Pahang

How to say "saya" the first personal pronoun the Pahang way? The answerS depend on which part of Pahang the answerer comes from.

So far, I only manage to collect four different answers:

1. Temerloh - Koi

2. Pekan - Kame

3. Lipis and Raub - Kuan

4. Tioman - Man

This example well illustrates the many different types of Malay dialect found in different areas of Pahang. Johor handed over Tioman to Pahang in 1868, so Tioman is considered a relatively new member, eh?

Ha! Therefore, I can proceed to tell the Tioman story:

A pet myna owned by an old man was also well liked by the whole island. Then dunno why this entertaining birdie died. Of course, the old man was sad-lah. I guess this old man like most old folks very long winded coz whenever he has the opportunity to talk, he would mention "Tiong man sudah mati" ( My myna is dead ) Gradually "Tiong man" evolved into " Tioman".

( Smack forehead at the lameness...sigh...anyways )

Koi is distinctively Pahang. Incidentally, Pahang Malay language is fond of using "oi". Betoi? ( Right? ) From what I gather, it seems words ending with "-ul" and "ol" becomes "oi" in Pahang dialect. So, pukoi kaki botoi itu ( wallop that drunkard ) is pukul kaki botol itu in standard Malay.

At Temerloh area, all sounds ending with "-n" are neutralized. Hai ya, that means all the n at the end are eaten-lah. Lapan bulan ( eight months ) is lapa bula ( so convenient for my students who are too lazy to read n, I swear such lazy bums exist ). I must send them to Temerloh as well.

If, it is possible to sort out the number of Malay dialects spoken in Malaysia, will Pahang top the list? I think most probably it will.

The only home base Pahang dialect did not conquer, is ironically, the present capital Kuantan. The Terengganu dialect exerts its influence along the east coast down to Johor, touching Kuantan and its vicinity on the way. In Kuantan, it is difficult to tell apart Pahang dialect from Terengganu dialect.

Of course, the next door neighbour Kelantan also exerts strong influence on Pahang. Well, once upon a time, a common dialect was used in Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. These three dialects have a few common lexical and morphosyntax characteristics.

Sometimes, I wonder why West Malaysian folks say: sayE instead of sayA. Now I am getting a better picture: The dialects of Pahang together with Johor, Selangor, Malacca and South Perak express words ending with "-a" as the unaccented e.

References

1. Kesan Sejarah dan Tempat-tempat Menarik Negeri Pahang Darul Makmur, Mohamed Roselan Abdul Malek.

2.Ensiklopedia Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu, DBP Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia

3.认识我们的州属彭亨 Darul Makmur, Mauwiah Ahmat.

Return from Pahang Malay Language to Bahasa Malaysia Map

Homepage