Bahasa Rojak - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The term Bahasa Rojak defines the Malaysian practice of code-switching

Code-switching

In linguistics, code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals—people who speak more than one language—sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other...

among two or more languages on a Malay base.

History

The Rojak language of Malaysia can be traced from the early Malacca

Malacca

Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...

of Parameswara at year 1402, an international port where more than 80 languages from a variety of cultures were spoken. Worldwide traders, settlers and original dwellers speaking multiple languages in a conversation was so common.

According to the Encyclopedia of Malaysia (Languages and Literature), this was part of the contact languages, a pidgin

Pidgin

A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...

, known in modern Malaysia as Rojak language. The uniqueness of Rojak language is in its code-switching style, a person who speaks Rojak language may begin with Bahasa Malaysia and then continue with English, then mixed one or two words in Cantonese, garnished with Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

and finished with Mandarin or some fashionable Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

words. During Parameswara's time, when two groups of traders without a shared language met, they would speak any possible languages to get the best results in understanding each others, and the result may be a pidgin or Rojak.

In the early 16th century, Portuguese visitor Tome Pires

Tomé Pires

Tomé Pires was an apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in South East Asia...

found in Malacca
These peoples come to Malacca with junks

Junk (ship)

A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...

, pangajavas and ships, and by 1511, Malacca had a population of 50,000 people, including a resident trade community that spoke 84 languages.

The British brought in large numbers of immigrants from China and India in between late 18th century to mid 20th century. Local Malays, Orang Asli, Baba Nyonya, Portuguese settlers, others and together with newly arrived Chinese and Indians resulted in the wide use of mix languages.

Issues

Bahasa Rojak is widely used, especially by Malaysian urban youths, which triggers fears and concerns about the correct usages of Malay language. Recently, the government of Malaysia decided to empower the correct usage of Malay language, especially in the private sector, by discouraging the usage of Bahasa Rojak. For example, TV3

TV3 (Malaysia)

Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad or TV3 began broadcasting on 1 June 1984 as Malaysia’s first commercial television station. It is part of Media Prima Berhad group of companies. It now transmits opened broadcasting business private 24-hours a day, 7 days a week since 1 January 2010...

recently changed the name of Karnival Sure Heboh to Karnival Jom Heboh as a result of public concern.

Comic magazines are often blamed for the usage of Bahasa Rojak, and this issue is often debated. Words or phrases written in Bahasa Rojak are often printed in boldface to enable readers to identify them. In particular, by the end of 2003, Gempak
Gempak
Gempak is a Malaysian comic/gaming/hobby magazine, published by Art Square Creation beginning in June 1998. The magazine's main motto is, "Majalah Komik Generasi Baru." Being the first magazine in Malaysia to introduce local comic artists to an international audience, some have criticized the...

magazine began using a more formal language style and minimizing Bahasa Rojak occurrences, including the usage of bold lettering for words deemed colloquial.

Examples

Kau memang terror la! - You're really great!
Tempat makan ni best sangat! - This food court is really cool!
Nak makan sini ke nak tapau? - Do you want to dine here or take away?

Jangan susah hati maa, lu punya bos mesti boleh kaw tim punya maa! - Don't worry, your boss can surely compromise!
Apasal lu buat ini kerja cincai? - Why do you do this task sloppily?

Controversy

In modern Malaysia, Rojak Language is a highly controversial topic, as language purists accuse it was merely bad use of English and may cause a crisis in language proficiency. They fear that graduates will lack proper writing and speaking skills should the practice continue. The preservation of traditional languages remains a topic of discussion for the Malaysian people.

Jangan lupa diri

"Do not forget your roots" or "Jangan lupa diri" is a rallying cry commonly heard among Malaysians interested in protecting their linguistic heritage. This statement suggests that, regardless of race, the Malaysian people have their own roots and ancestral origin to protect. In 2002, Tun Dr. Mahathir proposed that English be 'a tool' to obtain knowledge in the sciences and mathematics, as part of education in Malaysia

Education in Malaysia

Education in Malaysia is overseen by two government ministries. The Ministry of Education handles matters pertaining to pre-school, primary school, secondary school and post-secondary school. Matters regarding tertiary education are dealt with by the Ministry of Higher Education...

Public opinion

External links

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