Manglish, or sometimes called Maglish, is thought to have been created because of the vast variety of culture that live in Malaysia. Our population largely consists of Malays, Chinese and Indians. Malaysia used to be a set of colonies established by the United Kingdom, but later we joined together and gained our independence in 1957. Because of the previous ruling by the British, English is a widely known language. However, as a child, depending on the school you went to, a lot the subjects were not taught in English. Subjects were either taught in Malay or Mandarin. It gets more complicated. Depending on which part of Malaysia you were born in, your parents may talk to you in a different dialect. Because of the national school system, children get exposed to different dialects and races and may learn from their peers. From the expressions they learn from other languages, they may begin to apply it into their daily speech. This is particularly the case when including interjections and vulgar slang.
Slowly all the different languages you learn will begin to mix together. Asking one Malaysian, Elsie, said that it is almost impossible to stick to one language when talking casually to your friends. “I once told all my colleagues at work that we were to try to stick to only one language and speak, either be it English or just Mandarin. It didn’t work, almost as soon as we started we had already begun to mix in different dialects with each other and English words into our Mandarin conversation. We had to make a conscious effort not to.” She said laughing.
Listen to this example of two Malaysians talking. Can you understand what they are saying?
Could you understand that? Listen to it again. This is what they are actually saying if you couldn't catch it:
A: Eh, you are so into football why don't you go watch these matches one ah?
B: Expensive la, that one, that one is usually like... last time we use to have friend la, like those ah-mo ah, crazy all the ah-mo damn crazy. They'll buy the season tickets, those annual tickets and -
A: Ah yeah.
B: - and then because they don't go watch every match -like some of those shit match they don't want to go watch, then they'll just give us for free ah. 'Cause they already paid for it mah.
A: yeah yeah yeah yeah
B: And if they don't use then they like keep for, like we all overseas students right? "Want go watch football match ah, ah I give you for free la." Okay lor can watch for free. But I paid for some also la but like after that, aiyah, too expensive la. Fucker, one match ah... Shit match ah, that one when Sheffield United ah, in Sheffield United stadium, shit stadium but versus Manchester United ah, student price ah already 20 over pounds you know and then if no student price ah, 40 over pounds… And that's in Sheffield you know. You come to London, Chelsea ah can already what 80, 90 pounds per match... How to afford?
Excusing the profanities, this is usually how two Malaysians regardless of age would speak to each other. In most cases Manglish would be mixed with Chinese and Malay words, however with the example I have given, these two, though raised in Malaysia, have already been in London for a few years and therefore do not mix as much slang into their conversation as usual. Mai from Vietnam, after hearing Malaysians to each other for the first time, said that she couldn't understand what they were saying. "It sounded like English but then it also didn't. They were suddenly weird words that I didn't understand and they spoke so fast, I wasn't sure if it was English at all." She said worriedly.
Look back on the previous conversation you just listened to. There are a few words that come out that aren’t in the English dictionary and sometimes in Manglish, they don’t have a specific meaning to them either. They are used as expressive words.
“La” is a common used word that you will hear in all daily Manglish conversations. It is derived from the Mandarin word “la” or 啦. “La” used to affirm a statement. Used in context when confirming something, for example, “too expensive la” would be extenuating the fact that the tickets are too expensive. Frequently used at the end of a sentence or thought.
“Ah” is also commonly used. From the conversation above, you can see it repeated many times. It is derived from a Chinese expression “a” or 啊. “Ah” is used as when asking questions, however in the context above, it is used when referring to a subject before making a comment.
“Lor” is also another one of those commonly used words. It is only used once here, it is used when explaining something. It is also another word derived from the Chinese character “lo” or 咯.
“Mah” is derived from the Chinese word “ma” or 吗. It is used at the end of sentences. Similar function to “la” except not as not used as strongly.
“Eh” is kind of like “hey” and used in the same situation. It’s used to bring attention to one self. In other contexts if used in a question form, it would mean that the person is confused and doesn’t understand, for example, “eh? Why is that here?” In this context, it would mean the person is confused and questioning. It is no longer used as “hey.”
Slang words usually slip into the speech as well. “Ah-mo” is used as reference to those who are football fans. There are usually different words used to refer to different types of people, “ah-mo” is just one such example. Another slang word in there used is “aiyah” is used as an expression which means ‘what else can I do?’ or a term of exasperation.
So now that I’ve defined each slang that is used there, do you understand the conversation better?
Manglish is quite similar to Singlish (Singaporean English). The main difference would be the way certain words are used and each have some slang words that aren’t used in the other. However if a Singaporean and a Malaysian were to meet and talk, they would be able to communicate with each other in Manglish or Singlish because they are so similar.
If you want to hear Manglish used at its best, going to a mamak stall or kopitiam is the best place to blend in with the people. A mamak stall is a café which serves Tamil Muslim food, Malaysians of all races go there to chill out and eat. They are usually open all day and they are famous for their nasi lemak, a Tamil Muslim delicacy. A kopitiam on the other hand serves more of a Chinese variety of foods. Usually kopitiams are where people will sit around with cups of coffee and gossip with each other.So next time if you ever go to Malaysia or meet some Malaysians, listen and see if you can understand what they are saying and whether it is English or not. Malaysia is a country mixed with so many races and cultures, it’s no wonder we created our own language to communicate with each other in.
