KOTA KINABALU: When speaking about Sabah, I am sure many of our friends from other states either don’t have much information about this land below the wind, or just minimal knowledge gathered from books and advertisements that mainly show its people dressed in ‘pre-historic’ attire.
Well, out of the vast issues and topics that we can talk about Sabah, I have decided to touch a little about language.
Language, it’s supposed to be similar across the nation, no?
Well, for countries that only have a few ethnic or tribes, maybe yes, but for Sabah and Malaysia as a whole, we are living in a multi-ethnic and multicultural country.
In Sabah, the latest census shows that we have over 30 different ethnic groups living in this huge state while its people communicate in over 50 languages and 80 ethnic dialects.
The main language that everyone across the state can understand is Bahasa Melayu Sabah, basically a form of Bahasa Malaysia.
So what is Bahasa Sabah, you may ask.
Let me share some examples with you and trust me, it’s more than just adding a ‘bah’ to every sentence you say.
Here, how we pronounce words is exactly like how you read them. A is Ah, E is Err but with a silent r.
If you want to ask what your name is, it is ‘siapa nama ko? Or apa nama ko?’ whereas in mainstream Bahasa, or KL-slang, it’s ‘siape name awak?’.
See the difference?
To cross the road is ‘limpas jalan’ as opposed to ‘menyeberangi jalan’.
Sana means there, short distance. Saaaaana means there, but further away.
The longer the ‘aaaaa’, the further the distance is, so do not be fooled.
It is also similar with words like tinggi or tall. Tiiiiiiiingi, means really tall.
‘Saya’, or me, is often pronounced ‘sia’ or ‘sa’.
As for the famed ‘Bah’, how do we actually use it without sounding silly or wrong?
I can’t really put it into words to properly explain because you have to have at least one Sabahan friend to actually learn and understand its usage.
For those who are not familiar with Sabahan Malay, they think we sound like Indonesians.
But for those who know, it is quite clear that we are no way alike, be it in intonation, pronunciation or vocabulary.
The interest in Sabahan Malay actually grew some years ago, when a peninsula-based radio station decided to open up a segment for Sabahan songs.
During that time (2008), a Tuaran-born local emcee was selected to be the first radio deejay to speak totally in the Sabahan slang and play as many Sabahan songs he wanted to during the few hours he was on air every day.
This man is Andrew Impongan, or more commonly known as DJ Othoe.
“Before I agreed to sign with this radio station in Kuala Lumpur, I set some conditions including to speak only in Sabah Malay,” he said.
“I also wanted to play more Sabahan songs than those from other states, because the slot given to me was for the Sabah segment,” he added.
Though the frequency for his segment could only be heard in Sabah, many non-Sabahan Malaysians residing and working here could hear him talk and that actually caught the attention of many.
There was even a time in Parliament where an MP questioned the quality of radio deejays speaking ‘non-conventional’ Malays and accused these deejays, including Othoe, as damaging the Malay language.
The matter was later settled amicably and Othoe continued his mission to bring more interest to Sabahan Malay and Sabah artistes through his segments until he quit a few years later.
“I feel proud to be able to contribute a little in highlighting the uniqueness of our Sabah Malay,” he said. Our language is fun and it has a happy sort of tune to it when spoken. It sounds fun and many say we Sabahans talk too fast and too loud but that’s just how we speak,” he said.
Othoe said it is heartwarming to note that now, people from all over the country have learnt to appreciate this Sabahan Malay that was once little known, let alone appreciated.
So folks, if you wish to learn more about people’s languages and cultures, have an open mind, visit places and take time to immerse yourself in what other people’s cultures have to offer.
Most importantly, don’t be shy to try and learn new languages.
