Bahasa Melayu: Course Outline, Origins & Key Concepts

Course Identity & Administrative Details

• Institution: Pusat Pengajian Umum & Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs)

• Course Code: $FGL\ 0013$ “Bahasa Melayu”

• Lecturer-in-Charge: Cik Ummu Aiman binti Azmi

• Medium of instruction for the course: Bahasa Melayu; notes provided here in English for study purposes

Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)

• CLO 1: Identify issues in Bahasa Melayu related to origins, foreign influences, and spelling

  • Cognitive emphasis: $C<em>1$ (remember) & $C</em>2$ (understand)

• CLO 2: Demonstrate correct Malay grammar in presentations, essays, and discussions

• CLO 3: Write complete compositions that apply accurate Malay usage

Weekly Topic Schedule (Macro-Syllabus)

• Bab 1 – Week 1: Introduction

  • Origins of Malay (Asal-Usul Bahasa Melayu)

  • Malay within the Austronesian language family (Rumpun BM)

  • Malay as a lingua franca in the Archipelago

  • National Language Policy & Status

  • Article $152$ of the Malaysian Constitution (Perkara $152$)

  • National Language Act (Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan)

  • Education Act (Akta Pendidikan)

  • Criteria for Malay selection as the National Language—status & functions

• Bab 2 – Week 2: Pronunciation & Intonation

  • Standard Pronunciation principles (Sebutan Baku)

  • Intonation Components

  • Intonation patterns for various sentence types

• Week 3 – Bab 3: Orthography & Grammar

  • Modern spelling system (Ejaan Rumi)

  • Affixation (Imbuhan)

  • Lexical choice & register (Pemilihan Kata)

  • Phrase & clause structure (Struktur Ayat)

  • Sentence connectors (Penghubung Ayat)

• Week 5 – Bab 4: Oral Communication Genres

  • Speech, oration, lecture (Ucapan/Syarahan)

  • Interviews (Temuramah)

  • Master of Ceremonies skills (Pengacaraan Majlis)

  • Briefing & technical talk (Taklimat)

  • Oratory / public speaking (Pidato)

  • Forum, debate (Forum, Bahas)

  • Meeting management (Mesyuarat)

• Week 4: Mid-Semester Examination

• Weeks 6 – 7: Individual & Group Presentations + Assignment Submission

Assessment Map

• Assignment 1 (details released separately)

• Mid-Semester Examination (Week 4)

• Individual Presentation (Weeks 6–7)

• Group Presentation (Weeks 6–7)

• Formal written assignment submission (end of presentation weeks)

Core & Supplementary References

• Mohd Syah Aksara, D. Kathirasan, Sharifah Rahman (2022) – Teks STPM Bahasa Melayu Penggal 1, Pelangi Sdn. Bhd.

• Nik Safiah Karim et al. (2015) – Tatabahasa Dewan, Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP)

• Ismail Dahaman (2015) – Canggihnya Bahasa Melayu: Sistem Tanda Baca Kalimat Bertanda Intonasi Bergaya, DBP

• Mohd Januri Aiyub et al. (2018) – Manual Dokumen Rasmi, DBP

• Ab. Razak Ab. Karim (2015) – Bicara Bahasa: Panduan Mudah & Sistematik Tatabahasa Bahasa Melayu, Kesatuan Guru-Guru Melayu Singapura

Foundations of Language & Malay (Bab 1 Detail)

• Language is a triad of sound → symbol → meaning

  • Sounds and signs are arbitrary (no natural link between form & meaning)

  • Example: Onomatopoeia only occasionally imitates real sounds (e.g. rooster crow, laughter)

• Language is dynamic: liable to change in phonology, morphology, semantics; open to foreign influence

• Primary function: systematised medium for expressing ideas, feelings & social relations

• “Living language” principle: language co-evolves with its speech community—inseparable from its people

Authoritative Linguistic Definitions (comparative perspective)

• George L. Trager (American linguist, $1906{-}1992$): “A system of arbitrary, meaningful vocal symbols used for social communication.”

• Noam Chomsky (American linguist, $1928{-}$): “A finite (or infinite) set of sentences, each finite in length, constructed from a finite set of elements.”

• R. A. Hall (American linguist, $1911{-}1997$): “An institution enabling humans to communicate via meaningful, arbitrary oral-auditory symbols.”

• M. A. K. Halliday (British linguist, $1925{-}2018$): “A range of potential behavioural choices appropriate to social human beings.”

  • Significance: Shifts focus from system to functional usage (Systemic-Functional Linguistics)

Multiple Senses of the Word “Melayu”

• 1 ) Etymology / Early Terminology

• 2 ) Ethno-Historical Kingdom / Geographic Label

• 3 ) Modern Socio-Political Identity (race, citizenship, religion)

Early Etymological & Geographic Evidence

• Claudius Ptolemy (Greek cartographer, $100{-}150$ CE): writes Geographike Sintaxis referencing maleu-kolon

  • Gerini’s analysis: derived from Sanskrit malaikurram / malayakolam → likely Tanjung Kuantan (north Malay Peninsula)

• Hindu text Purana (Gautama Buddha era) mentions Malaya-dvipa (“land surrounded by water”)—scholars equate with Sumatra

• Chinese Tang-dynasty records (around $644{-}645$ CE): term Mo-lo-yu / Mo-lo-yue for envoys from Jambi (southern Sumatra)

• I-Tsing (Buddhist monk, $675$ CE): uses Mo-lo-yu for two kingdoms he visited—Melayu (Batang Hari) & Srivijaya (Palembang)

• Classical Chinese literature notes lingua franca K’un-lun in the Srivijayan era

  • Spoken natively by locals and learned by foreign traders; term also used for Southeast Asian slaves in China

Archaeological & Migration Theories

• Discovery of rectangular-axe (kapak beliung segi panjang) across the Malay Peninsula and major Asian rivers (Hwang Ho, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Irrawaddy, Brahmaputra)

  • Indicates shared Dong Son / Dong San cultural horizon originating from Yunnan

• First Migration Wave (Proto-Malay / Indo-Malay / Austronesian) – approx. $2500$ BCE

  • Settled inland valleys & highlands of Southeast Asia

• Second Wave (Deutero-Malay) – $ext{≈}1500$ years later

  • Coastal settlers, expert seafarers; their arrival pushed Proto-Malay groups upriver/mountainous areas

  • Forms basis of the “Gelombang Kedua” (Second-Wave) Theory for Malay ethnogenesis

Contemporary Definitions Based on Race & Law

• UNESCO Definition: “Malay” refers to ethnic Malays in Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines & Madagascar; also includes native speakers of Malay

• Malaysian Constitution (Article $153$): A “Malay” is a person who:

  1. Speaks the Malay language

  2. Professes Islam

  3. Practices Malay customs (adat istiadat)

  • Function: Grants special position & affirmative provisions for Malays & indigenous groups (Bumiputera)

Global Malay Diaspora (Illustrative Locations)

• Southeast Asia: Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Indonesia, Southern Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam (Champa), Philippines, Taiwan

• Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Sri Lanka

• Australasia: Western Australia, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island

• Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, South Africa

Pedagogical & Practical Value—“Why Study Bahasa Melayu?”

• National identity & constitutional mandate (Article $152$: Malay as National Language)

• Access to a lingua franca spanning >300 million Austronesian speakers

• Cultural literacy: literature, adat, Islamic scholarship in the Malay world

• Professional utility: government, law, media, education sectors in Malaysia require high-level Malay proficiency

• Cognitive benefit: understanding Malay grammar enhances comparative linguistics with other Austronesian languages (e.g., Indonesian, Tagalog, Maori)

• Diplomacy & regional trade: ASEAN connectivity often mediated through Malay/Indonesian

• Preservation of linguistic heritage amidst globalisation pressures

Links to Course Progression & Assessment

• Foundational knowledge of origin & status (Weeks 1 – 2) underpins later mastery of pronunciation (Week 2) and orthography/grammar (Week 3)

• Oral genres (Week 5) apply CLO 2 in live contexts evaluated during Weeks 6–7 presentations

• Mid-Semester Test (Week 4) will likely sample content from origin theories, linguistic definitions, Article $152$, pronunciation concepts

• Final written and spoken tasks must reflect:

  1. Accurate spelling and affixation rules

  2. Intonation suited to communicative genre

  3. Awareness of Malay’s historical depth & national role (contextual richness improves argument quality)

Ethical, Philosophical & Real-World Implications Discussed

• Language as a social contract: reinforces communal identity and conveys collective memory

• Arbitrary nature of linguistic signs invites tolerance toward dialectal and borrowing variations

• National language policy balances unity with multicultural realities—raises debates on linguistic rights for minority tongues

• Migration narratives (Proto- & Deutero-Malay) highlight human adaptability and cultural fusion, informing contemporary multicultural discourse in Malaysia

Quick-Reference Timeline (Chronological Milestones)

• $2500\ \text{BCE}$ – Proto-Malay migration into Southeast Asia

• $100{-}150\ \text{CE}$ – Ptolemy’s maleu-kolon reference

• $644{-}645\ \text{CE}$ – Tang court records Mo-lo-yu envoys

• $675\ \text{CE}$ – I-Tsing records two Malay kingdoms

• $7^{th}$ – $13^{th}$ century – Srivijaya era; K’un-lun lingua franca

• $1957$ – Article $152$ enshrines Malay as Malaysia’s National Language

Study Tips Aligned to This Note Set

• Memorise key years & sources (Ptolemy, I-Tsing, Tang records) for short-answer questions

• Practise converting common English phonemes to Standard Malay pronunciation rules covered in Week 2

• Compile your own examples of affixation to reinforce Bab 3

• Record yourself performing different oral genres (speech, forum) to satisfy CLO 2 & CLO 3 rubrics

• Cross-reference Tatabahasa Dewan chapters with each weekly topic for depth

(End of study notes)