12 New Malay Words Added To DBP’s Online Dictionary
The addition of new Bahasa Melayu words shows the nature of a living language with the vocabulary continuing to evolve over time.
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We’re getting 12 new Malay words added to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka’s online dictionary!
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that Bahasa Melayu is a living language and the vocabulary will keep expanding.
READ MORE: Spelling Showdown: DBP’s Correct Take On ‘Murtabak’ & ‘Briyani’ Causes Stir
She also appealed to the public to accept that the Malay language continues to evolve. After all, Bahasa Melayu is versatile and has absorbed words from regional dialects and other languages.
READ MORE: Bahasa Melayu vs. Bahasa Rojak: The Fight For Linguistic Purity
Some words used often in the past are now considered classic such as “tetuang udara” is now “radio” and the word “ujana” is now widely used to refer to the “gardens of books and knowledge.”
Among the new words included in the dictionary are:
- intiha (ending or conclusion)
- mahsul (yield or harvest)
- purbasangka (prejudice)
- tatanan (systems or rules agreed upon collectively)
- taakul (reasoning or logical evaluation)
- kesenjangan (inequality)
- tiwikrama (a significant change through effort)
- walhasil (as a result of)
- kebinekaan (diversity)
- tatakelola (effective administration).
- maha kaya (ultra-rich)
The appeal to accept new Malay words relates to recent events when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim used “loan words” in his speeches, such as “maha kaya,” to refer to the ultra-rich group while discussing wealth inequality.
“Maha kaya” is also used to mean the “extreme greatness and supremacy of Allah” or “great or highly elevated” when referring to someone.
Anwar was criticised for not giving prominence to the national language and was accused of blasphemous speech by PAS’s Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail when he used the word “maha kaya.”
Previously, Anwar has defended the use of “maha” as a prefix, citing word examples such as mahasiswa (graduates), mahaguru (master trainer), even jokingly bringing up Maha in names such as Mahathir.
In his budget speech in October, he also borrowed from Indonesian the words “ketimbang” (comparison) and “peluncuran” (launching). In Bahasa Melayu, the word “pelancaran” is more familiar instead of “peluncuran.”
The debate or discussion regarding Bahasa Melayu indeed shows the nature of a living language; new words come up and the language will evolve over time. The Bahasa Melayu we speak (and spell) today was not the same as before either.
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