Despite being traditionally based on British English , Manglish (Malaysian English) has been strongly influenced by American English. I have come to realize that Malaysians are unaware of the differences between British and American English (I just use spell check on EVERYTHING!).
For example, centre (British) is typically spelled center (American), although colour and color are used interchangeably. In schools and in the print media, Malaysians default to spelling the British way, i.e. "vapour" instead of "vapor" and"organise" instead of "organize"
It can often be confusing, as Malaysians tend to omit articles and anything they deem unnecessary to a sentence. In other words, keep it short and sweet!
Here are a few examples:
Malaysian American
Why you so like that one? Why are you behaving in that way?
Eat, eat, eat. Go on and have your meal.
Eh, faster lah. Can you please pick up the pace?
You can or not? Can you do it or not?
Vocabulary also varies tremendously.
| Word / Phrase | American / British meaning | Malaysian meaning |
|---|---|---|
| @ | short for 'at' | an indicator that the name following is a nickname or alias, usually used by Chinese, e.g. for Tan Siew Khoon @ Jimmy, his nickname/alias is Jimmy. However, with the increased use of e-mail in recent years, especially in urban and demographically younger areas, the primary meaning of the symbol is now the same as in British/American English. |
| driver | anybody who drives / is driving | a personal chauffeur. The wealthy and the elite often employ a "driver" who is essentially a butler that also doubles up as a chauffeur. |
| last time | on the previous occurrence | previously (often used instead of "used to", for example: "Last time I was a manager" when the meaning is "I used to be a manager") |
| a parking lot | a parking garage (from US English) | a parking space, e.g. "That new shopping mall has five hundred parking lots." |
| photostat | a historical copying machine using a camera and photographic paper, which was superseded by the photocopier. | a photocopier; also used as a verb meaning "to photocopy" |
| slang | informal spoken language, often unique to a particular country or social group | accent, e.g. "I cannot understand your slang", when the real meaning is "I cannot understand your accent" |
| an alphabet | a set of letters used in a language | a letter of the alphabet, e.g. "The word 'table' has five alphabets." |
| bungalow | A small house or cottage usually having a single storey and sometimes an additional attic story that is free standing, i.e. not conjoined with another unit. | A mansion for the rich and/or famous; or a fully detached house, regardless of the number of floors it has. Lately, some housing developers have taken to using terms such as "semi-detached bungalow". |
| to follow | to go directly after e.g. "John is driving; follow him", means go in your own car, behind John's car | to go with, accompany e.g. to go with John in his car. |
(Wikipedia, you hit the nail right on the head with these examples!)
Just doing research on all these has brought back so many memories. I suddenly feel i've been put on familiar ground again. Nothing can express how grateful I am to be Malaysian!
Just doing research on all these has brought back so many memories. I suddenly feel i've been put on familiar ground again. Nothing can express how grateful I am to be Malaysian!
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