Johor–Riau Malay was originally a continuation of Classical Malay (Malay: bahasa Melayu Klasik), until it later developed into its own language variety.[5] Ultimately, around the end of the 19th century, the language separated mainly into Johor Malay and Riau Malay (Coastal and Islands).[2] Then also other languages that are quite close are Malacca Malay and Selangor Malay. After the formation of Malaysia and Indonesia, especially the Johor Malay continued to develop, influencing the standard form of Malaysian Malay, while the Riau Malay (mainly the Islands dialect) continued to develop until it became Indonesian language as its standard form.[6]
Internal classification
Johor Malay
Johor Malay has its own varieties. The Johor people who live on the west coast have their own variation of the Johor Malay dialect, namely the Muar sub-dialect. The Muar sub-dialect often pronounces [o] at the end by changing it to [ar] in the standard variety, as in the word beso 'big' and others. Other areas, apart from the Muar dialect, also use the same native Johor dialect as that used by residents in Riau Islands, Indonesia. This is very much influenced by the Malay community in the Johor–Riau Sultanate which maintains its identity quite strongly, so even though Johor and the Riau Islands are currently separate, they still maintain the same identity. The general dialect of Johor–Riau Malay is characterized by the pronunciation of the letter [e] at the end as in the words saye 'i am'. This dialect has the largest number of speakers in Malaysia. Apart from Johor, speakers are also found in Malacca, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, and in the southern part of Perak, especially in Batang Padang and Hilir Perak. Meanwhile, Johor residents who live in Mersing generally speak Kuala Terengganu dialect.
Malacca Malay
Malacca Malay is spoken mainly in the state of Malacca on the west coast. This language is very closely related to Classical Malay because it is the area where the center of the Malacca Sultanate was founded. The dialect is similar to the Malay dialects in other southern parts of the Malay Peninsula.
Riau Malay (bahasa Melayu Riau; Jawi script: بهاس ملايو رياو) is the original form of the Malay language which is directly derived from Old Malay through its classical variety known as Johor–Riau Malay.[7] This form of language is used as the basis of Standard Malay,[8] which is a variety of standard language for the Malay language which is used semi-formally in Riau and Riau Islands. The sub-dialects closest to the Classical Malay variety are the Coastal and Islands dialects.[9][10][11]
Selangor Malay
Selangor Malay is very similar to Malaysian Malay which is the standard form and official language in Malaysia. This dialect is spoken in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur which are the urban areas of the capital, also in Putrajaya.[12]
Vocabulary comparison
The following is a comparison of vocabulary between Johor Malay, Malacca Malay, Riau Malay (Coastal and Islands), and Selangor Malay.
^Calculated based on the gross estimate of the populations in Riau (6,969,031; as of 2024), Riau Islands (2,220,043; as of 2024), Johor (4,100,900; as of 2023), Kuala Lumpur (2,075,600; as of 2024), Malacca (1,027,500; as of 2023), Putrajaya (119,700; as of 2024), Selangor (6,994,423; as of 2020), and Malay Singaporeans population (545,498; as of 2020).
Footnotes
^Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Greater Riau–Johoric". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
^ abSneddon, James N. (2003). The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society. University of New South Wales Press. ISBN0-86840-598-1.
^Mills, L. A. (2003). British Malaya 1824–67 (p. 86– 87). Selangor, Malaysia: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Call no.: RSEA 959.5 MIL.
^Brown, I. (2009). The territories of Indonesia. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85743-215-2
^Anne, Lilya (2011). "Dialek Melayu Selangor". Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan (in Malay). Tanjung Malim, Malaysia: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
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