w				j
Lateral Approximant				l

Some analysts exclude /w/ and /j/ from this table on the basis that they are 'margin high vowels',^[7] while others include /w/ but exclude /j/.^[3]

All these consonants can occur in initial position except /h/. While /h/ can occur in final position, its absence from initial position means that Standard Malay hutan ('forest') is utan in Brunei Malay, and Standard Malay hitam ('black') is itam.^[4]

All the consonants can occur in word-final position apart from the palatal sounds /tʃ dʒ ɲ/ and the voiced plosives /b d ɡ/ (except in a few borrowed words such as mac ('March') and kabab ('kebab')).^[3]

Acoustic analysis of the three vowels of Brunei Malay

Brunei Malay has a three-vowel system: /i/, /a/, /u/.^[3][8] Acoustic variation in the realisation of these vowels is shown in the plot on the right, based on the reading of a short text by a single female speaker.^[4]

While /i/ is distinct from the other two vowels, there is substantial overlap between /a/ and /u/. This is partly because of the vowel in the first syllable of words such as maniup ('to blow') which can be realised as [ə]. Indeed, the Brunei Malay dictionary uses an 'e' for the prefix in this word, listing it as meniup,^[9] though other analyses prefer to show prefixes such as this with 'a', on the basis that Brunei Malay just has three vowels.^[10][7][3]

Dialects

Brunei Malay, Kedayan and Kampong Ayer can be regarded as different dialects of Malay. Brunei Malay is used by the numerically and politically dominant Brunei people, who traditionally lived on water, while Kedayan is used by the land-dwelling farmers, and the Kampong Ayer dialect is used by the inhabitants of the river north of the capital.^[11][12] It has been estimated that 94% of the words of Brunei Malay and Kedayan are lexically related.^[13]

Common Bruneian Malay words

Bruneian Malay	Meaning/Note
Aku	First person singular
Saya
Peramba	First person singular when in conversation with a Royal Family Member
Awak	Second person singular
Kau
Ko
Awda	From '(si) awang' and '(si) dayang'. It is used like the Malaysian word 'anda'.
Kamu	Second person plural
Ia	Third person singular
Kitani	First person plural (inclusive)
Kita	To be used either like 'kitani' or 'biskita'
Si awang	Male third person singular
Si dayang	Female third person singular
Biskita	To address a listener of older age. Also first person plural
Cinta	To address a loved one
Ani	This
Atu	That
(Di) mana?	Where (at)?
Ke mana?	Where to?
Lelaki	Male (human)
Laki-laki
Perempuan	Female (human)
Bini-bini1
Budiman	A gentleman
Kebawah Duli	His Majesty
Awu	Yes
Ya
Inda	No
		To close (a door etc.)
Makan	To eat
Suka	To like
Cali	Funny (adj.), derived from Charlie Chaplin
Siuk	cf. Malaysian ‘Syok’, Singaporean ‘Shiok’
Lakas	To be quick, (in a) hurry(ing) (also an interjection)
Karang	At a later time, soon
Tarus	Straight ahead; immediately
Manada	Used as a term when in a state denial (as in 'No way!' or 'It can't be')
Baiktah	'Might as well ... '
Orang putih	Generally refers to a white Westerner.
Kaling	Refers to a Bruneian of Indian descent. (This is generally regarded as pejorative.)[14]

¹ "Bini-bini" is exclusively used in Brunei to refer to a lady. In Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, it is an informal way to refer to one's wives or a group of married women.

Example sentences

• "Ia atu bini-bini." = She is a lady.


• "Sudah kau makan?" = Have you eaten?


• "Awda mendapat cabutan bertuah." = You have received a lucky draw.


• "Rumah saya di sana." = My house is there

Studies

The vocabulary of Brunei Malay has been collected and published by several western explorers in Borneo including Pigafetta in 1521, De Crespigny in 1872, Charles Hose in 1893, A. S. Haynes in 1900, Sidney H. Ray in 1913, H. B. Marshall in 1921, and G. T. MacBryan in 1922, and some Brunei Malay words are included in "A Malay-English Dictionary" by R. J. Wilkinson.^[15][16][17]

References

1. 
   ^ Brunei Malay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
   


2. 
   ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Brunei". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


3. 
   ^ ^abcde Clynes, A. (2014). Brunei Malay: An Overview. In P. Sercombe, M. Boutin, & A. Clynes (Eds.), Advances in Research on Linguistic and Cultural Practices in Borneo (pp. 153–200). Phillips, ME: Borneo Research Council.
   


4. 
   ^ ^abcd Deterding, D., & Ishamina, A. (2017). Brunei Malay. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 47(1), 99-108. On-line Version
   


5. 
   ^ McLellan, J., Noor Azam Haji-Othman, & Deterding, D. (2016). The language situation in Brunei Darussalam. In Noor Azam Haji-Othman, J. McLellan, & D. Deterding (Eds.), The use and status of language in Brunei Darussalam: A kingdom of unexpected linguistic diversity (pp. 9–16). Singapore: Springer.
   


6. 
   ^ Noor Azam Haji-Othman & Siti Ajeerah Najib (2016). The state of indigenous languages in Brunei. In Noor Azam Haji-Othman, J. McLellan, & D. Deterding (Eds.), The use and status of language in Brunei Darussalam: A kingdom of unexpected linguistic diversity (pp. 17–28). Singapore: Springer.
   


7. 
   ^ ^ab Mataim Bakar. (2007). The phonotactics of Brunei Malay: An Optimality Theoretic account. Bandar Seri Begawan: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei.
   


8. 
   ^ Poedjosoedarmo, G. (1996). Variation and change in the sound systems of Brunei dialects of Malay. In P. Martin, C. Ozog, & Gloria Poedjosoedarmo (Eds.), Language use and language change in Brunei Darussalam (pp. 37–42). Athens, OH: Ohio University Center for International Studies.
   


9. 
   ^ Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei. (2007). Kamus Bahasa Melayu Brunei (Edisi Kedua) [Brunei Malay dictionary, 2nd edition]. Bandar Seri Begawan: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei.
   


10. 
    ^ Jaludin Chuchu. (2000). Morphology of Brunei Malay. Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
    


11. 
    ^ Gallop, 2006. "Brunei Darussalam: Language Situation". In Keith Brown, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (2 ed.). Elsevier. ISBN 0-08-044299-4.
    


12. 
    ^ Wurm, Mühlhäusler, & Tryon, Atlas of languages of intercultural communication in the Pacific, Asia and the Americas, 1996:677
    


13. 
    ^ Nothofer, B. (1991). The languages of Brunei Darussalam. In H. Steinhauer (Ed.), Papers in Austronesian Linguistics (pp. 151–172). Canberra: Australian National University.
    


14. 
    ^ Najib Noorashid (2016). The ‘K’ word referring to Indians in Brunei. Paper presented at the Brunei-Malaysia 2016 Forum, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, 16–17 November 2016.
    


15. 
    ^ Martin, P. W. (1994). Lexicography in Brunei Darussalam: An overview. In B. Sibayan & L. E. Newell (Eds.), Papers from the First Asia International Lexicography Conference, Manila, Philippines, 1992. LSP Special Monograph Issue, 35 (pp. 59–68). Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines. [1]
    


16. 
    ^ Uhlenbeck 1958, p. 8.
    


17. 
    ^ Sidhu 2009, p. 283.
    

Further reading

• 
  De Crespigny, C. 1872. On Northern Borneo. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society XVI. 171-187. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
  
  • 
    "Brunei Low Dialect" [9] [10]
    
  
  


• 
  Haynes, A. S. “A List of Brunei-Malay words.” JSBRAS 34 ( July 1900): 39—48. [11]
  


• Hose, Charles. No. 3. "A Journey up the Baram River to Mount Dulit and the Highlands of Borneo". The Geographical Journal. No. 3. VOL. I. (March, 1893)


• 
  MacBryan, G.T. 1922. Additions to a vocabulary of Brunei-Malay. JSBRAS. 86:376-377. [12]
  


• Marshall, H.B. and Moulton, J.C. 1921, "A vocabulary of Brunei Malay", in Journal of the Straits Branch, Royal Asiatic Society. [13] [14] [15]
  


• Marshall, H.B. 1921. A vocabulary of Brunei Malay. JSBRAS. 83:45-74.


• Ray, Sidney H. 1913. The Languages of Borneo. The Sarawak Museum Journal. 1,4:1-196.


• Roth, Henry Ling. 1896. The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo. 2 vols. London: Truslove and Hanson. Rep. 1980. Malaysia: University of Malaya Press. [16] VOL I. [17] VOL II. VOL II. [18] [19]^{[permanent dead link]}
  


• 
  http://www.jstor.org/stable/41561363?

A Vocabulary of Brunei Malay
H. B. Marshall
Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
No. 83 (APRIL, 1921), pp. 45–74
Published by: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41561363
Page Count: 30

External links

• Brunei Malay


• The Pronunciation of Brunei Malay


• Lexicography in Brunei Darussalam: An Overview


• Majority and minority language planning in Brunei Darussalam


• Dominant Language Transfer in Minority Language Documentation Projects: Some Examples from Brunei

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1 Extinct languages. 2 Nearly extinct languages.

v t e Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian languages
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South Sulawesi	Aralle-Tabulahan Bambam Bentong Budong-Budong Buginese Campalagian Coastal Konjo Dakka Duri Embaloh Enrekang Highland Konjo Kalumpang Lemolang Maiwa (Sulawesi) Makassarese Malimpung Mamasa Mamuju Mandar Panasuan Pannei Selayar Seko Tae’ Talondo’ Taman Toraja-Sa’dan Ulumanda’
Moklenic	Moken Moklen
Javanese	Arekan Banyumasan Mataraman Kawi (Old Javanese) Kedu Osing Tenggerese
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