It’s not broken, it’s Sabahan: How Malay became the lingua franca in this east Malaysian state

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 26 — In Sabah, this casual three-word greeting “kau sudah makan?” can be arranged around any way and still mean the same thing: “Have you eaten?”

Linguist Jane Wong said that in standard Bahasa Malaysia, there is only one grammatically correct way to order the sentence.

“But in Sabah, you could mix it up any which way. ‘Kau makan sudah?’, ‘Sudah kau makan?’, ‘Makan sudah kau?’ It wouldn’t be wrong or unusual. It is still sort of Bahasa Malaysia or Malay, but with a far more casual structure,” she told Malay Mail in a recent interview.

Wong, a lecturer with University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and senior fellow with the Borneo Institute for Indigenous Studies, pointed out that the version spoken in Sabah has evolved so uniquely that it could arguably be considered a language in its own right.

Often dismissed as “broken Malay”, this version of the language is actually a rich reflection of the state’s diverse ethnic and cultural landscape, she said.

Sabah is home to some 33 indigenous groups, who speak over 50 languages and 80 dialects.

In fact, the only natives whose first language is Malay are those of Cocos, Brunei, and Kedayan descent.

The influence of Malay in Sabah differs significantly from that in peninsular Malaysia, largely due to the state’s unique historical connections with the Brunei Sultanate and the Sulu Sultanate, as well as its geographical proximity to the southern Philippines and Indonesia.

Historical influence

Pre-dating the formation of Malaysia, the Brunei Sultanate established its presence in Sabah (then known as North Borneo) as early as the 14th century.

The Sultanate brought many Brunei Malays to the region, overseeing maritime trade routes and spreading the use of Malay.

“The early development of the Sabah Malay dialect (DMS) cannot be separated from the Brunei Malay dialect (DMB).

“This is because Sabah or North Borneo was previously under the auspices of the Brunei Sultanate since the 7th century.

“As the oldest Malay kingdom in Borneo, the Brunei government has certainly played an important role in spreading the Malay language, especially in nearby regions,” said Juhar Harun, another UMS linguist.

He explained that Brunei Malay serves as the foundation for the Sabahan dialect, which has also absorbed elements of Indonesian Malay, thanks to the significant number of Indonesian immigrants in Sabah.

He added that some linguists also note the noticeable influence of Indonesian in both pronunciation and vocabulary.

As trade relations and socio-cultural interactions between various ethnic groups in Sabah and the Malay community of Brunei flourished, the Brunei Malay dialect gradually merged with indigenous languages, creating a unique blend of vocabulary and expressions.

In everyday conversation, there are words that almost every Sabahan will understand, even if they’re not found in a standard Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka dictionary. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Malay as a unifying language

Following the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Malay became the official national language and was made a compulsory subject in schools across the country.

Under the United Sabah National Organisation and Parti Berjaya Rakyat Jelatah Sabah state governments in the 1970s, efforts were made to “Malayanise” Sabah’s native population, which included mass conversions to Islam.

Malay became the vehicle for the spread of Islam, and its usage in schools was further encouraged.

The growing incidence of interracial marriages in Sabah also helped forge a dialect that is a mix of Malay and native slang, evolving into a language that many consider their first, though not necessarily in its standardised form.

“We have a unique way of emphasising the vowels, the ‘a’ sound to indicate meaning and intensity. The language is not something you can easily teach to a non-native, and I doubt there is sufficient study and syntax to make it a viable subject,” said Wong.

Sabah Malay: A distinct dialect

In everyday conversation, there are words that almost every Sabahan will understand, even if they’re not found in a standard Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka dictionary.

For example: limpas (to pass by), tapuk (to hide), bubut (to chase), bida (ugly or ill-fitting), santut (underwear), bikin (to make), palui (silly), and sakai (ignorant) are integral to the Sabahan dialect.

Other words have more geographical variations.

For instance, bahai – a term used in Tawau for a plastic bag – doesn’t have the same meaning on the west coast of Sabah.

Similarly, siou, meaning “sorry,” may be understood in most districts, but not in places like Semporna.

Bags with Sabahan Malay slang on sale at local social enterprise G1FTS in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. — Picture by Julia Chan

“All these words give Sabahans comfort, a sense of belonging and bonding with others,” said Wong.

“From pre-independence until now, no matter where they were, people in Sabah have learnt to speak at least Sabahan Malay dialect.

“They might not really feel it when they’re in Sabah where everyone speaks like that, but when a Sabahan is living in West Malaysia for the first time and they hear someone speaking like they do, they will be instantly friends. It’s more than a common factor but something to immediately relate to,” she said.

To Juhar, how Sabahans use Malay is just among the many examples of the people’s uniqueness.

“How they use the language to create mutual understanding between the various ethnic groups. Sometimes it is mixed with different ethnic terms but it is considered understandable and acceptable by all Sabahans,” he said.