The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia
Colonial discourse about the Malay language and the Malay ethnic group were often at odds with each other. Yet, this conflicting, orientalistic mythology about “Malay” still functions in contemporary discussions about language and ethnicity in Malaysia. This essay aims at constructing a new vantage...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
1999
|
| _version_ | 1796928008821407744 |
|---|---|
| author | Collins, James T. Zaharani Ahmad, |
| author_facet | Collins, James T. Zaharani Ahmad, |
| author_sort | Collins, James T. |
| collection | UKM |
| description | Colonial discourse about the Malay language and the Malay ethnic group were often at odds with each other. Yet, this conflicting, orientalistic mythology about “Malay” still functions in contemporary discussions about language and ethnicity in Malaysia. This essay aims at constructing a new vantage point from which to view Malay. Instead of focusing on its uniqueness, Malay is seen within the context of its language neighbourhood, that is its relationship to Malaysia’s other Malayo-Polynesian languages, Malaysia’s non-Malayo-Polynesian languages and the diverse regional and social dialects of Malay in Malaysia. Instead of discussing Malay as a political, nation-state phenomenon, Malay is considered as a demographic, emblematic and negotiated phenomenon. We must find new ways of looking at and talking about Malay language and Malay ethnicity; we need to produce new knowledge, not merely repeat colonial myths. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T03:52:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | ukm.eprints-4174 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T03:52:48Z |
| publishDate | 1999 |
| publisher | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ukm.eprints-41742012-05-23T07:46:57Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4174/ The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia Collins, James T. Zaharani Ahmad, Colonial discourse about the Malay language and the Malay ethnic group were often at odds with each other. Yet, this conflicting, orientalistic mythology about “Malay” still functions in contemporary discussions about language and ethnicity in Malaysia. This essay aims at constructing a new vantage point from which to view Malay. Instead of focusing on its uniqueness, Malay is seen within the context of its language neighbourhood, that is its relationship to Malaysia’s other Malayo-Polynesian languages, Malaysia’s non-Malayo-Polynesian languages and the diverse regional and social dialects of Malay in Malaysia. Instead of discussing Malay as a political, nation-state phenomenon, Malay is considered as a demographic, emblematic and negotiated phenomenon. We must find new ways of looking at and talking about Malay language and Malay ethnicity; we need to produce new knowledge, not merely repeat colonial myths. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1999-07 Article PeerReviewed Collins, James T. and Zaharani Ahmad, (1999) The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia. AKADEMIKA, 55 . pp. 133-148. ISSN 0126-5008 http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/penerbit/jdem55-06.html |
| spellingShingle | Collins, James T. Zaharani Ahmad, The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title | The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title_full | The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title_short | The Malay language and ethnic identity in modern Malaysia |
| title_sort | malay language and ethnic identity in modern malaysia |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT collinsjamest themalaylanguageandethnicidentityinmodernmalaysia AT zaharaniahmad themalaylanguageandethnicidentityinmodernmalaysia AT collinsjamest malaylanguageandethnicidentityinmodernmalaysia AT zaharaniahmad malaylanguageandethnicidentityinmodernmalaysia |