Sorting Out You in Bahasa Malaysia

It is not easy to figure out whom I am speaking to in Bahasa Malaysia, to be honest.

Kamu, Awak or Engkau?

In English, all the three words above are translated as : the singular "you". In Bahasa Malaysia there are differences. I pick three different references at random and ended up with different answers.

Yes, yes, I should refer to Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka as the authority. The DBP Kamus definitions of:

1.Kamu- kata ganti diri kedua ( orang yang menjadi lawan bercakap ), awak, engkau.

2.Awak-kata ganti diri kedua, engkau, kamu.

3.Engkau-ganti nama diri kedua ( untuk orang yang setaraf atau yang lebih rendah, digunakan juga untuk Tuhan sewaktu berdoa ), kamu, awak; lawan aku.

The only helpful hint here is " engkau", I should use it when speaking to a person who is of the same rank as me or lower in rank, it is obvious that I should address God as "Engkau".

Then I go to DBP Kamus Inggeris-Melayu, which gives me this:( familiar & colloquial ) awak, engkau, you. Hmmm that means I can use "awak" and " engkau" colloquially and with persons I am familiar with. I should be familiar with my friends, and if they are my peers, they are of the same rank as me. So I can address them as awak or engkau. But if they are younger than me, only engkau.

What if I need to speak to my honourable mother? I guess I can only address her as "kamu", because it is excluded from being used in a familiar and colloquial setting. Also, a school text book published by Preston 2006 defines "kamu" as more polite than "awak" and "engkau"

The idiosyncrasies of Bahasa Malaysia I notice here are: Hey, I should be familiar with my honourable mother! If "kamu" is more polite than "engkau", why reserve "Engkau" ( Although compulsory to begin with an upper case is essential ) for God...?

Year 2000 version

Let me bring out another school text book published by Pelangi 2000, it states that "kamu" is used by adults speaking to younger persons. According to the same book, "awak" is used among close friends, by superiors speaking to subordinates and between husbands and wives. "Engkau" is used for those you are close to, and for God.

Okay, at least with God in Bahasa Malaysia, there is no change. :) That means 6 years ago it would be rude for me to address Pak Lah as "kamu" but now it is good manners to address him as such. Does that also mean that 6 years ago, Ahmad can only address his dear wife "awak", whereas now, 1. if he addresses her as "awak" or "engkau", it indicates she is the same age as him or younger. 2. if he addresses her as "kamu", she could be older ...?

Anda- Change of Definition but Not Function

Don't run away...I am done with the ambiguities. Anda is also a word for the singular "you". Previously, it is used to address a person who is not in front of me, i.e. a broadcaster speaking to his audience on air or a writer addressing his reader in a book.

Nowadays, anda is described as speaking to people without differentiating status and age. So when I need to speak to you in Bahasa Malaysia in this web site, I refer to you as " anda ", because I have no idea whether you are older or younger than me, whether you are the Prime Minister of Malaysia or the scavenger who collects my rubbish. Everyone is welcomed here!

The Consistent Dikau

Dikau is again one of the singular "you" in Bahasa Malaysia, but not much changes that I know of. It is used after a word ending with the letter "n". For example, aku rindu akan dikau.

Why did a Kadi refer to a bride as "dikau" when asking a groom to solemnize his marriage? Let's look at what he says:

" Aku nikahkan dikau Masni binti Musa dengan mas kahwin sebanyak RM22.50 tunai." Notice that dikau is preceded by nikahkaN.

The Others on the List of Singular You

These are all polite ways of speaking to another person. For example if you speak to a man, you say "Encik", "Tuan", "Saudara" or "Pakcik". For a woman,"Cik","Puan","Saudari" or "Makcik". For a child, "adik". If your friend's name is Shaheer, "Shaheer belum makan?" means " You haven't eaten?". So the list goes on. If you want to try an exercise, just click here.

The Plural You

It has always been "kamu" and the only personal pronoun in Bahasa Malaysia here that I want to kiss for being so easy on me.

Back to Tatabahasa

Homepage