Words Only Used in Malaysian English
Malaysian English has its own vocabulary which comes from a variety of influences. Typically, for words or phrases that are based on other English words, the Malaysian English speaker may be unaware that the word or phrase is not present in British or American English.
| Malaysian | British / American |
|---|---|
| handphone (often abbreviated to HP) | mobile phone or cell phone |
| public telephone or public phone | payphone |
| Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indian | Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian |
| keep in view (often abbreviated to KIV) | kept on file, held for further consideration |
| MC (medical certificate) | sick note |
| mee (from Hokkien word mi) | noodles |
| bank in (cheque) | deposit a cheque |
Many words of Malay origin have made it into the standard form of Malaysian English used in the media, literature and formal speech. For example, Menteri Besar (Malay for Chief Minister) even has a plural form in English - Menteris Besar. The suffix lah, a very common feature in Manglish, is not considered standard in Malaysian English.
Read more about this topic: Malaysian English
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