MALAY DIALOGUES WITH COLLOQUIAL GRAMMAR ty MOHAMED ALI bin MOHAMED, M.B.E. and A, E, COOPE YANG gngnronelias MACMILLAN AND CO, LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON. 1952FOREWORD Tis book aims at teaching colloquial Malay {in so far as speech can be taught by a book). There ought, one might think, to be no doubt as to what constitutes colloquial Malay: it is the mode of speech ordinarily employed by Malays when conversing with onc another. But the lingua franca, generally called ‘Bazaar Malay,’ ordinarily employed in conversations between Malays and foreigners and between foreigners and foreigners is, of course, a sort of colloquial and a sort of Malay, and indeed many foreigners think or pretend to think that this is what Malays talk among themselves. (If any such foreigner will listen to a group of Malays talking among themselves and try to follow their conversation, he will, if he is honest with himself, feel greatly chastened.) Anyway, in this book the expression ‘colloquial Malay’ means the mode of specch ordinarily employed by Malays when conversing with one another. And so it should be made clear that for those foreigners who have to talk Malay mostly with other foreigners Bazaar Malay suffices and much of this book including, in particular, the Advanced Dialogues is not intended for them. However, for many people a grasp of colloquial Malay ts most desirable and is likely to become more and more desir- able to more and more people as time goes by. For these people it is believed that this book will meet a need. Comparatively little has been done in the field of text-books to teach colloquial Malay. Grammars deal very largely with hiterary Malay. And Malays themselves have a sort of inhibition against teaching colloquial Malay, that is, when they are consciously trying to teach; they teach a curious mixture of Bazaar and literary Malay. ‘The reasons for this ‘inhibition’ are various ¥vi FOREWORD and mixed: Malays have learned to take it for granted that a non-Malay speaks only Bazaar Malay; also it is the estab- lished practice in Malay literature to present conversations in formal, stilted language, not only in the old classical books but even in modern novels; indecd one notices that in translations of English stories colloquial English is turned into highly non- colloquial Malay; so if a Malay composes sentences for you, it is very, very unlikely that (unless you know enough to check him) you will get anything like colloquial Malay. Yet Malays alone have a perfect command of their rich and racy colloquial and a foreigner endeavouring to teach colloquial Malay may well feel: ‘if I but could, if Malays but would!’ It is hoped that the combination of Che Mohamed Ali's command of the language and my appreciation of it has re- sulted in a worth-while book. I have written the Grammar part of the book and the Simple Dialogues and Che Mohamed Ali the Advanced Dialogues, each then eriticising the other’s draft and revising his own work in the light of the other’s criticisms. I have done most of the annotations. Nothing is the sole work of either of us. Minor differences of opinion have for the most part been “ironed out’, though on the question of when an ‘o’ and when a ‘u’ should be used in translating the Jawi letter ‘wau’ (which covers both sounds) we have never fully agreed and have been obliged to ‘give and take’. On points at issue in the Dialogues Che Mohamed Ali has always had the last word. The form of the Dialogues follows that of Mr. C. C. Brown’s Perak, Kelantan and Trengganu Dialogues though they contain Jess purely local idiom than his Dialogues (designedly) do. I have to thank the Department of Education, Malaya, for putting me in touch with Che Mohamed Ali when I mooted the project of this book, and I am particularly grateful to Mr. L. D. Whitfield of that Department for some valuable suggestions. A. E.C,INTRODUCTION ‘Tuts book is divided into two main parts, one containing dia- logues and the other grammar. We have decided to place the part containing the dialogues first in the hope of em- phasising the fact that a Grammar is best treated as a work of reference, not a complete guide to a language. Language preceded grammar, not vice versa, and the student may find it more helpful to tackle the dialogues first, referring to the grammar part of the book (and the vacabulary) as and when necessary. Ifhe finds it more useful to start with the grammar, he can, of course, please himself. Whatever method he decides to adopt, it will probably be well to look through the first two Chapiers of the Grammar at once; the rest of that part is intended to be referred to or studied in any order that seems desirable. The dialogues (and notes accompanying them) largely speak for themselves. As regards grammar, the word ‘grammar’ is defined in the Pocket Oxford Dictionary as ‘the study of the general principles on which existing modes of expression rest’. Unfortunately for the student of Malay, the general principles on which Malay and English respectively rest differ radically. In particular, Malay words seldom fall neatly into grammatical ‘pigeon-holes’ as do the English words which broadly corre- spond to them, and an attempted analysis of Malay sentences in English terms of grammar is often unprofitable and positively misleading; thus it may cven be an open question whether a Malay word is a verb, a conjunction, or an adverb. So although when a Grammar is compiled for English-speaking students of Malay it is inevitable that Malay be forced to a large extent into the strait-jacket of English rules of grammar, the student should bear in mind that it is particularly true in vuvili INTRODUCTION the case of Malay that practice is better than a minute study of what have been called ‘the naked rules of grammarians’. It has been well said that speech is a mode of sclf-expression as well as of communication, and although ‘naked rules’ may assist a person to communicate baldly in Malay, a grasp of the quirks, the distinctive qualities—what the Malays call the selok- belok—of the language can be obtained only by a study, of characteristic Malay conversations. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that the aim of both parts of this book is to present colloquial Malay (as defined in the Foreword). Literary Malay and colloquial Malay are not, of course, two separate languages, but there is a wider difference between them than between literary and colloquial English, partly as regards methods of expression and partly as regards vocabulary; many words used in writing to convey quite common ideas are not used in colloquial Malay, and vice versa. The student is advised to study literary Malay with the help. of one of the books dealing with it. A knowledge of the literature of a country does assist a student to appreciate the language as a whole, and so indirectly tends to improve his colloquial speech. And it should be borne in mind that although we have occasionally thought it necessary to deal with a point of rammar at some length and the book contains a not-incon- siderable amount of information on grammar probably not found elsewhere, it is not a grammatical treatise.CONTENTS ForEwoRD INTRODUCTION . PRONUNGIATION - A = PART I DIALOGUES Foreworp To Smp.e Drarocurs =. Smee Drarocues . 4 A S Foreword to Apvancep DraLocues Apyancep DraLocues PART Il GOLLOQUIAL GRAMMAR maT. ‘Tue’, ‘A’, Numper, Orper, GENDER II. ‘To Br’, Possessiox, ‘To Have’ TY. Tire Arrinmative—Tne Necatives—EXPRESSIONS OF UNCERTAINTY IV. Some Simpre Sexvences V. Proxouns, Greevines anp Porrre Expressions VI. CARpInAL anp OrpinaL Nompers, Fractions, WeIcHTs AND MeasurEs . VII. Numerat Coerricients . VIII. Tine IX. Tue Vers PAGE vii xi 62 63 65 68 76 79 83 87CHAPTER x, XI. SUIT. LV. RY. XVI. XVIT. XVUI. XIX. XXIT, XXIII. CONTENTS Tue Passtve Voice Toe Vers KENA Tae VERB ADI. Tue Ipromatic Use or Sa- Tue ReEvative .. ComMPARISON Some Worps AnD Expressions Usrp As ADVERES Co-orpivatina Conjunctions—with Some Remarks on JUGA anp PUN FurtHer Remarks on FUGA AND PUN, SuBoRDINATING CONJUNGTIONS PREPOSITIONS REDUPLICATION . PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES “How Smart I Pur rr?* VoOcaBULARY Pace 92 93 95 96 97 08 103 107 109 112PRONUNCIATION Macays normally write their language in a quasi-Arabic script called Jawi. In this book, as in most educational books in- tended for the foreigner, a romanised script (Rumi) is used. Neither Jawi nor romanised Malay is wholly phonetic; as in English the same letters often carry different nuances of sound, We think that the teaching of pronunciation by printing words in accordance with a special phonetic system or by writing the words as they would be written if they were English is apt to irritate and confuse the student, We are therefore giving broad and, for the most part, simple rules for the pronunciation of Malay as presented in its romanised form. We recommend the student to get the ‘hang’ of the pro- nunciation from these rules and then to read aloud some simple book in romanised Malay with his (Malay) teacher. Ideally, he need not worry about the meaning at first, but, as it will be natural for him to try to understand what he is reading, the simpler the book the better. Or he need not get a book at all and start straight away with the Simple Dialogues in this book; the earlier ones are very simple indeed, Broadly speaking, the rules are as follows: Vowels are sounded as in Italian and consonants mostly as in English. To give further details as regards vowels: ‘a’ when long is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘tart’, when short like the ‘er’ in ‘father’ and sometimes like the short English ‘u’ as in ‘Hun’; a final ‘a’ is always short. ‘e’ is like the long English ‘a’ as in ‘cake’. ‘8° is the so-called indeterminate vowel; sometimes it corresponds nearly to the ‘e’ in ‘belly’, sometimes it has xixil PRONUNCIATION hardly any sound at all; thus it is sounded faintly but definitely in sélam and bélum, but bélah might well be treated as a monosyllable, (It might be remarked that in the Jawi script the indetcrminate vowel is omitted in all cases.) “{’ when long is like the ‘c’ in ‘deep’, when short like the ‘i’ in ‘flint’; ‘9’ when long is pronounced as in ‘so’, when short as in “ strong’; . “n’ is usually pronounced like the ‘oo’ in ‘boot’, some- times like the ‘oo’ in ‘soot’; the diphthong ‘ai’ is pronounced like the ‘i’ in ‘light’, though in some words the ‘a’ makes itself faintly heard; ‘au’ is pronounced like the ‘ow’ in ‘sow’. Note that a final ‘h’ makes the vowel immediately pre- ceding it long. As regards consonants: Remember that ‘g’ is always hard as in ‘goat’, never soft as in ‘giant’. ‘ch’ is always soft as in ‘champ’, never hard as in ‘chasm’. An initial ‘h’ is almost elided and becomes a mere breath; it is often omitted, even in writing (romanised) Malay, in which, e.g., ulan is almost as common as hutan; in words borrowed from Arabic, however, the initial ‘h’ (which is then in Jawi a different letter from the ordinary ‘h’) normally gets its full sound value. ‘kh’ (one letter in Jawi) sounds like an extremely guttural “h’. A final ‘k* is ‘bitten off —there is a glottal check; it might be better if the final ‘k’ were written ‘q’; do not think that it is not pronounced at all; actually, if you pronounce it as if it were a ‘t’, you will come very close toPRONUNCIATION xiii the correct pronunciation. (It should be remarked that when an English word ending in “k’ is adopted into Malay, ¢.g., fek (cake), the ‘k’ is sounded as in English.) Study with your teacher the difference between tua (‘a’ as in the ‘er’ of ‘tower’), dak (‘ah’ as in English) and (wak (no exact English equivalent, but the “ak” is not unlike the ‘at’ of ‘that’ in its sound). Note that when a suffix is added to a word ending in ‘h* or ‘k’ that letter is given its full value as a medial letter; observe the difference in this respect between the “k’ in baik and in baiki and between the ‘h’ in jajak and jajahan. An initial ‘ng’, as in the name ‘Ngah’, is usually a stumbling-block to foreigners; pronounce the ‘nger’ of the word ‘singer’ and you will have the ‘ng’ (and come near enough to the name). The medial ‘ng’ is never pronounced ‘ngg”’ as is often the case in English, ¢.g., ‘jungle’, ‘jingo” and, indeed, ‘Singapore’ (Malay, Singapura); but be warned that for inscrutable reasons most Europeans pronounce the medial ‘ng’ in Malay words as if it were ‘ngg’ and the medial “ngg’ as if it were ‘ng’. The Arabic letters ‘tla’ (u), ‘dlad’ (.). and ‘tha’ & are under the Government system of transliteration sup- posed to be romanised as ‘dz’, ‘dz’, and ‘th’ respectively, but in practice they are often transliterated otherwise, e.g., ‘tla’ as ‘dl’ or ‘Ll’, ‘dlad' as ‘dl’, ‘dh’, ‘d’, ‘th’, and even ‘I’ and ‘tha’ as ‘s’; the reason for these variations lies in the fact that no transliteration exactly represents the Arabic sounds; also Malay pronunciation of these letters is not everywhere uniform; it will probably be helpful to say that as a general rule ‘tla’ is pronounced nearly as ‘dl’, “dlad’ as ‘dth’ and ‘tha’ as a sort of cross between ‘s’ and ‘th’; thus when writing the English word ‘south’, in Jawi a Malay usually uses a ‘tha’ both for the 's’ and thePART I DIALOGUES SIMPLE DIALOGUES Foreworp To Simpre DIALoGuEs rt. In the following Simple Dialogues a word-for-word translation, as well as a free translation, is given for the first three, and thereafter free translations only. 2. Look out each new word in the Vocabulary at the end of the book, even if you know the word, as the Vocabulary may give a reference to the Colloquial Grammar (Part II of the book) which you should look up. 3. Generally when a word carries a prefix it is the unprefixed word. which will appear in the Vocabulary. When the affixa- tion of the prefix does not involve an alteration of the initial letter of the unprefixed word, the prefix is bracketed in the Simple Dialogues: c.g., (dé)ajar, indicating that the word to be looked up is ajar. When the initial letter is altered, the unaffixed word is given in brackets: e.g., mémanggil (panggil), indicating that panggil should be looked up. Similarly, when an alteration to a word has resulted from a colloquial abbrevia- tion, the word is shown in brackets without the abbreviation: e.g., ‘gitu (bagitu) and félain (lain-lain). ‘The student must be prepared to recognise ’ni as int and “Yu as itu without any added note.n MALAY DIALOGUES I ANAK MURID THE PUPIL Mrs. SurrH: Sahaya nak (bél)ajar chakap Meélayu. I going to learn speak Malay. lam going to study Malay. Guru: Baitk-lah, mem. Sahaya ajar. Good, madam. I. teach. Very well, madam, I'll teach you, S: Nama Incke Che Bakar, bukan ? Name Mister Che Bakar, not? Your name is Che Bakar, isn’t it? G: Bétul, mem. Correct, madam. That is right. S; Inche boleh datang hari-hari-kah ? Mister can come daily? Can you come every day? G: Boleh, mem. Pukul —bérapa? Can, madam. Strike how many? Oh, yes. At what time? S: Pukul sa-puloh pagi. Strike ten morning. At 10 a.m, G: Pagi ta’ boleh, mem 5 ada lain kérja.* Morning not can, madam; there is other occupation. IT can’t come in the morning; I am engaged then. S: Pukul lima pétang boleh-kah ? Strike five evening can? Can you come at 5 p.m.? 2 Probably in the context he means that he has work to do, but remember that /éja essentially means ‘occupation’; his daughter's wedding would be Aérja.MALAY DIALOGUES G: Boleh—pukul lima sampai pukul énam. Can—strike five until strike six. Yes—from five o'clock to six. S: Inche tahu chakap Inggtris, bukan ? Mister know speak English, not? You can speak English, can’t you? G: Tahu, tapi baik kita chakap Mélayu sahaja. Know, but good we speak Malay only. Oh, yes, but we had better speak only Malay. S: Ah, bagitu lagi baik. Ah, like that more good. Ah yes, that will be better. : Sakarang sahaya — mintak diri. Besok sahaya datang. Now I ask for myself. Tomorrow I come. T will take my leave now. I'll come tomorrow. S: Baik-lah, Che Bakar. Sélamat jalan. Good, Che Bakar. Safety go. Very well, Che Bakar. Good-bye. G: Sélamat tinggal, mem. Safety remain, madam, Good-bye, madam, 2 2 HU JAN THE RAIN A: Sahaya mau pérgi kédai,* tapi sakarang ta’boleh—hujan tarun. I wantgo shop, but now not can—rain descend. I want to go to the shops, but I can’t go now—it is raining. 1 The word Aa- is understood before Aédai, and, of course, it would not be wrong to insert it. See page 116.moe MALAY DIALOGUES : Ta'apa, besok —_ tuan boleh pérgi. Nothing, tomorrow you can go. Never mind, you can go tomorrow. : Sahaya mésti pérgi hari *ni. I certainly go day this. T must go today. : Patut tuan béli payong. Fitting you buy umbrella. You ought to buy an umbrella. : Sahaya ta’mau pakai payong. Sahaya lagi suka pakai baju hujan. I not want use umbrella. I more like wear coat rain. I don’t want to use an umbrella. I prefer to wear a rain- coat. : Sahaya sudah bawak payong. Tuan pakai baju hujen, sahaya I have bring umbrella. You wear coat rain, I pakat payong, kita pérgi (bé)dua. use umbrella, we go two-together. I have brought an umbrella, You wear a rain-coat and I'll ‘use an umbrella, and we will go together. : Yusuf nak tkut-kah ? * Yusuf going to accompany? Ts Yusuf coming with us? : *dak (tidak), dia ta’mau. No, he not want. No, he doesn’t want to. : Baik-lah, kita (bér) jalan. Good, we proceed. Very well, let us start. 1 Do not think of ikvt as carrying only the meaning of ‘following’, “coming after’, It also means, as here, ‘accompanying’.MALAY DIALOGUES 3 DI-RUMAH AT HOME Mrs. SurrH: Boy,* sakaya nak pérgi pasar.* Boy, I going to go market. Boy, I am going to the market. Boy: Baik-lak, mem. Pukul _ bérapa ment balek ? Good, madam. Strike how many madam back? Very well, madam. What time will you be back? S: Lébeh-kurang pukul dua-belas, Sakaya mau makan pukul satu, More-less strike twelve, I want eat strike one, About noon. I want to have dinner at 1 o'clock. B: Baik-lak. Mem nak jalan kaki-kak ? Good. Madam going to go foot? Very well. Are you going on foot? S$: Tidak, baik panggil becha. Panas! No, good call rikisha. Hot! No, better call a rikisha. It’s hot! B: Nanti sahaya panggil. Wait 5 call’ T'll call one. S$: Jangan lupa, Tuan Smith nak balek makan téngah hari. Don't forget, Mr. Smith going to back eat middle day. i Don't forget, Mr. Smith will be coming back to dinner. B: Ya, kuki taku. Yes, cook know. Yes, the cook knows. ? If he isa Malay ‘boy’, he should be addressed by name. 2 ‘The anglicism ‘ makkit is just as common as pasar.6 MALAY DIALOGUES S: Tuan Smith ta’suka makan ‘sup’. Kita makan ikan dan Mr. Smith not like eat soup. We eat fish and Auch. pudding. Mr. Smith doesn’t like soup. We'll have fish and pudding. B: Mem ta'’mau minum kopi-kah ? Madam not want drink coffee? Don't you want coffee, madam? 8: Habis makan kita minum kopi. Finish cat we drink coffee. We'll have coffee after dinner. 4 ANAK MURID SA-KALI LAGI THE PUPIL AGAIN Guru: Tabek, mem. Sahaya lambat sikit—bésikal ‘ pamchat’. Good day, madam. I am a bit late—my bicycle had a puncture. Mrs. Suera: Ta'apa, Inche. Sila dudok. That's all right, Inche. Please sit down, G: Pagi tadi jujan bukan main lébat. The rain this morning was terrific. S: Bétul. Sakaya ta’ dapat kéluar. Yes, indeed. I couldn't manage to go out. G: Mem bélum pérgt kédat-kah ? Haven't you been to the shops yet? S: Sudak. Téngah hari sakaya pérgt. Oh, yes, I went at noon. G: Mem pérgi ‘Cold Storage’ hari-hari-kah ? Do you go to the Cold Storage every day?MALAY DIALOGUES 7 S: Hari-hari. Di-situ sahaya béli daging dan lélain (lain-lain). Yes. That is where I buy meat et cetera. G: Mem béli ikan di-mana ? Where do you get your fish? S: Di-pasar. Tai sakarang hérga ikan mahal. At the market. But fish is expensive now. G: Apa bangsa tkan mem suka ? What kind of fish do you prefer? S: Sakaya suka ikan bawal dan ikan ténggtri. I prefer pomfret and Spanish mackerel, G: Ah, ya-lah, ikan bawal bukan main sédap. Orang Mélayu kata than bawal nombo satu. Ah, yes, the pomfret is uncommonly nice. Malays call it A.t. 5 DI-OFIS CHUKAI AT THE CUSTOMS Me. Smiru: Ada sa-buak peti dan satu ‘beg’. I have onc box and one suit-case. Kerant cuugar: Chuba buka, tan. Ada témakau—aiau ayer wangi ?1 Customs Clerk: Please openthem. Have you any tobacco or scent? f S: Ada satu tin ‘cigarette-—sahaya makan séndiri.. Ayer wangi Padak. T have one tin of cigarettes for my own use. I have no scent. 1 The student may not unnaturally inquire, what is the Malay for ‘have you anything to declare?". It must be remembered that the English word ‘declare’ has, in relation to the Customs, acquired a very special meaning; there is no exact Malay equivalent. One could manufacture a sentence containing the expression méngaku bawa (‘acknowledge bringing’), but in real life a Malay would not be likely to use it.8 MALAY DIALOGUES K.C.: Fasal satu tin ‘iu ta’apa-tah. It doesn't matter about the one tin. $: Béharang (barang-barang) dalam péti pakaian sahaya séndiri dan lélain (lain-lain). T'ada bébarang yang-kéna chukai. The things in the box are my own clothes and soon. There are no dutiable goods, K.G.: Sénapang t'ada-kah ? Have you a gun? S: T'adak. Pistol pun ta’ada. No. I have no pistol either. K.G.: Ah, sudak sahaya péreksa—ta’ada apa-apa. Tuan boleh (ber) jalan. Ah, I have examined—there ts nothing. You can go. S: Batk-lah, térima kaseh. Right, thank you. K.G.: Sama-sama, tuan. Thank you, sir. 6 ORANG BAHARU SAMPAI THE ARRIVAL Mr. Suir: Dérebar, sahava nak pérgi hotel. Driver, I’m going to the Hotel. Driver: Batk-lah, tuan; sila naik. Very good, sir; please get in. S: Ada bébarang juga—saiu buak pétt bésar dan satu ‘beg’, T have some luggage too—a large box and a suit-case. D: Péti tu ta’baleh muat, tuan; fasal ‘beg’ ’tu ta’apa. T can't get the box on, sir; it’s all right about the suit-case. 1 This sama-sama (‘both together") is a modernism in this sense, but it is very common in towns and should be now ‘accepted as part of the vocabulary of the (somewhat) sophisticated.MALAY DIALOGUES 9 S: Kalau *gitu (bagitu), macham mana pulak ? Well then, what’s to be done? D: Péti bésar "tt baik simpan dalam ‘Cloak-room’. Boleh tuan surok orang hotel datang ambek. You had better put the large box in the Cloak-room. You can tell the Hotel people to come for it. S$: Elok-lak; sakaya bawa ‘beg’ sahaja. Good idea; I'll take only the suit-case. D: Baik-lah. Tuan nak pérgt térus ka-hotel-kak ? Very good. Are you going to go straight to the Hotel? S: Tidak. Chuba ikut jalan tépi* laut ; sahaya nak singgah di- kédai Hong Bee. No. Please take the road by the sea. I want to stop at Hong Bee's. D: Keédai'tu sakaja ta'tahu, tuan. Sampai dékat chuba tunjok. I don’t know that shop, sir, Please point it out when we get near. S: Ah, ‘ni dia! Bérhénti-lah, sahaya nak turun. Lagi sa-puloh minit sahaya balek—chuba tunggu. Ah, here it is! Stop, I’m going to get out. I shall be back in ten minutes—please wait. D: Sakaya ta’boleh tunggu sini, tuan—takut mata-mata halau. Sakaya mésti tunggu di-‘stén’ kéreta—nun dia di-bawak pokok bésar ‘tu. I can’t wait here, sir—the police may move me on. I must wait in the car-park—it’s over there under that big tree. S: Baik-lak. Sa-sudah sahaya jumpa tauke Hong Bee, sahaya datang ka-' stén’ kéreta. All right. As soon as I’ve seen the proprietor of Hong Bee, I'll come to the car-park. 1 Di- is understood before tpi. See page 116. Get used to such omissions,10 MALAY DIALOGUES 7 TO’ PENGHULU DATANG MINUM TEH THE PENGHULU COMES TO TEA Mr. Surra: Ah, To’ sudah sampai. Bagus! Mujur ta’ada hujan hari "ni. Ah, Dato, you've come.’ Splendid! It’s lucky there's no rain today. Pencuutu: Mujur sunggok! Ini-lah musim hujan. Very lucky! This is the rainy season. S: Chuba simpan bésikal bawah rumah, Dato’; baik sandarkan pada trang "tu. Please put your bicycle under the house; you had better lean it against that pillar. [To Pénghulu naik tangga, (bér\jabat tangan déngan Tuan Smith. [The Penghulu goes up the steps (of the bungalow) and shakes hands with Mr. Smith. S: Sila dudok, Dato’. Sa-kéjap lagi kita minwn teh. Please sit down, Dato, We'll have tea in a minute. P: Térima kaseh, tuan. Sahaya dudok di-sini. Thank you. I'll sit here. [Tuan Smith laung mémanggil (panggil) bay. (Mr. Smith calls for the boy. S: Teh stap-kah ? Ts tea ready? P: Siap, tuan. Kek pun ada, kuki baharu buat. Yes, sir. And there is a newly-made cake. S: Bawak-lah. Bring it then. [Boy bawa teh déngan kek. [The boy brings tea and cake.MALAY DIALOGUES It S: Ha, sahaya tnang. Dato’ suka bérapa sudu gula ? Vil pour out. How many spoonfuls of sugar do you like, Dato? P: Tiga sudu, tuan. Maalum-lah, orang Mélayu suka teh mémanis.2 Three, please. Malays like their tea sweet, you know. S: Sunggoh. Sahaya kalau minum teh ta’suka gula lansong ; kalau Kopi, ya-lah. Truc. Now I don't like any sugar with my tea; but I do take it with coffee. P: Banyak orang puteh bagitu, Many Europeans are like that. S: Dato’, sahaya nak tanya stkit: kalaw kopi ta’ (bér)susu, orang Mélayu panggil kopio. Apa ini‘o’? Bunyi-bunyi bukan bahasa Meélayu. Dato’, there's something I want to ask you. Coffee without milk is called by Malays ‘kopi o’. What is this ‘0’? It doesn’t sound like Malay. P: Bétul, tan. (Pé)kataan ‘0’ "ni orang Mélayu pinjam deri bahasa China ; rasa sahaya érli-nya “hitam’. Maalum-lah, tuan- tuan kédai kopi yang banyak bangsa China. Fadi, orang Meélayu sudah kutib pérkataan ‘0’ *tu di-kédai Kopi. You are right, Mr. Smith. Malays have borrowed this word ‘o’ from Chinese. I think it means ‘black’. Most coffee- shop keepers are Chinese, you know. So Malays have picked up that ‘o’ in coffee-shops. S: Ah, patut-lah2 . Ah, that explains it. 1 A reduplication of the word manis, and manis-monis is shortened to mémanis. In this case the effect of reduplication is to give intensity; see Chapter XXI on Reduplication. * Literally, ‘itis right’, ‘itis fitting’. But in such a context as this the word exactly corresponds to the English ‘that explains it’.12 MALAY DIALOGUES 8 MEM SMITH DLKEDAI KAIN MRS. SMITH AT THE CLOTH-SHOP Mrs. Surra: O Che Mat, apa khabar ? Ah, Che Mat, how are you? Cur Mar: Khabar baik, mem. Mem nak (mén)chari apa ? Very well, thank you. What can I do for you? S: Sahaya nak (mém)béli kain sarong + dua tai. I want two sarongs. M: Kain pélekat—a?* Pelekat sarongs, I suppose? S: Pélekat. Kalaw sutéra, ia'tahan bélanja. Yes. I can’t afford silk ones. M: Ghuba tengok kain ‘ni; ini bangsa baik—émpat-bélas ringgit sa-lat, tahan lama. Have a look at this one; good quality— $14 each, very hard- wearing. S: Tehan basoh-kah? Ta'turun ? Will it stand washing? It won't fade? M: Ya, sakaya (méng)aku dia ta’turun. Oh, yes, I guarantee that it won't fade. S: Kain ni bagus juga, tapi sahaya ta’ bérapa suka chorak-nya, It’s quite nice, but I don’t much care for the pattern. M: GChorak kain ‘ni lagi chantek. Here's one with a prettier pattern. S: Sunggoh. Baik-lah, sahaya ambek kain hijau ‘ni sa-lai. Yang merah ada-kah ? Truc. All right, I'll take this green sarong. Have you any red ones? 1 Practically speaking, Malays never call a sarong just sarong; it is either kain serong or simply Kain. 2 ' Pélekat’ is the trade-name for a very common type of cotton sarong.MALAY DIALOGUES 15 M: Ada—banyak. Chuba pilel. Oh, yes—lots. Please take your choice. S: Sakaya suka kain ’ni. T like this one. M: Batk-lah, mem. Dua lai, hérga sa-lai émpat-bélas ringgit, Jjumlah dua-puloh lapan ringgit. Very good, madam. Two sarongs at $14 each, total $28. S: Nah, tiga-puloh ringgit, ‘not’ sa-puloh sa-puloh. Chuba tukar. Here's $30 in $ro notes. Please give me change. M: ‘ni baki dua ringgit. Kain’ iu sahaya bunghus-kah ? Here is the change, §2. Shall I wrap up the sarongs? S$: Ta’payah. Nanli sahaya simpan dalam bakul ’ni.t Don’t trouble. VI put them in this basket. M: Batk-lah, mem. Térima kaseh. Very well, madam. Thank you. S: Ah, nak balek dah? Sélamat tinggal, Che Mat. Well, it’s time for me to get back. Good-bye, Che Mat. M: Sélamat jalan, mem. Good-bye, madam. 9 MOTORKAR THE GAR Braum (dérebar): Tuan, kéreta ta'mau ‘stat’; takut ‘injin’ rosak. Brauim (driver): The car won't start, sir; I'm afraid there's something wrong with the engine. 1 In some parts a ‘houschold’ basket is called bakul, in others raga. In many places bakt! means only a woven {not plaited) basket. 2 Observe this common idiom; ‘have completed intention to’, in so far as one can translate it literally.14 MALAY DIALOGUES Mr. Smiru: Ya, suaggoh. Sa-malam sakaya chuba-chuba sampai pénat, dia ta’ ‘stat’ jugak. Sahaya sudah pukul “talipun’ panggil tukang dért * shop’ .* Yes, that’s so. Yesterday I tried and tried until I was worn out and couldn’t make it start. I’ve phoned for a fitter from the garage. B: Ada satu ‘tayar’ sudak ‘pamchat’ jugak. One of the tyres is punctured too. S: ‘ Tayar’ mana? Which one? B: Sa-bélah kiri di-bélakang. The left side back tyre. S: Ah, ‘tayar’ ‘tu sudah lama—haus sangat. Sahaya kéna béli “tayar’ baharu. Séméntara "ni kila pakat sépél.* Oh, that’s an old tyre—it’s very much worn-down. TI shall have to buy a new one. Meanwhile we'll use the spare. B: Tuan pérgi ka-ofis hari *ni—macham mana ? How are you going to get to office today, sir? $: Sahaya nak ménumpang (tumpang) kéreta kawan. Pukul sémbilan dia nak datang. I'm getting a lift ina friend's car, He's coming at g o'clock. B: Baik sahaya chuchi Kéreta, tuan 2 Should I clean the car, sir? S: Ta'payah, Brahim. Biar tukang péreksa dahulu. Bukan dia kotor sangat. Don’t bother to clean it. Let the fitter examine it first. It isn’t so very dirty. B: Kalau ‘gitu (bagitt), boleh sahaya pérgi kédai? Sahkaya naik besikal. Then can I go to the shops? I'll go by bicycle. 1 Malays nearly always use the word ‘shop’ for a public garage; garij is the place where the car is kept at home. 2 [tis remarkable how widespread is the use of this rather odd Malayanisa- tion of the English word ‘spare’.MALAY DIALOGUES 15 S: Baik tunggu dahulu.t Ta'lama lagi tukang “tu datang, patui Brahim ada. Better not ‘go yet. The fitter will be here shortly, and you ought to be here then. B: Baik-lah, tuan. Sudah dia baiki kéreta, sahaya pergi. Very good, sir. I'll go when he has repaired the car. 10 KEBUN GETAH THE RUBBER ESTATE Mr, Saari: Besok hari minggo, Téngku; ofis tutup. Sakaya nak pérgi makan angin. It’s Sunday tomorrow, Tengku, and the office is closed. I’m going for an outing. Tenoxu AspuLttan: Yuan suka datang tengok kébun gétah-kah ? Would you like to come and see a rubber estate? S: Suka-lah, Téngku. Kébun "tu hak siapa ? Rather! Who does the estate belong to? A: Hak sahkaya séndirt. Sa-pulok ekar sahaja. Tiap-tiap hari mingga sahaya (mé)lawat. It’s my own. It’s only ten acres. I visit it every Sunday. S: Siapa jaga kébun ‘in ? Who looks after it? it for him first’ and so, in effet, ‘wait a while’ (before doing anything else), Similarly, in the case of the common expression nanti dahulu—‘wait a moment’; dzhuln does not literally mean ‘a while’ or ‘a moment’, but its use has that effect in the context. By the way, funggu is @ more apt word than nanfi here, as it implies more clearly the idea of. waiting for.16 MALAY DIALOGUES A: Adek sahaya, Téngku Zainal. Rumah-nya dékat kébun ‘in ; kebun dia séndiri pun ada di-stiu. My younger brother, Tengku Zainal. His house is near my estate and he has an estate of his own there. S: Pokok boleh di-iures ? + Are the trees tappable? T: Lima ekar boleh ; pang lain, umur-nya baharu dua tahun. Five acres are tappable;’ the rest are only two years old. S: Orang mana yang ménuris (turis) ? Who taps the trees? A: Sakaya upahkan dua orang kampong. Susu tu dema bawa ka- rumah adek sahaya—dia békukan. I employ two people from the kampong. They take the latex to my brother's house, and he coagulates it. 8S: Téngku jual di-mana ? Where do you sell it? A: Sakaya jual pada take China di-bandar ; dia ada ‘lesen’ ; t'ada ‘lesen’ orang ta’boleh belt. T sell it to a Chinese shop-keeper in the town; he has a licence; you have to have a licence to buy rubber. Ii KEBUN BUNGA THE GARDEN Mr. Ssatu: Pokok bunga di-sini ta’bérapa jadi—éntah macham mana. Flowers don’t do very well here—I don’t know how it is. 1 ‘Phe best Malay word for ‘tapping’ is turis (‘making a slight incision’). But Malays who have worked as tappers for foreigners do often use poteng, which simply means ‘to cut’.MALAY DIALOGUES 7 Gre Lan (tukang kébun): Fasal tanah ‘ni Kurang elok, tuan. Paiut ada baja. Cue Lau (gardener); It is because the soil is poor, sir. We need some manure. S$: Baja pavyah dapat. Kalau boleh dapat dua kéreta, sahaya suka Jugak. It’s hard to get manure. But I would like to get a couple of cart-loads, if I could. L: Kékadang (kadang-kadang) ada orang Bénggali? jual baja— nantt sahaya péreksa. Baja ‘tu tatk lémbu, Sometimes one can get manure from a Punjabi—I'll make inquiries. It would be cow-dung. S: Sahaya nak menanam (tanam) ubi kéledek di-bélakang rumah. Chuba buat batas* ; gali dalam-dalam. I'm going to plant some sweet potatoes behind the house. Please make a bed; dig the soil deep. L: Baik-lah. Tuan sudah tengok-kah, pokok rambutan “tu sudah (bé) bunga ? : Very well. Have you noticed, sir, that the rambutan tree is in flower? S: Tengok ‘dah. Sahaya harap tahun ‘ni sahaya dapat buah banyak. Oh, yes. I hope I shall get a lot of fruit this year. L: Yahun dahulu banyak buah kéna gasak dek tupai. Last year a lot of the fruit was gobbled up by squirrels. S: Ah, sunggoh! Tupai ‘tu néraka betul, Yes, indeed! Squirrels really are the devil. L: Yang dia suka sakalinyior. Téhok sa-butir—tinggal, izbok sa-butir—tinggal. Jéhanam sa-puloh butir, pérut tupai bélum 2 Any Northern Indian is a ‘Bénggalli*! But to translate the word as *Punjabi' is pretty safe. # Strictly speaking, a dafas is a low bank, especially that between rice- plots. But when a narrow strip of land is dug up for planting it can be called a datas.18 MALAY DIALOGUES kényang jugak. Kalau dia makan sa-butir sampai habis, ta’apa jugak. They like coconuts better than anything. A squirrel makes a hole in a nut, leaves it and does the same thing to another nut. So ten nuts can be spoilt and the squirrel still be hungry, If it took one nut and finished it, it wouldn't matter so much, 12 ORANG MENEMBAK BURONG BERKEK * SNIPE SHOOTING [Aeplin Hashim dan Tuan Smith pergi minembak (tembak). Budak Musa ada ikut. [Captain Hashim and Mr. Smith are out shooting, accom- panied by a boy, Musa. Musa: Tkut lorong ‘ni, tuan. Dékat kébun sayur ‘tu téntu ada burong. Follow this path, sir. There are sure to be birds near that vegetable garden. Hasuit: Di-béndang “ni Viada burong-kah ? Aren't there birds in this rice-field? M: Kekadang (kadang-kadang) ada banyak, tapi sa-malam ada hujan lébat, ayer ‘dah dalam, ta’akan ada burong. Sometimes there are lots, but there was heavy rain last night and the water is deep, so there won't be any birds. Swirn: Yuan, baik kita jarak sikit. We had better spread out a bit, © This is the most general word for ‘snipe’. But in the North burong titok ig more common, And in many places sénaip will certainly be under- stood!MALAY DIALOGUES 19 +H: Elok-iak! Tuan ka-kiri, sahaya ka-kanan, Musa di-téngah. Good idea! You keep left, I'll keep right, and Musa can be between us. [Sa-ekor burong hérkek térbang.1 Tuan Smith tembak dua kal, ta’kéna. : [A snipe gets up. Mr. Smith fires twice and misses. S: Ah sudahk kérja!* Dua das, ta’kéna juga! ‘That’s torn it! Two shots and both missed! H: Tuan jangan susah-hati! Sahaya, kékadang sa-puloh das, ta’ da- pat sa-ekor pun, Don’t be down-hearted! Belore now I’ve fired ten shots without getting a bird. [Sa-ekor burong térbang, [A bird gets up. S: Burong apa "tu? What's that? M: Ruak-ruak, tuan. Ta'usah tembak. Tada guna. Amoorhen. Don’t shoot. It’s no good. §: Orang ta’ boleh makan-kak ? Isn't it edible? M: Boleh juga. Tapi badan-nya kurus, Hérga ubat ta’ pulang* *M, yes. But it’s very skinny. It’s not worth a cartridge. S: Mujur sahaya ta’ tembak tadi.* Lucky I didn’t fire at it. 1 Sportsmen often use the slangy word éangkar for a bird ‘getting up’. Literally, it means ‘to heave up’: bongkar sauk—' to raise the anchor’. 2*The work is done." A common slangy expression corresponding closely in sense to the English ‘that’s torn it’. ® Literally, ‘the price of the ammunition does not return’. Observe this (common) use of pulang, So a man speaking of the failure of a business venture may say, ‘mudal pun ta'pulung'—'I didn’t even get my capital back’. 4 Observe that the Malay fadi need not be translated directly here; in English the words ‘at it’ convey, in the context, the same idea as tadi does in the Malay. Consider also the eflect of fadi in the penultimate sentence in the Dialogue. B20 MALAY DIALOGUES M: Di-hujong kébun ’ni tipi hutan kékadang orang jumpa babi. At the end of this planted land on the edge of the jungle people sometimes see pigs. S: Ah, sayang-lah! Sahaya bawa penabur halus sahaja. Oh, dear! I've got nothing but small-shot. H: Sahaya bawa pélure dan bakshot dua tiga bijt, kalau-kalau ada babi. I've brought two or three bullets and buckshot in case of meeting a pig. [Dua ekor burong bérkek térbang, Dua-dua orang tembak. [Two snipe get up. Both men fire. M: Ha, jatoh ‘dah sa-ekor. Mampus! Ha, one fell. It's a goner! [Musa lari ambek burong itu. {Musa runs and gets the bird. H: Yang sa-ekor lagi 'tu kéna jugak. Tengok térbang mérebeh ‘aja (sahaja). Ha, turun ‘dak! The other one is hit too. Look, it’s wobbling. It’s gone down! S: Tang mana? Sahaya ta’nampak tadi. Where? I didn’t see it go down. H: Tang tunggul puteh*tu. Moh, kita térus ka-situ, tintu dapat. By that white stump. Come, let us go straight there and we are sure to get it.ADVANCED DIALOGUES Foreworp To Apyancep DrIALoGuEs 1. Students will probably be well advised not to tackle these Advanced Dialogues until they have attained a fairly good standard of proficiency in the language and, in particular, have mastered the use of the prefixes and suffixes. 2. In the case of a number of words occurring in these Dialogues we have thought it better not to follow strictly the orthodox spelling. Pronunciation frequently does not follow orthodox spelling, partly because orthodox spelling is apt to be misleading as to the correct sound, and partly because certain slurrings and clisions common in speech may nearly be said to create new words (as, e.g., in the English ‘won't’ for ‘will not’ and ‘I've’ for ‘I have’). So the student should be prepared to find, ¢.g., ké- for ka-, sé- or 5” for sa-, bégitw (or -gitu) for bagitu, ‘dak for sudah and (a and ka’ for lah and kaf, and also for the frequent clision of the prefix mé-: ¢.g., 'mengok for ménengok. To a small extent the student will have got accustomed to deviations from orthodox spelling as a result of reading the Simple Dialogues. Occasion- ally a possible difficulty will be smoothed away by a footnote or by the Vocabulary at the end of the book. We have not tried to make all the spelling phonetic but have followed a middle course aimed at showing that pronunciation should not always slavishly follow orthodox spelling. In doing so we think that we have not created any confusion in the minds of students, who will, we believe, quickly master the ‘ unortho- doxies’, which after all are not so very numerous. 2122 MALAY DIALOGUES I MELAWAT TANJONG KARANG VISIT TO TANJONG KARANG [This is a somewhat pedestrian conversation, even a little stilted in places, since the trend of the conversation is towards a ‘class-room’ atmosphere. ] Kamir: Mat! Mat! Mari kita pégt Tanjong Karang, Mat. Mat! Mat! Let us go to Tanjong Karang. Auman; Apa nak buat ? What for? K: Ta'tahu-ka’ awak di-Tanjong Karang ’tu, Mat ?—di-sana banvak orang Mélayu bérsawah padi dan béla' hidupan seperti kérbau, kambing, ayem itek dan lain lagi. Boleh-la’ di-katakan tiga suku orang di-situ bangsa Mélayu. Why, don’t you know about Tanjong Karang, Mat?—there are many Malays there keeping live-stock such as buffaloes, goats, poultry and other things. It is safe to say that three quarters of the people there are Malays. Omar: Sahaya taku bénar Tanjong Karang “tu, Mat. KRalau awak péai ké-sana, téntu-la’ heran 'nengok sawak padi nang mélaut-laut "ttt. I know Tanjong Karang well, Mat. If you go there, you'll be astonished at the sight of the rice-ficlds stretching away like the sea. A: Macham mana awak katakan macham laut? Bukan-nya sahaya ta'pernah ‘nengok laut! Sawah sé-luas-luas sawah ta’kan sampai sé-lebar laut. How can yousay that it’s like the sea? Think I've never seen the sea? The biggest rice-field is not as wide as the sea. 1 [In some parts of the East Coast this word 4éla bears a different and more sinister meaning, and accordingly should be avoided. You can use pélihara (or piara) instead,MALAY DIALOGUES 23 O: Bukan-la’ pulak macham laut bétul. Sébab-nya sahaya katakan macham laut, sébab daun padi “tu bila kéna tiup dek angin ada nang yujup, ada nang tégak, séperti ombak rupa-nya, itu-la’ sébab-nya sahaya katakan macham laut, I didn’t mean that it was like a real sea. I said that it was like a sea because when the wind blows across a field, some of the rice-plants droop and some stay upright, and it looks like waves—so I said a rice-field looks like the sea. K: Tahu-ka’ awak bérapa orang sidang dan pénghule dalam mukim Tanjong Karang ‘tu, Mat? . Do you know how many sidangs ' and penghulus there are in the parish of Tanjong Karang, Mat? A: Kalau ta’salah, sidang-nya ada émpat-puloh-énam orang dan pénghulu-nya du’ orang. If I am not mistaken, there are forty-six sidangs and two * penghulus. K: Béiul, Kalau ‘gitu, mukim Tanjong Karang bukan-ka’ twas ? Correct. Doesn't that show what a large parish Tanjong Karang is? © : Dir, sahaya nak tanya awak—padi yang lébeh déripada di-makan orang nang bétanam di-silu siapa nang ‘mbéli-nya ? Tell me, Kadir, who buys the surplus padi of the planters? K: Ha! Awak nak taku, Mar? Yang 'mbéli kérajaan; déngan hérga téap. Padi tu ta’boleh di-jual pulak pada lain bangsa. Ah, you want to know that, Omar? It is Government that buys it; andthe price isa fixed one. And the sale of the rice to other races is not allowed. ©: Ada ta’ * rumah sakit di-sana, Dir ? Is there a hospital there, Kadir? 1 Sidangs are minor officials in Malacca. 2 ‘Is there or isn't there?’—a colloquial idiom. We would simply say, *Is there?”24 MALAY DIALOGUES K: Téntu-la’ ada, Mar. Kala ta’ada, téntu-la’ payah orang sana ‘ndapat ubat. Chuba awak fikir, orang békérja sawah téntu sélalu kéna pényakit kulit. Most certainly, Omar. If not, it would be very hard for the local people to get medical treatment. Remember that people who work in rice-fields are very liable to get skin- diseases. A: Orang di-situ méndapat ayer déri-mana-kah, Dir? Déri paip atau périgt 2 I wonder how the people there get their water, Dir? Is it from pipes or from wells? K: Dia orang méndapat ayer bukan main susah, sébab ayer périgi ta’elok sangat, merah lagi masam. Orang mandi ayer parit, sébab ite orang ta’sénonoh. Ini-la’ patut kérajaan méngikhtirkan » ménolong. Water-supply is a very difficult matter for them, as the well water is most inferior—red and bitter. They bath in the road-side drains—not a desirable state of affairs. Here is a point on which Government should find ways and means to help them, O: Ada ta’ kédai di-Tanjong Karang "tu dan siapa mémbuka kédai *tu? Bangsa Mélayu atau bangsa lain-ka’ ? Are there any shops in Tanjong Karang, and who do they belong to, Malays or foreigners? A: Téntang * kédat memang ada, tapi sémoa-nya kédai bangsa asing. Mana ada kédai Mélayu? Mélayy bélum juga sédar, sunggoh pun dia “dah nampak bangsa asing ‘njadi kaya. As regards shops—Oh, yes, there are shops, but they all | Ikitir (usually written ikhiiar), meaning ‘purpose’ or ‘plan’, is an Arabic word in origin. It sounds rather ‘high-falutin’ ’, but it is by no means uncommon in specch in contexts such as this. * Teéniang literally means ‘opposite’, ‘facing’, though fang, which seems to be an abbreviation of téntang, means rather ‘at’, ‘by’. By extension, tentang is often used, as here, to mean ‘as regards’, ‘touching’.MALAY DIALOGUES 25 belong to foreigners. Where will you find Malay shops? Malays still haven't woken up, even though they've seen foreigners getting rich. K: Baik-la’, Mat, bila sénang, mari-la’ kita mélawat ka-sana. Untong-untong dapat kita mémbuka kédat pulak. Kalau dapat, Kita béli paya dan bétanam padi pulak, lagi-la’ baik. Kita patut ada kérja sambilan,’ ta’boleh harap satu mata ayer sahaja ; kalau ‘dah bérpadi, bérpadi sahaja ; kalau dah bérkédai, bérkédat Ssahaja. All right, Ahmad, when we have the time let's pay the place avisit. With luck we might manage to open ashop. And, if possible, we could buy a bit of rice-land and plant rice— that would be better still. We Malays ought to go in for side-lines instead of sticking to one source of livelihood only ; as things are, the man who has gone in for rice-planting does that and nothing else, and a shopkeeper only keeps his shop. A: Pénghulu Tanjong Karang "tu sangat usaha orang-nya,* sélalu nasihatkan anak buah-nya buat itu buat int supaya maju. Kalaw orang méngadu hal apa-apa, dia pun répot pada Tuan Pégawai Jajahan. Orang kampoug bértambah ramai. Paya lagi térbuka. Stkolak banyak di-buat. Int jadi saiu chontoh. ‘The Penghulu of Tanjong Karang is a man of great energy. He is always advising his parishioners to do this and do that for their advancement. When there are any complaints he reports to the District Officer. So the population increases, more and more rice-lands are opened up and many schools are built. This isa fine example for other Penghulus to follow. 1 ‘Side-line jobs.’ From sambil, i.e., jobs which can be done ‘simul- tancously' with one’s main job. ? Literally, ‘spring’, but here, of course, ‘source’ (of income). * Observe this quite common usage: in effect, the Malay instead of saying directly ‘he is a person of great energy’ says ‘he is very energetic, the person of him’. Perhaps, if one thinks of the sentence as meaning ‘he is a man of very energetic personality’, one gets at the idea underlying the usage.26 MALAY DIALOGUES 2 MELAWAT KE-MORIB 1 VISIT TO MORIB [Like the last, this Dialogue deals, in so far as its title is concerned, with a visit. But, whereas the conversation in the first Dialague consisted almost entirely of questions and descriptive answers, in this one we have a more genuincly conversational ‘encounter’, resulting in much increased vividness. ] Pa’ Att: Abuf Abu! Mari kita pégi mélawat pantai Mori), Abu, ménchari karangan laut dan lélain. Abu! Abu! Come along, let us pay a visit to Morib beach, Abu, and look for corals and so on. Pa’ Apu: Nak mélawat ke-pantat Morib? Ya-lah, Ali, mari-la’ kita péat. Haji Gantang nak pégi sésama. Visit Morib beach? Yes, Ali, let’s go, Haji Gantang is coming too, Aut: Abu! Sahaya tengok jauh ké-téngah ayer ’ni—ada macham sampan iérbalek hanyut méngikut ayer. Abu! Far out in the water there I can see what looks like an overturned sampan drifting along. Anu: Q ya! Mari-la’, kita bérénang pégi ambek sampan “tu. Kalau bétul sampan karang? kita bawa ké-tépi. Kalau sudah 1 The student may well ask, why is &é& (or 4a) sometimes used with meélawat and sometimes not, There is-no rule on the subject; if the speaker feels the insertion of £é euphonious, he inserts it; it is true to say that the presence of pégi in Pa’ Ali's first sentence tends to obviate any feeling of a need for ké-. ® Observe this word karang, As it is used here (and in three other places in this Dialogue) it infuses the idea of futurity into the clause containing it: it is thought that the translation here, ‘if it turns out lo be a sampan' fairly conveys the sense of farang. See the footnote on sakerang on page 104; also. page 83,MALAY DIALOGUES 27 sampai ké-tépi, nanti kita boleh naik sampan “tn bértiga, térus bélayer pulang, bawa sampan ‘tu. Oh, yes! Come along, let's swim out and get that sampan. If it really turns out to be a sampan, we'll bring it to the shore. And when we've reached the shore, we can all three get in it and sail home with it. Haji Gantane: Allah awak ini! Entah ya éntah tidak. Kata- nya sampan térbalek, sahaya ingat ite bukan sampan teérbalek, rupa-nya macham buaya. Kata-nja sampan térbalek, kalau buaya nanti, macham mana pulak kita? Baik sahaya tausah peégi. Ta'apa-la’, awak boleh pégi bédua, biar sahaya tinggal di-sini. My God, you're hopeless! I'm not sure whatitis. You say it’s an overturned sampan, I think it isn’t; it looks like a crocodile to me. You say it’s an overturned sampan, but if it is a crocodile, then what? I'd rather not go. Never mind, you two can go, and let me stay here. Asc: Allah, pénakut-nya awak ini! Nanti kalau sahaya dapat sampan bétul, awak macham mana karang ? My God, what a coward you are! And if I get it and it is a sampan, what about you? H.G.: Ta’apa-la’, awak ambek, awak naik bédua. Pégi ambek. That's all right, you get it and you two can get into it. Go and get it. Au: Mari-la’, Abu, kita pégi ambek sampan "tu, biar dia tinggal di-sini s'orang ‘aja. Come along, Abu, we'll go and get that sampan. Let him stay here all by himself: Apu: Mari-la'! Buka baju, kita pégi bérénang méndapatkan sampan’tu. Kalau dapat karang, kita naik bédua sahaja, ya Ali ? Come along! Take off your jacket and we'll swim to the sampan. If we get it, just we two will get in it, yes, Ali? Aut: Ah, sampan bétul rupa-nya, Abu. Wah! ada péluang nampak- nya ini kali. Mari-la’ chéfiat, masa dia bélum kanyut jauk. Kalan28 » MALAY DIALOGUES sudah jauk nanti kita ta’dapat kéjar lagi—sia-sia sahaja kita méngéjar-nya. Ah, it looks as if it really isa sampan, Abu. My word! we seem to have got a bit of luck this time. Quickly, before it drifts away! Ifit drifts away, we shan’t be able to catch it again and all our chase will be in vain. Agu: Mari-la’. Péluang batk bétul kita hari ‘nt datang mélawat pantat Morib. Come on! This visit to Morib beach really has brought us good luck. Aut: Ya, memang péluang baik bétul kita hari ’ni, Bérénang! Bérénang-lah! Yes, I'll say it’s good luck! Swim, swim! Apu: Meari-la’, kita téléntangkan. Awak pégang ‘bélah bélakang, sahaya pégang ‘bélah hadapan. Let us turn it over. You take hold of it at the back and I'll take hold in front. At: Mari-la’, kita dayong, kita bawa ké-tépi. Come, let's row it to the shore. Agu: Nanti-la’ dahulu, gopoh sangat awak “nt! Buang ayer dahulu, baharu naik ; tidak, ténggélam karang. Wait, can’t you! Don’t be in such a hurry. Don’t get in until we have bailed the water out or we shall sink. At: O, ya ta’ya pulak, mari buangkan lékas, biar habis ayer dalam sampan "nt. Oh, I daresay you're right. Let’s bail out quickly and get rid of the water. Apu: Mari-la’ lékas kita naik, sahaya sudah séjok, natk méngsigil, tengok, Ali. Let's get in quickly, I’m cold, Ali, see how I’m shivering. Att: Mari-la’ kita dayong bédua sampai puas, baharu Kita bawa keé-tepi. Let us have a good row round before we take it to the shore, H.G.: Wah! Sampan bétul rupa-nya! Rugi bétul sahaya ta'ikutMALAY DIALOGUES 7 29 tadi. Baik-la’, sahaya buka baju péei bérénang méndapatkan Pa’ Ali dengan Pa’ Abu "tu. My word! Soitscemsitisasampan! ‘Too bad that I didn’t gowith them! Nevermind, I'll take off my jacket and swim out to them. [Sampai sé-parokh jalan dia bérénang "tu dia ta’térdaya lagi, lansong ménjérit mintak tolong. [After swimming half-way he became exhausted and shouted for help. Att: Abu, siapa-ka’ nang ménjérit mintak tolong ‘tu ? Abu, who ever is that shouting for help? Apu: © siapa ite? Mari kita turut lékas-lékas ; kalau ta’'lékas, téntu dia mati lémas ? Who can it be? Let us go to him at once; if we delay, he will be drowned. Aut: Sahkaya ingat barangkali ini Haji Gantang, kalau tidak salah, sébab dia ingin nampak kita natk sampan ké-sana ké-mari. Unless I’m mistaken, I think this is Haji Gantang; he’s got envious from seeing us rowing about. Apu: Ah, bétul rupa-nya, Pa’ Ali. Haji Gantang nang ménjérit tadi. Mari-la’ kita ambek masokkan dalam sampan. It looks as if you are right, Ali. It was Haji Gantang who shouted. Let us get him into the sampan. Art: fiu-la’, Haji Gantang! Tadi sahaya ajak, awak ta’mahu. Awak kata bukan sampan, katakan buaya. Seékarang apa sudah jadi —tbuaya-ka’, sampan? Sébab "tu bila sahaya ajak, mésti awak ikut. Kalaw awak ikut tadi, ta’kan jadi macham int. You see, Haji Gantang! I asked you to come and you wouldn’t. You said it was a crocodile, nota sampan. And now what is it—a crocodile or a sampan? So when I ask you to do something, you should obey. If you had obeyed me just now, this wouldn't have happened.go MALAY DIALOGUES Apu: Sudah-la’! Mari kita pulang. Ashek bérchakap ‘aja, bila masa kita nak balek? Oh, that'll do! . Let’s go home. If you are so fond of talking, we shall never get back. 3 BERBURU RUSA* DEER-HUNTING Mar Lovar: Sam, Sam! Mari kita pégi ké-hutan bélakang rumah si-falil.? Sam, Sam! Let us go to the jungle behind Jalil's house. Lasam: Apa nak buat? Bukan ada sinapang boleh kita bérburu- burut rusa, What for? Tt isn’t as if we had a gun to go deer-hunting with. M.L.: Bukan-ka’ si-Jalil budak Jawa "tu ada sénapang? Kita ajak-la’ dia, ta’kan dia ta’mau, dia kénal sangat déngan kita. Sahaya pun ada bawa parang. Well, that young Javanese, Jalil, has a gun, hasn’t he? We'll ask him to come and I’m sure he will—he knows us very well. And I have a parang. L: Apa nang ada hutan tu? Sahaya ingat ta’ada apa-apa di-hutan ‘te. What is there in that jungle? I doubt whether there is anything. 1 Strictly speaking, dérburw should only be used of a drive: see footnote regarding térburn-brry on page 105. But some people do use it of éstill- hunting’, as here. Indeed, the usage of the English ‘hunt’ seems to have strayed from its original meaning. ® This use of si+ before a name lightly contemptuous, in theory at any rate: ‘that Jalil fellow’, but practice mellows the effect of the usage.MALAY DIALOGUES 31 M.L.: AA, chuba-la’, kalau-kalau ada rusa atau kijang boleh kita tembak dan sémbéleh buat gelai. Ah, let's try. We might come across a deer or a barking deer and then we could shoot it and cut its throat for dinner, L: Baik-ta’, mari kita pégi rumah si-Jalil ; hari pun ’dah jauh pé- tang, kalau dia ta’ ada di-rumah, apa hal kita ? All right, let us go to Jalil’s house; but it’s already late evening—suppose he isn’t at home, what shall we do? M.L.: Kila nanti-la’. Kalau tidak pun, kita balek-la’. Besok kita ajak-la’ dia, siang-siang kita datang, We'll see.t If he is out, we'll come back. Then we can go early in the morning and ask him. Jaun: Eh! Nak kémana pétang-pétang ’ni ? Hey! Where are you going so late in the evening *? *M.L.: Nak kémari-la’, Nak ajak awak ménembak rusa di-hutan ‘ni. We're coming to sec you. We want you to come deer-shoot- ing in the jungle. J: Puchok di-chita, hulam méndatang!* Sahava ingat besok sahaya nak jumpa awak, nak ajak mémburu. Sahaya s‘orang takut, rusa kuat. Well, this is a bit of luck! I had it in mind to see you to- morrow and ask you to hunt, I was afraid to go alone—a deer can put up a fight. L: Ada péluang ‘ni, nampak-nya, kalau-kalau ada-la’ rusa. Tf only there is a deer, we secm to have a fine chance this time. 1 Not ‘We'll wait for him’. 4 Not ‘every evening’, of course, as the context shows; the effect of the reduplication here is intensification, not repetition, As a matter of fact, a Malay is unlikely in any context to say pélang-pelang for ‘every evening’; he would say tiap-tiap pétang. Peétang does not represent a definite period of time; still less, of course, does siang (above). #°T hoped for a shoot and received a vegetable’, ic., ‘better than I hoped for’. This is a common Malay saying.32 MALAY DIALOGUES J: Sam, nah awak bawa lampu sulok ‘ni, awak mésti jaga béiul- betul. Here, Sam, you take the torch and keep a sharp look-out. L: Batk-la’, sahaya jaga bétul-bétul. Kalau sahaya nampak, nanti sahaya suloh. : All right, I'll keep a sharp look-out and, if I see it, I'll shine the torch. J: Fangan awak suloh, nantt dia lari, dia kuat lari macham ribut. Don’t shine it or it will run away; it can go like the wind. L: Habis, apa guna lampu ‘ni? Pénat sahaya 'mbawa -nya. What's the good of this torch then? I shall tire myself out carrying it. J: Mari kita pégi, hari "dak malam, Come, let us go, it’s getting dark. M.L.: Baik kita bérlindong diri, jangan dia nampak. ‘We must keep under cover so that it can’t see us. L: Ha! Itudiarusa! Tembak, Lil. Apa lagi? Ha! There's a deer. Shoot, Jalil. What are you waiting for? [falil tembak. [Jalil shoots. M.L.: “dah ménggélupur. Suloh-la’, Sam, biar sénang ktia pégi Sana. It’s down and kicking. Shine the torch, Sam, then we can see to go to it. L: Baik-la’. Very well. 3 M.L.: Ah, chélaka awak, Sam. Babi awak kata ruse, Apa nak buat? Awak ta’ sutoh dahulu. Oh, damn you, Lasam! It’sa pig, and you said it was a deer. Well, there’s no help for it now—you didn’t shine the torch on it before Jalil fired.MALAY DIALOGUES 33 L: Sahaya nak sulohk, takut dia lari ; lagt pun tadi Jalil kata kalau ada, jangan. suloh, I didn’t shine the torch for fear that it would run away. And just now Jalil told me not to shine the torch if we mct some- thing. J: Ha, ha, ta! Babi awak kata rusa. Ini-la’ babi hutan. Ha, ha, ha! You called a pig a deer. This is a wild pig. L: Ah, chélaka bétul! Oh, damn it all! M.L.: Chuba kita nanti lagi, kalau-kalau ada-la’ réztki kita, boleh Kila tembak pulak. Let us keep at it a bit longer. With a bit of luck we might get another shot. J-: Batk-la', kalau ada, memang rézeki kita. All right, bur it will certainly be a bit of luck if we do. M.L.: Jangan, jangan! Nang datang nanti rimau. Don't, don’t. It may be a tiger that comes. J: Datang, datang-la’. Bukan ae péerémpuan takutkan rimau, Nanti sahaya tembak, mampus-la’ dia. What if it does? I’m not a woman to be afraid of a tiger. If I fire at it, it will turn up its toes, L: Allah! Awak ini ta'tahu adat di-hutan+ Kalau-kalau datang nanti, apa nak sakaya buat? Sahaya t'ada sénjata, mati-la’ sakaya di-baham-nya. My God! You don’t know jungle ctiquette! Suppose it comes, what am I to do? I’ve no weapon and it'll crunch me up, J: Awak ini pénakut bétul, macham itu pun "dah takut, macham budak-budak lagi. You really are a coward! You are as easily frightened as a child. 1 Jungle etiquette prescribes that a tiger should not be spoken of dis- respectfully when one is in the jungle; indeed, it is better to refer to it as Dato’ or Pa’ Belong.