The Glittering Malaysian Currency for We and I

Oh how I wish the Malaysian currency that I have carefully saved under my bed will double its value in three years' time. I don't think I should put away bank notes...their value may depreciate due to inflation. I need something solid and stable. Ah,let me invest in the Kijang Emas gold bullion coins! This is confidential between us -- me and I, okay?

~~~~~~~~~~~~AKU=I~~~~~~~~~~~~

I use AKU when speaking to someone I am close to. For example, if I hide the most desirable Malaysian currency "Kijang emas" under my bed, I whisper to my buddy this way:

"Psss...Nor...aku ada kijang emas di bawah katil."

Aku is also reserved for GOD. I need to confess to God for hiding so much $ , so I should say:

" Oh Tuhan, aku ada kijang emas di bawah katil."

Now, let's go to the other first person...

~~~~~~~~~~~~SAYA=I~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saya is considered more polite than Aku. I use saya to address a person who is older than me and of course that applies to my honourable mom. I know mom likes kjang emas, but not the small kijang RM50 or RM100. She wants the top of Malaysian currency the RM200 gold bullion coin. so I have to tell mom:

" Mak, saya ada kijang emas di bawah katil...RM50 sahaja."

I also use saya to address friends and people in general. that's why when I write in Bahasa Malaysia, I use saya and naturally I do not want to verify the kijang emas story with YOU.

"Saya ada kijang emas di bawah katil...? Merepeklah!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~Idiosyncrasy of Me and I~~~~~~~~~~~~

The old story was, "saya" is used for formal settings whereas "aku", the informal settings. Now, Wan should adhere to the new concept that "saya" is more polite than "aku" and apply it this way:

• My siblings--
  "Dik, aku nak minta tolong jaga kijang emas di bawah katil itu." However, if my kijang emas disappears under their care:
  "Sekarang baru saya tahu, kamu tidak boleh dipercayai."
• My honourable mother and God--Mom is definitely older and merits my respect. As for God, even more so. If "aku" is considered unsuitable to address persons we should respect according to Kamus Dewan ( forgive me for the clichè), why reserve it for God?
• Girls, Beware--When Aminah speaks to Ahmad:
  "Mat, saya nak tahu harga sekeping Kijang Emas." This implies Aminah is:
  1. younger than Ahmad.
  2. A younger sister of Ahmad.
  3. Just a friend of Ahmad.
  

  "Mat, aku nak tahu harga sekeping Kijang Emas." On the other hand implies Aminah is
  1. older than Ahmad.
  2. an older sister of Ahmad.
  3. a close friend of Ahmad.
  4. Ahmad's girlfriend.
  5. Ahmad's wife...

~~~~~~~~~~~~KAMI=WE~~~~~~~~~~~~

After writing in length about the Malaysian currency made of gold, I am interested to check out the rates at a bank nearby, with mom of course.

" Kami akan pergi ke bank."

Here, kami refers to mom and I. However, if I want to go alone I can also use the same sentence above because kami can also mean "I", so watch out for the context!

~~~~~~~~~~~~KITA=WE~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you interested to invest in the golden Malaysian currency as well? Then I would like to invite you to come along:

"Mari, kita pergi ke bank."

When you, as the opposite party that I speak to is involved, I need to use kita.

~~~~~~~~~~~~KITA in Colloquial Settings~~~~~~~~~~~~

When kita and orang form a phrase, kita orang, it means "kami".

"Kita orang akan pergi ke bank" meaning mom and I are going.

Kita is also a synonym of saya.

"Kita akan pergi ke bank" means only I am going.

~~~~~~~~~~~~A Quick Recap~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can safely assume that your head is spinning now. Let me help you to think the other way round. What does this sentence mean in Bahasa Malaysia?

" I buy Kijang Emas at the bank."

The answer is:

1. " Saya membeli Kijang Emas di Bank."
2. " Aku membeli Kijang Emas di Bank."
3. " Kami membeli Kijang Emas di Bank."
4. " Kita membeli Kijang Emas di Bank."

I am so glad that Kijang emas doesn't fluctuate as the first person pronouns in Bahasa Malaysia, phew.

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Brief Review of Kata Ganti Nama Diri Pertama:

•Saya or Aku?

Let's say you need to change some Malaysian currency, what do you say to the money-changer?

"_______ hendak menukar matawang Malaysia."

•Kita atau Kami?

How do you tell the hotel receptionist that you want to reserve two rooms?

"________ ingin menempah dua bilik."

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Profile of Kijang Emas

The obverse depicts a barking deer in its natural habitat in the Malaysian jungle. On the reverse you see Malaysia's national flower, the hibiscus. Kijang Emas is available in three sizes: 1 oz, ½ oz and ¼ oz. Their faces value are RM200, RM100 andRM50 respectively. Their prices depend on the daily international gold market rate, which means if the market goes up and up, I can end up paying USD667 for an 1 oz Kijang!The Royal Mint of Malaysia produces Kijang Emas which is distributed by Maybank Berhad and CIMB Bank.

___________________________________________________________________

All the best to your Saya, Aku, Kami and Kita. Selamat Bertutur Bahasa Malaysia! :)

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