Malay Languages

Malay Languages

The Malay or Malayan languages are a group of closely related languages spoken by Malays and related peoples across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. They have traditionally been classified as Malay, Para-Malay, and Aboriginal Malay, but this reflects geography and ethnicity rather than a proper linguistic classification.

Para-Malay includes the Malayan languages of Sumatra. They are: Minangkabau, Central Malay (Bengkulu), Pekal, Musi (Palembang), Negeri Sembilan,* and Duano’.*

Aboriginal Malay are the Malayan languages spoken by the Orang Asli (Proto-Malay) in Malaya. They are Jakun,* Orang Kanaq,* Orang Seletar,* and Temuan.*

The other Malayan languages, included in neither of these groups, are associated with the expansion of the Malays across the archipelago. They include Malaccan Malay (Malaysian and Indonesian),* Kedah Malay,* Kedayan/Brunei Malay,* Berau Malay, Bangka Malay, Jambi Malay, Kutai Malay (several languages), Loncong, and Pattani Malay.

The Malayan languages are mutually unintelligible to varying extents, though the distinction between language and dialect is unclear in many cases. According to Ethnologue 16, the varieties marked with an asterisk are so closely related that they may prove to be dialects of a single Malay language.

There are also several Malay-based creole languages, such as Betawi, Cocos Malay, and Manado Malay, which may be more or less distinct from standard (Malaccan) Malay.