Wednesday, July 11, 2018

How To Learn Malay From Government Leaflets In Singapore

Problem
I often pick up a government leaflet in Singapore and find half of it is in Malay. Is this a waste of my time?

Answer
No. After I have read the English, I have a chance to learn some words of Malay, which they call Bahasa (language) Malay Language. Presumably as opposed to Malay race or nationality.

I can immediately recognize several often repeated words, plus one of two which are similar to the English.

Malay - English
air - water
anda you/your
bar - bar
besar - bazaar
dan - and
Gratis - free
Ingrisjalan - road or street
jalan -street
jalan jalan - walk about, journey, Stroll
Juni - June

Kartu - card
krim - cream
lokal - local
makan - food
Mei - May
orang - person / adult
restoran - restaurant
Tarif - tarif / fare /price
tiket - ticket
tradisional - traditional

Useful Websites
LANGUAGES
amazon - books including phrasebooks and dictionaries from Berlitz, Lonely Planet and others.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=malay+language
This is the UK website. You may find different books and prices and postage on
Amazon.com
Duolingo - free language courses and discussion forums
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/20796214/Malay-Basics-1
Duolingo also have tinycards. These flashcards reverse when you click and then ask you to select from three multiple choice answers.
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/Seft5g/malay?lesson=1
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)
visit-malaysia.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Teacher of English and other languages. Home tutor and workshop leader. Contact me if you or your college or business would like lessons.

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