Manglish
Manglish, or Malay English, is a variety of the English language spoken in Malaysia and Brunei . It is not categorized according to the international language standard ISO 639 .
Manglish is used in everyday life by the vast majority of the English-speaking population in Malaysia. Manglish is also used on radio and television.
In general, Manglish arose from chronic grammatical errors in the use of the English language, which were eventually unwittingly accepted by society in everyday use. These errors were mainly caused by the word-for-word translation of idioms from the Malay language . In addition, the Malay politeness "Lah" is used much more frequently than in its original function.
Over a third of the Malaysian population speaks Chinese as their mother tongue . This language also has a great influence on the development of Manglish.
The slightly different pronunciation is a minor feature in Manglish, as a large part of the Malaysian population speaks English.
Manglish is mostly used by teenagers. However, numerous speakers can be found in all age groups.
Direct communication between an English speaker and a Manglish speaker is not very difficult.
| Correct English | Manglish | Malay (German translation) | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is possible! | Can! | Bisa! (possible) | That works / is possible! |
| Afterwards; Then | After this / that | Selepas ini / itu (after that) | After that; Then |
| It isn't necessary | No need | Tak payah (not difficulty / necessity) | No thanks, is not necessary. |
| Furthermore | Some more | Lagi pun (even more) | Also; Furthermore |
| Furthermore | Other than that | Selain itu (so different that) | Also; Furthermore |
| Hurry up! | Fasterlah! | Cepatlah! (Quick [courtesy particle]!) | Hurry up!; More quickly! |
| There is / are | Got | Ada (have; exist) | There are |