To non-native speakers of the two languages, Malay and Indonesian, may seem identical, but to native speakers, the differences are very noticeable through diction and accent. These differences often lead to incomprehension when used in formal conversation or written communication. These differences also affect broadcasting business in relation to foreign language subtitling, for example DVD movies or TV cable subscriptions. In order to reach out to a wider audience, sometimes both Indonesian and Malay subtitles are displayed in a movie side by side with other language subtitles.
Vocabulary differences
Indonesian differs from Malaysian (Malay) in having words of Javanese and Dutch origin, although Indonesian is based on Malay in Riau (islands) (Bahasa Melayu Riau). For example, the word for 'post office' in Malaysia is "pejabat pos" (in Indonesia this means 'post officer'), whereas in Indonesia it is "kantor pos", from the Dutch word for office, kantoor. There are also some Portuguese influences: in Indonesia, Christmas is known as "Natal", whereas Malaysia uses "Krismas", derived from English (or in some rare cases also "Natal", due to Indonesian influence). The loanwords pronunciation Malaysian version follows English, while Indonesian follows Dutch, for example Malaysian "televisyen" (from English: television) and Indonesian "televisi" (from Dutch: televisie), the "-syen" and "-si" also prevail in other words, such as "eksyen" and "aksi" for 'action'. There are also instances where the Malaysian version derives from English pronunciation while the Indonesian version takes its cue from Latin. The Latin preference of the (older) Indonesian intellectuals in these instances may be ascribed to the influence of their classical-oriented education when Gymnasium schools were established during the Dutch colonial period : compare Malaysian kualiti, kuantiti, majoriti, minoriti and universiti with Indonesian kualitas, kuantitas, mayoritas, minoritas and universitas.Some words which are spelt the same in both languages may even carry entirely different meanings in the other language, potentially leading to humorous or embarrassing situations: while baja means "steel" in Indonesian, in Malay it means "manure". Also, whereas the Indonesian word butuh means "requirement" or "need", in Malaysia it is a vulgar slang term equivalent to "cunt/cock". Conversely, where the word "banci" seems innocuous enough in Malaysia ("census"), in Indonesia it is a derogatory term for "transvestite".
The relatively large share of Islamic (Arabic or Persian) loan words shared by Malay and Indonesian often poses no difficulty in comprehension and usage, although some forms may have developed a (slightly) different meaning or have become obsolete either in Malay or in Indonesian, e.g. khidmat, wakil (see below).
Vocabulary comparison
| English | Malay | Indonesian |
|---|---|---|
| abroad | luar negara | luar negeri |
| account (bank, bills) | akaun | rekening from Dutch rekening, akun |
| accountant | akauntan | akuntan |
| after | selepas | setelah (also used in Malay to indicate consecutive actions) |
| afternoon | petang | sore, petang less frequent |
| agent | ejen | agen |
| air force | tentera udara | angkatan udara |
| airport | lapangan terbang | bandar udara (bandara) commercial, lapangan terbang military/private airfield |
| Algeria | Algeria | Aljazair from Arabic al-Jazā'ir |
| alliance | perikatan, persekutuan | aliansi influenced by Dutch alliantie, persekutuan |
| apartment | pangsapuri, rumah pangsa, rumah kondo (only for 'condominium') | apartemen, rumah susun (rusun), kodominium |
| archive | arkib | arsip from Dutch archief |
| armed forces | tentera | angkatan bersenjata |
| army | tentera darat | angkatan darat |
| assembly | majlis | majelis |
| assets | aset | aktiva from Dutch activa, aset |
| association | persatuan | asosiasifrom Dutch associatie, perhimpunan, perkumpulan |
| Athens | Athens | Athenainfluenced by Dutch Athene or from native Greek Athina |
| auction | lelong | lelang |
| August | Ogos | Agustusfrom Dutch Augustus |
| auntie | makcik (also used in bahasa Melayu Riau in Indonesia) | tantefrom Dutch, bibi |
| autobiography | autobiografi | autobiografi - otobiografi is a substandard spelling |
| automatic | automatik (formerly otomatik) | otomatis derived from Dutch pronunciation of automatisch |
| autonomy | autonomi | otonomi |
| awkward | janggal; kekok (of gesture) | aneh, janggal; canggung, kikuk (of gesture) |
| bag | beg | tas from Dutch |
| basin (wash basin/sink) | besen | wastafel from Dutch |
| because | kerana, sebab | karena, sebab |
| bed | katil | tempat tidur, ranjang, kasur |
| Belgium | Belgium | Belgia |
| Belgrade | Belgrade | Beograd |
| bicycle | basikal | sepeda influeced by French velocipede |
| billboard | papan iklan | papan reklame from Dutch reclame (advertisement), papan iklan |
| billion | bilion | miliar from Dutch miljard |
| bishop | biskop, bisyop | uskup |
| bonnet, hood (of a car) | bonet, bumbung, hud | kap from Dutch |
| boot, trunk (of a car) | but | bagasi |
| Britain | Britain | Britania |
| Brussels | Brussels | Brussel influenced by Dutch |
| Bucharest | Bucharest | Bukares |
| bucket; pail | baldi | ember from Dutch emmer |
| bus | bas | bus - bis is a substandard spelling influenced by Dutch pronunciation of bus |
| bus station | stesen bas | terminal bus |
| bus stop | perhentian bas | halte bus from Dutch bushalte |
| Cairo | Kaherah from Arabic | Kairo |
| Cambodia | Kemboja | Kamboja |
| Cameroon | Cameroon | Kamerun |
| campaign | kempen | kampanye from Dutch campagne (which is a French loanword) |
| can (to be able) | boleh, dapat | dapat, bisa |
| cancer | kanser, barah | kanker from Dutch |
| car | kereta (means carriage in Indonesian, commonly used as a short hand for kereta api which means train. Malay followed English derivation of car which was a contraction of horseless carriage) | mobil |
| Caribbean | Caribbean | Karibia |
| card | kad | kartu from Dutch kaart |
| carrot | lobak merah | wortel from Dutch |
| case | kes | kasus, hal |
| cash | wang tunai | uang tunai, kas |
| cashier | juruwang | kasir from Dutch kassier |
| census | banci | sensus |
| centipede | lipan | kelabang, lipan |
| chilli | cili, lada, cabai (used in the northern states of Malaysia) | cabai |
| China | China | China proper name appealed by the Chinese embassy, Cina still in common use but discouraged by the Chinese embassy due to possible racist connotations, Tiongkok archaic |
| Christmas | Krismas | Natal |
| cinema | panggung wayang bergambar (more popularly abbreviated as pawagam), panggung wayang | bioskop from Dutch bioscoop |
| civil | sivil | sipil |
| city | bandar, bandaraya big city, kota | kota |
| club (association) | kelab | klub, perkumpulan infrequent |
| coat | kot | jas from Dutch jas |
| cockroach | lipas | kecoak from the Chinese Min Nan ka chuah 蟑螂 |
| Colombia | Colombia | Kolombia |
| college | kolej, maktab | perguruan tinggi, kolese |
| comment | komen | komentar from Dutch commentaar |
| commission | suruhanjaya | komisi |
| committee | jawatankuasa | komite |
| commonwealth | komanwel | persemakmuran |
| Comoros | Comoros | Komoro |
| company | syarikat | perusahaan, firma, maskapai from Dutch maatschappij - almost exclusively used to refer to airline companies, i.e. maskapai penerbangan |
| Congo | Congo | Kongo |
| constitution of a country | perlembagaan | undang-undang dasar influenced by Dutch grondwet (basic law), konstitusi from Dutch constitutie |
| counter | kaunter | loket from Dutch, konter/kaunter non-standard |
| country | negara | negara, negeri in Malaysia, negeri only refers to a state within a federation |
| court | mahkamah | pengadilan, mahkamah only refers to the institution |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rica | Kosta Rika |
| cracker | keropok | kerupuk |
| Croatia | Croatia | Kroasia |
| Cuba | Cuba | Kuba |
| cupboard | almari from Portuguese armário | lemari from older term almari, which also came from Portuguese armário |
| current (adjective, of time) | semasa | saat ini, kini, terkini, aktual from Dutch actueel |
| current affairs | peristiwa semasa | peristiwa terkini |
| curtain | langsir, tirai | tirai, gorden from Dutch gordijn |
| customs (authority) | kastam | pabean refers to the administrative institution, bea dan cukai (bea-cukai) lit. tariff-and-tax, duty |
| cute | comel | imut-imut, menggemaskan, manis lit. sweet |
| Cyprus | Cyprus | Siprus from Dutch pronunciation of Cyprus |
| Czech Republic | Republik Czech | Republik Ceko, Ceko, (Republik) Ceska substandard |
| dandruff | kelemumur | ketombe |
| degree (of temperature) | darjah | derajat |
| delicious, tasty | lazat | lezat, enak, sedap |
| democratic | demokratik | demokratis from Dutch demokratisch note: "democratic republic" (in country names) translates as republik demokratik, such as in Republik Demokratik Kongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
| department | jabatan | departemen |
| different - difference | beza, berbeza - perbezaan | beda, berbeda - perbedaan |
| diocese | kawasan uskup, keuskupan | keuskupan |
| director | pengarah | direktur from Dutch (and French) directeur, (of a film) sutradara from Sanskrit (through Javanese) |
| discount | diskaun, rebat, potongan harga | diskon, rabat, potongan harga, korting from Dutch, less frequent |
| driver | pemandu | sopir from French chauffeur through Dutch, pengemudi formal |
| driving licence | lesen memandu | surat izin mengemudi (SIM), rebewes archaic - no longer used, from Dutch rijbewijs |
| December | Disember | Desember influenced by Dutch |
| Dutch East Indies | Hindia Timur Belanda | Hindia-Belanda |
| duty (economics) | duti, cukai | bea, cukai |
| Easter | Easter | Paskah from Portuguese Pascoa |
| editor | penyunting | editor, penyunting, redaktur from French rédacteur through Dutch - refers to editors of mass media, esp. newspapers, magazines, etc. |
| effectiveness | keberkesanan | efektivitas from Dutch effectiviteit |
| Eid ul-Fitr | Hari Raya Aidilfitri | Idulfitri - Idul Fitri substandard spelling, but common, Lebaran colloquial - from Javanese |
| eight | lapan used as colloquial abbreviation in Indonesian | delapan used in Malaysia before the spelling reform |
| electricity | tenaga elektrik lit. electric energy | listrik |
| emergency | kecemasan | darurat from Arabic - also used in Malaysia to express a state of emergency |
| emperor | maharaja | kaisar from Dutch keizer, raja, maharaja from Sanskrit |
| empire | empayar | kekaisaran, kerajaan, imperium |
| engine | enjin | mesin from Dutch machine - also translates as machine in English |
| Ecuador | Ecuador | Ekuador |
| eraser | getah pemadam | penghapus |
| Europe | Eropah | Eropa |
| extinct | pupus | padam (of flame or light), punah (of species) |
| export | eksport | ekspor |
| factory | kilang | pabrik from Dutch fabriek |
| faction (politics) | puak | fraksi from Dutch fractie |
| federal | persekutuan | federal |
| federation | persekutuan | federasi from Dutch federatie |
| financial | kewangan | keuangan, finansial |
| Finland | Finland | Finlandia |
| firefighter squad | bomba | pemadam kebakaran lit. fire extinguisher, branwir from Dutch brandweer (fire defense) |
| floor, level (storey) | tingkat may be used in Indonesian to express the number of storeys/levels a building has, e.g. a 5-storey building = gedung bertingkat 5 | lantai also refers to floor as ground surface in both languages |
| football | bola sepak | sepak bola |
| free of charge | percuma in Indonesian means "worthless" | gratis from Dutch, cuma-cuma |
| furniture | perabot rumah, perkakas rumah | mebel from Dutch meubel, furnitur, perabot rumah tangga |
| garrison | garison | garnisun from Dutch garnizoen |
| gangster | samseng | preman from Dutch vrijman (lit. free-man), gengster from English |
| general (military) | jeneral | jenderal |
| ginger | halia | jahe |
| golf club (stick) | kayu golf | stik golf, pemukul golf, tongkat golf |
| government | kerajaan derived from raja (king) - used in Malaysia and Brunei - in Indonesian means "kingdom" | pemerintah derived from perintah (order/instruction) - used in Indonesia and also in Singapore, despite the fact that Malay is the official language |
| governor | gabenor, Yang di-Pertua Negeri (in Malaysian states) | gubernur (from Dutch gouverneur |
| graduate | siswazah, sarjana | lulusan, sarjana |
| grandfather | datuk | kakek |
| Greece | Greece | Yunani from Arabic Yūnān يونان |
| hammer | tukul | palu, martil |
| head office | ibu pejabat | kantor pusat "kantor" - from Dutch kantoor (office) |
| headscarf, hijab | tudung | kerudung, jilbab |
| healthy | sihat | sehat |
| herb | herba | jamu |
| hospital | hospital | rumah sakit influenced by Dutch ziekenhuis (house of the sicks) - This term is still used in Brunei, but in Malaysia, "hospital" has replaced the term completely since 1960s.) |
| Hungary | Hungary | Hongaria influenced by Dutch Hongarije |
| ice | ais | es |
| ice cream | ais krim | es krim |
| Iceland | Iceland | Islandia |
| illegal drugs | dadah | narkoba an acronym for NARKotika dan OBat-obatan terlArang (narcotics and illegal drugs), NAPZA less frequent - an initialism for NArkotika, Psikotropika dan Zat-zat Adiktif (narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive chemical substances) |
| image | citra, imej (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image) | citra (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image) |
| immigration | imigresen | imigrasi from Dutch immigratie |
| import | import | impor |
| Indian Ocean | Lautan Hindi | Samudra Hindia |
| impotence | mati pucuk, impotensi, lemah syahwat | impotensi from Dutch impotentie, lemah syahwat colloquial |
| ink | dakwat from Arabic | tinta from Dutch tinte |
| installment (payment) | ansuran | angsuran, cicilan |
| insurance | insurans | asuransi from Dutch assurantie |
| international | antarabangsa | internasional |
| internet cafe | kafe internet, kafe cyber | warnet an acronym for "WARung interNET" (internet shop/cafe) |
| Iraq | Iraq | Irak |
| Ireland | Ireland | Irlandia |
| Italy | Itali | Italia |
| Japan | Jepun | Jepang |
| Jordan | Jordan | Yordania from Dutch Jordanië |
| journalist | wartawan | wartawan, jurnalis |
| June | June | Juni |
| July | Julai | Juli |
| lane | lorong | lajur |
| lawyer | peguam | pengacara, advokat from Dutch advocaat |
| Lebanon | Lubnan | Lebanon |
| liabilitity | liabiliti | kewajiban |
| licence | lesen | izin, lisensi from Dutch licentie |
| lift, elevator | lif | lift |
| Lisbon | Lisbon | Lisboa from Portuguese, Lisabon influenced by Dutch Lissabon |
| list | senarai | daftar |
| local | tempatan | lokal, setempat |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Luksemburg influenced by Dutch/German Luxemburg |
| Macau | Macau | Makau |
| Macedonia, Republic of | Republik Macedonia | Republik Makedonia |
| magistrate | majistret | hakim from Arabic حكم - used in Malay to refer to judges |
| Maldives | Maldives | Maladewa |
| male | lelaki, laki-laki, jantan (for animals, sometimes used as a derogatory term on men) | laki-laki, pria, lelaki, jantan (on animals, used on men to describe manliness) |
| malfunction | kerosakan, pincang tugas | kerusakan, malfungsi |
| March | Mac | Maret influenced by Dutch Maart |
| mattress | tilam | kasur, matras |
| mathematics | matematik, ilmu hisab | matematika |
| mean (verb) | bererti | berarti |
| medication | ubat | obat |
| Mexico | Mexico | Meksiko |
| military | tentera, militari | militer from French militaire through Dutch militair |
| minibus | bas mini | minibus |
| minute | minit | menit |
| Mrs. | Puan | Ibu, Nyonya (Ny.) |
| mobile phone, cellphone | telefon bimbit, telefon tangan | handphone (HP) (colloquial), telepon selular (ponsel), telepon genggam |
| Monday | Isnin | Senin |
| money | wang, duit | uang, duit (colloquial) |
| Morocco | Maghribifrom Arabic | Maroko |
| mortgage | gadai janji | gadai, hipotek from Dutch hypotheek |
| motorcycle | motosikal | motor, sepeda motor lit. "motorized bicycle" - influenced by Dutch motorfiets |
| Monaco | Monaco | Monako |
| Moscow | Moscow | Moskwa, Moskow |
| Mozambique | Mozambique | Mozambik |
| music | muzik | musik |
| naked | bogel, telanjang | telanjang, bugil (colloquial) |
| natural | semulajadi | alami, natural |
| navy | tentera laut | angkatan laut |
| newspaper | surat khabar coined from two Arabic words: ṣūrat - صورة / صورت (form, appearance) and khabar خبر (news) | koran, surat kabar (more formal - lit. news letter) |
| Nicosia | Nicosia | Nikosia |
| New Zealand | New Zealand | Selandia Baru |
| noisy | bising, kecoh, memekak | berisik, ribut, ramai, bising |
| Norway | Norway | Norwegia influenced by Dutch Noorwegen |
| number | nombor | nomor - nomer substandard spelling - from Dutch nummer |
| nurse | jururawat | perawat, suster from Dutch zuster |
| ocean | lautan | samudra |
| Oceania | Oceania | Oseania |
| office | pejabat | kantor (from Dutch kantoor) |
| officer | kaki tangan (hands and leg in Indonesian) | pejabat |
| official (adj.) | rasmi | resmi (from Arabo-Persian rasmi رسمي) |
| orange (fruit) | oren, limau | jeruk, limau |
| orange (colour) | jingga, oren | jingga, oranye (from Dutch oranje) |
| order | order, perintah | orde (from Dutch), perintah |
| Pacific Ocean | Lautan Pasifik, Lautan Teduh (also used in Indonesian) | Samudra Pasifik |
| Palestine | Palestin | Palestina |
| papaya | (buah) betik | (buah) pepaya |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea | Papua Nugini, Papua Guinea Baru |
| parliament | parlimen | parlemen (from Franco-Dutch parlement) |
| party (political) | parti | partai (from Dutch partij) |
| passport | pasport | paspor |
| pavement, sidewalk | jalan pinggir, jalur jalan untuk pejalan kaki, laluan jalan kaki, kaki lima | trotoar (from Franco-Dutch trottoir) |
| penis | zakar (from Arabic ذكر "male"- this word is extremely vulgar in Indonesian), batang lelaki, konek (slang) | alat kelamin laki-laki, kemaluan lelaki, burung (vulgar), titit (children's slang like "pee-pee"), kontol (slang, vulgar) |
| percent | peratus | persen, per seratus |
| Persia | Parsi | Persia |
| pharmacy | farmasi | apotek (from Dutch apotheek), farmasi (usually for medicine manufacturers) |
| photograph | gambar, foto | foto, potret (from Dutch, means "portrait" in English) |
| pickpocketnoun | penyeluk saku | copet (contraction of colong dompet- wallet thief), pencopet |
| pirate (maritime) | lanun | bajak laut, perompak (means "robber" in Malay) |
| pipe | paip | pipa |
| platform (train) | platform | peron (from Franco-Dutch perron) |
| Poland | Poland | Polandia |
| police | polis | polisi (from Dutch politie) |
| post code | poskod | kode pos |
| Prague | Prague | Praha (also used in Malay) |
| prayer (Islam) | solat, sembahyang | salat, shalat, sholat (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's'), sembahyang |
| prayer room (Islam) | surau | surau, musala, mushollah (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's') |
| pregnant | mengandung, hamil (formal, from Arabic حامل), berbadan dua | mengandung, hamil, berbadan dua, bunting (informal) |
| press | media massa, surat khabar (see above) | pers (from Dutch), media massa |
| Private Limited Company | Sendirian Berhad abbreviated as Sdn Bhd (suffix) | Perseroan Terbatas abbreviated as PT(prefix) |
| prostitute | pelacur | pelacur, Wanita Tuna Susila (WTS) (Sanskrit, pronounced 'way-tay-es', i.e. "moral-less women"), Pekerja Seks Komersial (PSK) (formal, pronounced 'pay-es-ka' (commercial sex workers)), perek (slang) |
| province | wilayah (used in Indonesian to mean 'region'), daerah | propinsi, provinsi (from Dutch provincie) |
| push, to (door) | tolak (used less primarily in Indonesian to mean 'subtract', it also means 'to refuse/reject', also common meaning in Malay when used in arithmetics) | dorong (means "to push" in Malay, but often used to mean "to support") |
| rabbit | arnab (from Arabic) | kelinci |
| rape | rogol | perkosa |
| raspberry | rasberi | frambus, frambosen (from Dutch framboos) |
| receipt | resit, penerimaan | kuitansi, kwitansi (from Dutch kwitantie), struk |
| refrigerator | peti sejuk (rarely used in Indonesian) | lemari es, lemari pendingin, kulkas (from Dutch koelkast) |
| religion | ugama | agama |
| restaurant | kedai makan, restoran | restoran, rumah makan, kedai makan (rarely used now) |
| rob | rompak (Indonesian for "to commit piracy") | rampok, rampas |
| Rome | Rom | Roma |
| room | bilik (usually used to mean "compartment" in Indonesian), kamar(formal), also used in Indonesian | kamar (from Dutch "kamer"), ruang (Javanese, for storage areas etc.) |
| roundabout (traffic) | bulatan e.g. Bulatan DBP in Kuala Lumpur pusing keliling (in Brunei) | bundaran e.g. Bundaran HI in Jakarta |
| royal | diraja | kerajaan (in Malay means "kingdom" or "government") |
| rubber | getah | karet |
| Sanskrit | Sanskrit | Sanskerta |
| sauce | sos | saos, saus (from Dutch saus ultimately from French sauce), bumbu |
| salty | masin | asin |
| school (Islamic) | pondok | pesantren, pondok pesantren |
| science | sains | sains, ilmu (from Arabic 'ilm), iptek (an acronym for "Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi", which literally means "science and technology") |
| Scotland | Scotland | Skotlandia |
| secret | rahsia | rahasia |
| secretary | setiausaha | sekretaris (from Dutch "secretaris") |
| section | seksyen | seksi (from Dutch "sectie") |
| session | sesyen | sesi (from Dutch "sessie") |
| sewer | saluran najis, saluran kumbahan | selokan, parit (means 'ditch' in Malay), got, saluran air/pembuangan |
| shampoo | syampu (from Anglo-Indian / Hindustani chāmpo, the imperative form of (Hindi) चाँपना chāmpnā 'to smear, knead the muscles, massage') | sampo (via Dutch) |
| shirt | baju (also in Indonesian but more generally refers to clothes) | hem, kaos, kemeja (from Portuguese camisa) |
| shoe | kasut | sepatu (understood but less frequently used in Malaysia, from Portuguese sapato) |
| shop | kedai (less common in Indonesia) | toko |
| Slovakia | Slovakia | Slowakia |
| snow | salji | salju (from Arabic 'thalj') |
| solar | solar, suria (from Sanskrit 'surya') | surya |
| sodomy | liwath (from Arabic) | sodomi |
| sour | masam | asam, masam (obsolete, usually used in connotative expression: bermuka masam: sour faced (unsatisfied/unhappy expression)) |
| soya beans | kacang soya | kacang kedelai |
| speak/talk | berbicara, bercakap (means 'to chat' in Indonesian), bersembang, berborak | berbicara, ngomong (Javanese ngoko, colloquial) |
| Spain | Sepanyol | Spanyol |
| spoon | sudu | sendok |
| sport | sukan | olahraga (means "athletics" in Sanskrit and Malay) |
| stadium | stadium | stadion (from Dutch "stadion") |
| station | stesen | stasiun (formerly spelled "setasiun") |
| stamp | setem | perangko (from Latin "franco") |
| state (within a federation) | negeri | negara bagian |
| stop (verb) | berhenti | stop, berhenti |
| strawberry | strawberi | stroberi, arbei (from Dutch aardbei) |
| stupid | bodoh, bengap, tolol, bongok (slang) | bodoh, dungu, tolol, goblok (slang), geblek (slang), bego (slang) |
| Sunday | ahad (rarely used in Indonesia) | hari minggu (from Portuguese Domingo (Lord's Day) (minggu is used for week i.e. 7 days) |
| Sweden | Sweden | Swedia |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | Swiss |
| Syria | Syria | Suriah (from Arabic) |
| tapioca | ubi kayu | tapioka, tepung singkong |
| tap water | air paip | air keran, air ledeng (from Dutch leiding, "ledeng" also means "plumbing") |
| taxi | teksi | taksi |
| teacher | cikgu, guru | guru (from Sanskrit) |
| teacher (religious, Islam) | ustaz, ustad (ultimately from Persian استاد) | ustad |
| telephone | telefon (formerly talipon) | telepon, telpon, telfon |
| terrorist | pengganas | teroris (from Franco-Dutch terrorist) |
| testicles | buah zakar, testis, buah keranjut | biji kemaluan, buah zakar (slang, vulgar), kanjut (slang, vulgar) |
| traffic jam | kesesakan lalulintas, jam (slang) | macet |
| turn | pusing (means to spin in Indonesian, commonly used to mean dizzy as a short form of kepala pusing), belok | belok, putar |
| television | televisyen, TV | televisi (from Dutch televisie) , TV |
| tofu | tauhu | tahu |
| toilet | bilik air, tandas | kamar kecil, toilet, WC (pronounced 'we-se') for watercloset) |
| towel | tuala (from Portuguese toalha) | handuk (from Dutch handdoek) |
| The Hague | The Hague | Den Haag (from Dutch) |
| Thailand | Negara Thai, Siam, Thailand | Thailand, Siam, Muangthai used in old scripts |
| ticket | tiket | tiket, karcis (from Dutch kaartje) |
| tyre | tayar | ban (from Dutch "[auto]band") |
| train | keretapi, tren | kereta, kereta api, kereta rel listrik (KRL) (commuter train) |
| transsexual | pondan, bapok, transseksual | transseksual, waria (polite), bencong, banci |
| tree | pokok, pohon | pohon |
| try | cuba | coba |
| turkey (bird) | ayam belanda | ayam kalkun, kalkun from Dutch kalkoen |
| ugly | hodoh, buruk | jelek, buruk |
| Ukraine | Ukraine | Ukraina |
| uncle | pakcik | paman, oom or om (derived from Dutch, pronounced and sometimes spelt as oom) |
| union | kesatuan (in Indonesian means "unitary") | uni, serikat |
| United Arab Emirates | Emiriah Arab Bersatu | Uni Emirat Arab |
| United Nations | Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu | Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa |
| United States of America (USA) also the United States (US) | Amerika Syarikat | Amerika Serikat (AS), Amrik (acronymic slang) |
| university | universiti | universitas |
| until | sehingga, sampai | hingga, sampai |
| Vatican City | Itali | Vatikan |
| vagina | faraj (from Arabic, in Indonesian means vulva), pepek/pepet (slang) | alat kelamin wanita, liang peranakan, vagina, farji, memek (slang, vulgar), pepek (slang, vulgar) |
| Venice | Venice | Venesia (influenced by Dutch Venetië ) |
| very | sangat, amat, sekali | sangat, amat, sekali, banget (from Javanese ngoko) |
| vice president | naib presiden | wakil presiden ('wapres') |
| victim | mangsa | korban |
| Vienna | Vienna | Wina (influenced by Dutch Wenen) |
| virgin | (anak) dara, (anak) gadis | perawan (formal), gadis, (anak) dara |
| voucher | baucer | voucer |
| want | mahu | mau |
| warden | warden, penjaga penjara | sipir penjara (from Dutch cipier) |
| Warsaw | Warsaw | Warsawa |
| website | laman web | situs web |
| weekend | hujung minggu | akhir pekan, akhir minggu |
| well (water hole) | perigi | sumur, perigi (rarely used) |
| when | bila, apabila, ketika | kapan, bilamana, bila, ketika |
| window | tingkap (also used in Indonesian but less common), jendela | jendela (from Portuguese janela) |
| wire | dawai, wayar | kawat (e.g. copper wire), kabel (e.g. electrical wire, cable) |
| you | anda (very formal), awak, kamu, kau | Anda (everyday formal), kamu (for very familiar people only), engkau ('kau) (prose), elu/loe (very vulgar Betawi slang) |
| zoo | zoo, taman haiwan (kebun binatang was also frequently used in Malaysia before the mid-1960s) | kebun binatang (derived from Dutch dierentuin (animal garden), taman margasatwa (more formal form for zoological park) |
False friends
Besides vocabulary differences, there are also a number of false friends in both languages. As these words are in quite common use in either or both of the languages, misunderstandings can arise.| Word | Malaysian meaning | Indonesian meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ahli | a member (of a group) (when the word is used by itself) (from Arabo-Persian "ahli" اهلی 'belonging to a group, people, indigenous or sim.'), expert in a field (from Arabo-Persian "'aqli" عقلی 'belonging to the intellect or mind, intellectual') | expert in a field |
| akta (from Latino-Dutch acta) | act (= law) | act (= written legal document) |
| awak | you (casual) | me / I (only used in some regions in Sumatra Island), shipper |
| baja | fertilizer | steel Malaysian: besi waja |
| banci | census | effeminate, transvestite homosexual (negative connotation) |
| bandar | city | port |
| bapa | father (male parent) | specific to 'Father' (God) in religious context (Christianity) our Father which art in Heaven = Bapa kami yang di surga . Father in Indonesian is bapak (with an additional 'k' letter') |
| belanja | to treat, giving something for free | to shop (note: also carries this meaning in Malay, though in a context more akin to "spend".) |
| berbual | to chat | to tell a lie |
| bercinta | in (the essence of) love | make love, have sexual intercourse |
| beredar | From the root word "edar" which can means; to oscillate (planets only), to leave, or to distribute | distributed |
| biji | seed | seed, testicles ("balls", offensive) |
| bila | when | if, when (older version, almost obsolete) |
| bisa | venom | can/able (same as "boleh" in Malay), venom |
| bontot/buntut | buttock | tail ('ekor' as commonly used in Malay) |
| budak | kid | slave |
| butoh/butuh | male genitals, an offensive reference | need |
| cadangan | suggestion, opinion, proposal (example: peti cadangan = suggestion box) | reserve, spare (example: ban cadangan = spare tire) |
| comel | cute, pretty | (to call) someone who can not keep a secret (example: mulutnya comel= her mouth can't keep a secret) |
| daripada | A preposition that carries 5 meanings; 1. from (to explain the origin of something) 2.than (to do comparison) 3.from (to protect from, to avoid from ) 4. from (to state the sender of something) 5. from (to state the differences) | than (comparison)(example: Kamus ini lebih baik daripada yang itu= This dictionary is better than that one) |
| doktor | doctor (paramedic); doctorate (educational title) | doctorate (educational title) In Indonesian, the equivalent for paramedic doctor is dokter |
| duduk | to sit, a place to live on (only used informally) | to sit |
| electronic mail (recently changed to "emel") | enamel | |
| gampang | bastard from 'anak gampang' lit. easy child | easy (non negative meaning) |
| getah | rubber, plant sap | plant sap |
| hemat | moral excellence | frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity, gas or water usage |
| jabatan | department | position |
| jawatan | position | department |
| jemput | invite, pick up | pick up |
| jeruk | pickles/preserved fruits or vegetables | oranges |
| jimat | frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity | amulet (the Malaysian equivalent is azimat) |
| kacak | handsome | ber-kacak pinggang (stands with hands on your hips) The Malaysian equivalent is bercekak-pinggang, a phrase to mean that a person is being bossy |
| kakak | elder sister | elder sibling (either elder brother or sister) |
| kakitangan | employee | subordinate (with negative meaning) |
| kapan | or kafan: Muslim burial shroud (kain kafan/kapan) | when (kapan mau pulang?= when do you want to go home?) |
| karya | work of art (karyawan=artists) | work (karyawan= workers) |
| kerajaan | government (historical association, most Malay states were governed by monarchs, from Raja = King, now refers to any kind of government) | kingdom |
| keranjang | 'bola keranjang' = basketball (no other use than for basketball) | basket |
| kereta | car | train |
| khidmat | service | fully concentrate |
| koneksi | 'konek' = dick (slang/vulgar) | connection |
| konfeksi | A soft solid made by incorporating a medicinal substance or substances with sugar, sirup, or honey | clothing industry, any fancy or luxurious women's clothes (Dutch: confectie. A non-standard spelling sometimes used is: "konveksi") |
| lucu | funny | funny, cute (slang) |
| mangsa | victim | prey for animal |
| operasi | mathematic operational symbol, tactical operation | mathematic operational symbol, police operation, operation/surgery (as in Dutch) |
| pajak | to mortgage, pawn | tax |
| paket | packet | packet, package (normally used for promotion purposes, as in Dutch) |
| pantas | speedily | appropriate, 'no wonder' |
| pantat | buttock (Sabahan Malay meaning), vagina/pussy (slang/vulgar) | buttock |
| pelan | plan (associated with architectural work, site map etc. only) | slow (perlahan in Malay) |
| pejabat | office | high-rank officer/officials (those who hold office, Malay (pegawai)) |
| pemerintah | ruler | government |
| pengajian | studies | mass recitation of Qur'an |
| percuma | free of charge percuma can also mean free of charge in Indonesian, but its usage has become obsolete, replaced by cuma-cuma | useless, not needed |
| peti sejuk | refrigerator | cold Coffin |
| piawai | standard; correct bahasa piawai = standard language | expert; skillful (on something) |
| pijat | bugs (software bugs i.e. Year 2000 bug and also commonly referring to the bed bugs) | massage Javanese pijet |
| pohon | tree, to plea or to beg (from basic word: "mohon") | tree |
| pokok | tree | essential, basic, main kebutuhan pokok = essential necessities |
| polis | police | (insurance) policy (as in Dutch) |
| polisi | policy | police (as in Dutch) |
| punggung | buttock | back |
| pupuk | to nurture | fertilizer (also means 'to nurture' in the metaphorical sense of the word) |
| pusing | to go around a place, circular in motion, to spin/rotate | dizzy, confused, headache |
| putera | prince | son |
| rambut | hair (for head only) | hair |
| rayuan | appeal (neutral) | flattery, seduction (emotional or sexual connotation) |
| tambang | fare | mine, rope, passenger, fare |
| tandas | toilet | to explain, to finish |
| senang | easy | happy, relax |
| seronok | good, enjoyable | impolite, pornography-related gambar seronok = porn picture |
| sulit | confidential, difficult | difficult |
| wakil | representative | vice (for example, 'vice chancellor' and 'vice president'), representative |
The influence of English
One of the most important aspect in differences between Indonesian and Malay is the degree of influence from English. Apart from being heavily influenced by the Dutch language, Indonesian language also adopted a significant number of English loan words in its vocabulary. There have been many changes in Indonesian language as a result of its historical development. Words have been freely borrowed from English and only partly assimilated, in many cases, to the Indonesian patterns of structure.[5] By the late 1970s, English words pouring into the language, leading one commentator, writing in 1977, to refer to the "trend towards Indo-Saxonisation".[6] A great many borrowings from English sometimes fulfill no communicative need, expressing concepts adequately covered by existing words. Among the examples are: akurat instead of tepat (accurate), aliansi in the place of sekutu (alliance), eksis rather than ada (exist), kandidat as well as calon (candidate), konklusi instead of kesimpulan (conclusion) kontaminasi in the place of pencemaran (contamination), opini rather than pendapat (opinion) and opsi in the place of pilihan (option). On the other hand, in absorbing the numerous xenisms or loan words from English, Malaysian Malay has shown a remarkable resilience, despite being the former colony of British empire.[7]Some in Indonesia view this trend of excessive borrowings as "language dynamism", while some Malay linguists called it mass "language pollution",[8] and lack of creativity in creating new terms.
These days a widespread use of English in the Indonesian and Malaysian twittersphere can be observed. Basolectal and mesolectal English usage couched within Malay and other local language are common. Twitter has, as an example, become extremely widely used by all sections of society and the next twenty years should see a lot of language-rub from which we could expect to see more Anglicisims move into acrolectical or printed Indonesian and Malay.[citation needed]
Example
The original text in Indonesian:- [9] Apabila peraturan pakta stabilitas Eropa dihormati sampai ke detailnya, rasio utang publik dibanding produk domestik bruto pada hari krisis akan berada di posisi 10 persentase poin kurang dalam zona euro, katanya.
- Apabila peraturan pakatan kestabilan Eropah dihormati sehingga ke perinciannya, nisbah hutang awam berbanding keluaran dalam negara kasar pada hari krisis akan berada di kedudukan 10 titik peratusan kurang dalam kawasan euro, katanya.
- If the European stability pact rules had been respected in detail, the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product on the days of crisis would have been at the position 10 percentage points less in the eurozone, he said.
Table of comparison
| English | Indonesian | Malaysian |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion | Aborsi, also used: Pengguguran kandungan | Pengguguran |
| Accurate | Akurat, more commonly used:Tepat | Tepat |
| Alloy | Aloi | Pancalogam |
| Administration | Administrasi | Pentadbiran |
| Apartment | Apartemen | Pangsapuri |
| Application software | Aplikasi | Perisian penggunaan |
| Architecture | Arsitektur | Seni bina |
| Association | Asosiasi | Persatuan |
| Assumption | Asumsi | Andaian |
| Astronaut | Astronot, also used Antariksawan | Angkasawan |
| Athletics (sport) | Atletik | Olahraga |
| Baseband | Baseband | Jalur asas |
| Basketball | Basket | Bola keranjang |
| Board of directors | Dewan Direktur | Lembaga Pengarah |
| Binary numeral system | Biner | Perduaan |
| Business | Bisnis | Perniagaan |
| Capacitor | Kapasitor | Pemuat |
| Censor | Sensor | Tapisan |
| Career | Karier | Kerjaya |
| Chaos theory (math) | Teori Chaos | Teori kekacauan |
| Cavalry | Kavaleri | Pasukan berkuda |
| Census | Sensus | Banci |
| Central bank | Bank sentral | Bank pusat |
| Civil | Sipil | Awam |
| Circuit switching | Circuit switching | Pensuisan litar |
| Circuit | Sirkuit | Litar |
| Claim | Klaim | Tuntutan |
| Clarification | Klarifikasi | Penjernihan |
| Committee | Komite | Jawatankuasa |
| Commission | Komisi | Suruhanjaya |
| Commissioner | Komisaris | Pesuruhjaya |
| Complaint | Komplain | Aduan |
| Compiler | Kompilator | Penyusun |
| Confirmation | Konfirmasi | Pengesahan |
| Constitution | Konstitusi, more commonly used: Undang-Undang Dasar | Perlembagaan |
| Consumption | Konsumsi | Perbelanjaan |
| Corporation | Korporasi | Perbadanan |
| Corruption | Korupsi | Rasuah |
| Conclusion | Konklusi, more commonly used:Kesimpulan | Kesimpulan |
| Condensation | Kondensasi | Pemeluwapan |
| Conference | Konferensi | Persidangan |
| Conservation | Konservasi | Pemuliharaan |
| Construction | Konstruksi | Pembinaan |
| Contamination | Kontaminasi, more commonly used:Pencemaran | Pencemaran |
| Continuous function | Fungsi kontinu | Fungsi selanjar |
| Conversion | Konversi | Penukaran |
| Criminal | Kriminal, more commonly used: Penjahat | Jenayah |
| Crucial | Krusial | Genting |
| Decimal | Desimal | Perpuluhan |
| Department | Departemen, also used: Jurusan (for department in University) | Jabatan |
| Depression (psychological) | Depresi | Kemurungan |
| Detail | Detil, also used:Rinci | terperinci |
| Detection | Deteksi | Pengesanan |
| Deputy | Deputi, more commonly used: Wakil | Timbalan |
| Design | Desain, also used:Rancangan | Reka bentuk |
| Discussion | Diskusi | perbincangan |
| Disinfectant | Disinfektan, also used:Sucihama | Penyahjangkit |
| Efficiency | Efisiensi, also used: Kemangkusan | Kecekapan |
| Elasticity (economy) | Elastisitas | Keanjalan |
| Embargo (political science) | Embargo | Sekatan |
| Energy | Energi, also used: Tenaga | Tenaga |
| Erosion | Erosi,more commonly used: Pengikisan | Hakisan |
| Escalator | Eskalator | Tangga gerak |
| Estimation | Estimasi, more commonly used: Perkiraan and Dugaan | Jangkaan |
| Evaluation | Evaluasi, more commonly used:Penilaian | Penilaian |
| Evacuation | Evakuasi, more commonly used: Pengungsian | Pemindahan |
| Excess | Ekses, more commonly used:Berlebihan | Lebihan |
| Excretion | Ekskresi | Perkumuhan |
| Expose | Ekspos, more commonly used:Paparan | Pendedahan |
| Execution | Eksekusi | Hukuman mati |
| Exploration | Eksplorasi, also used: Penjelajahan | Penjelajahan |
| Facility | Fasilitas | Kemudahan |
| Federation | Federasi | Persekutuan |
| Fermentation | Fermentasi, also used:Peragian | Penapaian |
| Financial Ratio | Rasio finansial | Nisbah kewangan |
| Fungus | Fungi | Kulat |
| Fusion | Fusi | Pelakuran |
| Global Positioning System | Sistem Pemosisi Global | Sistem Kedudukan Sejagat |
| Governor (state) | Gubernur | Yang Dipertua Negeri |
| Gradation | Gradasi | Pemeringkatan |
| Gross domestic product | Produk domestik bruto | Keluaran dalam negara kasar |
| Group (mathematics) | Grup | Kumpulan |
| Hexadecimal | Heksadesimal | Perenambelasan |
| Hybrid (biology) | Hibrida | Kacukan |
| Impotent | Impotensi, also used: Kemandulan | Kemandulan |
| Inductor | Induktor | Peraruh |
| Injection | Injeksi, more commonly used:Suntikan | Suntikan |
| Instant | Instan | Segera |
| Introspection | Introspeksi | Kaji diri |
| Intelligent | Intelijen | Risikan |
| International | Internasional | Antarabangsa |
| Intervention | Intervensi, more commonly used: Campur tangan | Campur tangan |
| Invasion | Invasi, more commonly used: Serangan | Penaklukan |
| Investment | Investasi, also used:Penanaman modal | Pelaburan |
| Irrigation | Irigasi | Pengairan |
| Goal Keeper | Kiper, also used: Penjaga gawang | Penjaga gol/penjaga gawang |
| Guarantee | Garansi, more commonly used:Jaminan | Jaminan |
| Incineration | Insinerasi | Penunuan |
| Legislative | Legislatif | Perundangan |
| Liquidity (economy) | Likuiditas | Kecairan |
| Local area network (LAN) | Local area network | Rangkaian kawasan setempat |
| Military | Militer | Ketenteraan |
| Mass | Massa, also used: Kelembaman | Jisim |
| Matter | Materi | Jirim |
| Manufacturing | Manufaktur | Pengilangan |
| Mediation | Mediasi, more commonly used:Penengah | Pengantaraan |
| Mental arithmetic | Aritmetika cepat, also used: Mencongak | Congak |
| Memory card | Kartu memori | Kad ingatan |
| Malpractice | Malpraktik | Penyelewengan |
| Management | Manajemen | Pengurusan |
| Manager | Manajer | Pengurus |
| Military | Militer | Ketenteraan |
| More | Lebih | Lagi |
| Navigation | Navigasi | Pandu Arah |
| Negotiation | Negosiasi, more commonly used:Perundingan | Perundingan |
| Octal | Oktal | Perlapanan |
| Option | Opsi, more commonly used:Pilihan | Pilihan |
| Opposition | Oposisi | Pembangkang |
| Organization | Organisasi | Pertubuhan |
| Oscillation | Osilasi, also used: Ayunan | Ayunan |
| Oven | Oven | Ketuhar |
| Parallel port | Port paralel | Port selari |
| Patient | Pasien | Pesakit |
| Patrol | Patroli (for police and military), Ronda (for civilian) | Ronda |
| Percent | Persen | Peratus |
| Periodic table | Tabel periodik, also used: Tabel Berkala | Jadual berkala |
| Pollution | Polusi, more commonly used:Pencemaran | Pencemaran |
| Portion | Porsi | Sebahagian |
| Potential energy | Energi potensial | Tenaga keupayaan |
| Publication | Publikasi, more commonly used:Terbitan | Penerbitan |
| Precipitation (meteorology) | Presipitasi (meteorologi) | Kerpasan |
| Prediction | Prediksi, more commonly used:Ramalan | Ramalan |
| Premature | Prematur, also used: Dini | Pramatang |
| Preposition | Preposisi, also used: Kata Depan | Kata sendi nama |
| Privatization | Privatisasi | Penswastaan |
| Producer | Produsen | Pengeluar |
| Programming | Pemrograman | Pengaturcaraan |
| Property | Properti | Harta |
| Propulsion | Propulsi | Perejangan |
| Prostitution | Prostitusi, also used: Pelacuran | Pelacuran |
| Pulse | Pulsa | Denyut |
| Random-access memory (RAM) | Random access memory | Ingatan capaian rawak |
| Ratio | Rasio, also used: Nisbah | Nisbah |
| Real estate | Realestat | Hartanah |
| Recession (economy) | Resesi | Kemelesetan |
| Read-only memory (ROM) | Read only memory, also used in some textbooks: Memori Hanya Baca | Ingatan baca sahaja |
| Reclamation | Reklamasi | Tebus guna |
| Refraction | Refraksi, more commonly used: Pembiasan | Pembiasan |
| Renovation | Renovasi, also used:Perbarui | Pengubahsuaian |
| Research | Riset, more commonly used:Penelitian | Kajian |
| Retailing | Ritel, also used: eceran | Peruncitan |
| Resistor | Resistor | Perintang |
| Ring (mathematics) | Ring, 'Gelanggang' is also used in some Mathematics textbook | Gelanggang |
| Rumour | Rumor, also used: Desas-desus, Kabar angin, Kabar burung | Khabar angin |
| Routing | Routing | Penghalaan |
| Router | Router | Penghala |
| Secretary | Sekretaris | Setiausaha |
| Sensor | Sensor | Penderia |
| Sexagesimal | Seksagesimal | Perenampuluhan |
| Shopping mall | Mal | Pusat beli-belah |
| Site | Situs, also used: Laman | Laman |
| Sublimation (phase transition) | Sublimasi | Pemejalwapan |
| Survey | Survei | Tinjauan |
| Supervision | Supervisi, more commonly used: Pengawasan | Penyeliaan |
| Supermarket | Supermarket | Pasar raya |
| Solution | Solusi, also used:Pemecahan | Penyelesaian |
| Specialist doctor | Dokter spesialis | Pakar perubatan |
| Standard | Standar | Piawai |
| Tank | Tank | Kereta kebal |
| Terrorism | Terorisme | Pengganasan |
| Transportation | Transportasi | Pengangkutan |
| National Team | Tim Nasional (Timnas) | Pasukan Kebangsaan |
| Team | Tim | Pasukan |
| Tornado | Tornado | Puting beliung |
| USB flash drive | USB flash drive | Pemacu kilat USB |
| Verb | Verba, more commonly used:Kata Kerja | Kata kerja |
| Verification | Verifikasi | Pengesahan |
| Visit | Wisata | Pelancongan |
| Viscosity | Viskositas | Kelikatan |
| Violet (color) | Violet, also used: Ungu, Lembayung | Lembayung |
| Volume (math) | Volume | Isi padu |
| Volleyball | Bola Voli | Bola tampar |
| Wide area network (WAN) | Wide area network | Rangkaian kawasan luas |
Dynamic-adaptivism vs resilience-conservatism
Further information: List of loan words in Indonesian
Further information: Indonesian slang
The Indonesian language is highly adaptive to foreign influences, in contrast to the resilience and conservatism demonstrated by the Malay language.[citation needed] This is due to historical formation of each of these languages; the Indonesian language, although based upon the Sumatran Riau Malay language, is actually a newly generated generic, inclusive and open language. It is constantly enriched by both Indonesian regional languages and dialects (such as Javanese, Sundanese, Batak, Minangkabau, to Betawi) and by foreign languages (such as Sanskrit, Chinese, Persian, Portuguese, Latin, Dutch, French and English). As a result, it is common to have multiple synonyms of a word that already has its own initial Malay word. It is also possible that new specific meanings or connotations were generated for newly adopted words. For example, the words pustaka (from Sanskrit), kitab (from Arabic), and buku (from Dutch) all originally mean "book", however more specific use of these synonyms developed: pustaka is more eloquent, have poetic quality and associated to culture and literature, kitab is associated with law and religious scripture, while buku is more common and neutral word for book. The same case is also evident in the words gita (from Sanskrit), tembang (from Javanese), and lagu (original Malay word); all words mean "song" but each has developed specific usage. This highly adaptive nature has caused Indonesian language to evolve much more faster and vibrantly than Malay language. For example, the current Malay vocabulary is very similar to Indonesian language in mid-20th century to several decades ago.[citation needed]Indonesian language is a dynamic language evolving continuously and vigorously. The spearhead of its evolution today is the Indonesian youth through Indonesian slang, influenced heavily by Betawi language; the regional language of capital city Jakarta, and English. Never considered as a standard and formal Indonesian — Indonesian slang — the language of Indonesian youth, are widespread within Indonesian popular culture; music, cinema and TV drama. Indonesian youth is at its most creative and dynamic when dealing with subjects such as social life, relationships, love and sex. The way young Indonesians communicate with each other is vibrant, creative, dynamic and, above all, fun. Young people in Indonesia practise and propagate the youth style of Indonesian as an expression of their identity and as a means to build solidarity with their peers.[10] Indonesian slang had given another complexity and depth to understand popular language and culture of Indonesia, thus adding other differences and rift with Malay language. Nevertheless, the standard Indonesian are always expected to be used in formal occasions, by government, academic communities and media.
Convergence of vocabulary
The rift of evolution on both languages is actually based upon political nouance and the history of its formation than cultural reason, as the result there is different views on regarding each other languages among Malaysians and Indonesians. In Malaysia, the national language is Malay; in Indonesia, it is Indonesian. The Malaysians tend to assert that Malay and Indonesian are merely different varieties of the same language, while the Indonesians tend to treat them as separate — albeit related — languages. The result of this attitude is that the Indonesians feel little need to synchronise their language with Malaysia and Brunei, whereas the Malaysians are keener to coordinate the evolution of the language with the Indonesians.[11] However both parties had realize the communication benefits of mutually comprehensive and intelligible shared languages among them, which motivated the efforts to synchronize the languages developments. The effort to synchronize both languages evolution to be more intelligible has been embarked by imposing standard rules of language, by Pusat Bahasa[12] in Indonesian side and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Malaysian counterpart.The Malay language in Malaysia is not pervasively used in all spheres of life compared to Indonesia. Competition from the English language, the emotional attachment of Malaysian Malays to the language and the desire by non-Malays to preserve the use of their native languages are probably the reasons for this state of affairs. As a result, the Malay language in Malaysia is not as dynamic as Indonesian in Indonesia (note that the Malay language in Indonesia is considered as a regional language) in the introduction of new words through adaptation from other languages especially English. Many Malays are adverse to adopting English words. They rather prefer to find obscure Malay words or words from the Malay archipelago that are equivalent to the English term.[citation needed]
Sample
- Indonesian text sample
- [13] Ensiklopedia, atau kadangkala dieja sebagai ensiklopedi, adalah sejumlah buku yang berisi penjelasan mengenai setiap cabang ilmu pengetahuan yang tersusun menurut abjad atau menurut kategori secara singkat dan padat.
- Kata 'ensiklopedia' diambil dari bahasa Yunani; enkyklios paideia (ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία) yang berarti kumpulan instruksi atau pengajaran yang lengkap. Maksudnya, ensiklopedia adalah sebuah sarana pendidikan lengkap yang mencakup semua bidang ilmu pengetahuan. Seringkali ensiklopedia disalahartikan sebagai kamus. Hal ini disebabkan karena ensiklopedia-ensiklopedia awal memang berkembang dari kamus-kamus.
- Malaysian text sample
- [14] Ensiklopedia, atau kadangkala dieja sebagai ensaiklopedia, merupakan koleksi maklumat atau himpunan fakta mengenai setiap cabang ilmu pengetahuan yang tersusun menurut abjad atau menurut kategori secara singkat dan padat.
- Kata 'ensiklopedia' diambil daripada bahasa Yunani εγκύκλιος παιδεία, egkyklios paideia (a circle of instruction) yang bererti sebuah lingkaran atau pengajaran yang lengkap. Ini bermaksud ensiklopedia itu merupakan sebuah pendidikan sempurna yang merangkumi semua aspek ilmu pengetahuan. Seringkali ensiklopedia disalahertikan sebagai kamus. Mungkin ini kerana ensiklopedia-ensiklopedia awal memang berkembang daripada kamus.
- Approximate English equivalent
- Encyclopedia, or occasionally spelled encyclopaedia, is a collection of books containing explanations and facts about all branches of science that are compiled briefly and compactly according to the alphabet or according to the category.
- The word 'encyclopedia' is derived from Greek, ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία (enkyklios paideia), which literally means a circle of instructions or a complete teaching. It means the encyclopedia is a complete educational material which includes the whole aspects of science. Encyclopedias are often confused with dictionaries. This is probably due to the fact that early encyclopedias were actually developed from dictionaries.
- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences_between_Malaysian_and_Indonesian
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