Where is bahasa melayu spoken

First of all, do you know where is Malay spoken? Today, it is officially recognized in four countries, namely Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore. Even though these countries share the same language, each of them has its own standards and uniqueness.

The accent and style differ according to the historical-territorial context of each country. History of Malay language. In Malaysia, Standard Malay is the official language of the country. It is known as Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia. The Malay language is widely used as a medium of instruction in schools and some higher educational institutions. Malay is the official language of all government agencies, including the courts.

According to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, Malay is the official and national language of Malaysia. However, in international trade and commerce, the Chinese and Indians prefer to use English rather than Malay.

Here are some examples of loanwords in Malay:. The earliest known inscriptions in Malay, found on the island of Sumatra , date back to AD. When Islam arrived in southeast Asia during the 14th century, a modified form of the Arabic script, known as the Jawi script, was adopted for writing Malay.

The script was used until the first quarter of the 20th century in Indonesia, and until the s in Malaysia. The Jawi script is still used today as one of two official scripts in Brunei , and in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, mostly in religious contexts. Although the representations of speech sounds are now largely identical in the Indonesian and Malay varieties, a number of minor spelling differences remain, usually reflecting the romanization practices used in British and Dutch colonies.

Toggle navigation. Malay Bahasa Melayu Selamat datang — Welcome. There are two main dialect divisions characterized mainly by differences in pronunciation and, to a lesser extent, by differences in vocabulary:. Language Difficulty. How difficult is it to learn Malay? Malay is more difficult than Category I languages, requiring 36 weeks of instruction to reach ILR level 3 in speaking.

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