page_title: Malaysian Malay
section_title: Language
hierarchical_section_title: Malaysian Malay / Language
caption_attribution_description: English: The declaration of Malaya's Independence written in Jawi script, displayed in the National Museum, MalaysiaBahasa Melayu: ڤمشهوران كمرديكاءن تانه ملايو دالم توليسن جاوي، دڤاميركن د موزيوم نݢاراTransliteration in RumiPemasyhuran kemerdekaan Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Mengasihani, segala puji bagi Allah yang Maha Berkuasa dan selawat dan salam ke atas sekalian Rasul-Nya Bahawasanya, oleh kerana telah tiba lah masanya bagi umat Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ini mencapai taraf suatu bangsa yang merdeka lagi berdaulat sama setimbal kedudukannya dengan segala bangsa di seluruh dunia. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana dengan perjanjian yang disebut namanya Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu tahun 1957 yang diperbuat di antara Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen dengan Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Negeri Melayu maka telah dipersetujui bahawa Negeri-Negeri Melayu iaitu Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, dan Perak serta Negeri-Negeri yang dahulunya dinamakan Negeri Selat iaitu Melaka dan Pulau Pinang mulai daripada 31 hari bulan Ogos tahun 1957, hendaklah menjadi sebuah persekutuan baharu bagi Negeri-Negeri yang bernama Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana telah bersetuju pula di antara kedua-dua pihak dalam perjanjian yang tersebut iaitu Melaka dan Pulau Pinang hendaklah daripada tarikh yang tersebut itu tamat daripada menjadi sebahagian daripada jajahan takluk Baginda Queen, dan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen tidak lagi berhak menjalankan apa-apa jua kedaulatan baginda di atas kedua-dua buah Negeri yang tersebut itu. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana telah bersetuju pula di antara kedua-dua pihak yang tersebut iaitu Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu tahun 1948, dan segala perjanjian-perjanjian yang ada sekarang di antara Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen dengan Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja atau pun salah seorang daripada baginda-baginda itu sebelum tarikh yang tersebut hendaklah dibatalkan mulai daripada tarikh itu, dan semua kuatkuasa-kuatkuasa dan hak-hak Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen atau pun Parlimen Negeri United Kingdom dalam Negeri-Negeri Selat yang tersebut itu atau pun yang berhubung dengannya atau Negeri-Negeri Melayu atau pun Persekutuan Tanah Melayu seluruhnya adalah tamat dengan sendirinya. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen, Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Melayu, Parlimen Negeri United Kingdom dan Majlis-Majlis Undangan Persekutuan dan Negeri-Negeri Melayu telah meluluskan Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu tahun 1957 itu berjalan kuatkuasanya. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana sebuah perlembagaan bagi kerajaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu telah ditentukan menjadi suatu kanun yang muktamad baginya. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana perlembagaan persekutuan yang tersebut itu maka ada disediakan syarat untuk menjaga keselamatan hak-hak dan keutamaan Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja serta hak-hak asasi dan kebebasan sekalian rakyat dan untuk memajukan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu dengan aman dan damai serta teratur sebagai sebuah kerajaan yang mempunyai Raja yang berperlembagaan yang berdasarkan demokrasi cara berparlimen. Dan bahawasanya, oleh kerana perlembagaan persekutuan yang tersebut itu telah diluluskan suatu Undang-Undang yang diadakan oleh Majlis Undangan Persekutuan serta dengan Undang-Undang yang diadakan oleh Negeri-Negeri Melayu dan dengan ketetapan-ketetapan di dalam Majlis Undangan Negeri Melaka dan Pulau Pinang, dengan demikian perlembagaan itu telah berjalan kuatkuasanya pada 31 hari bulan Ogos tahun 1957. Maka dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Mengasihani, saya Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Perdana Menteri bagi Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, dengan persetujuan dan perkenan Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Negeri-Negeri Melayu dengan ini memasyhur dan mengisytiharkan bagi pihak umat Persekutuan Tanah Melayu bahawa mulai daripada tiga puluh satu hari bulan Ogos tahun seribu sembilan ratus lima puluh tujuh maka Persekutuan Tanah Melayu yang mengandungi di dalamnya Negeri-Negeri Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Melaka dan Pulau Pinang dengan limpah rahmat Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala akan kekal menjadi sebuah negara demokrasi yang merdeka dan berdaulat serta berdasarkan kepada kebebasan dan keadilan dan sentiasa menjaga dan mengutamakan kesejahteraan dan kesentosaan rakyatnya dan mengekalkan keamanan di antara segala bangsa. Kuala Lumpur 31 Hari bulan Ogos tahun 1957 Signature Perdana MenteriEnglish translation Declaration of Independence In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon His Messengers. Whereas the time has now arrived when the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu will assume the status of a free independent and sovereign nation among nations of the World And whereas by an agreement styled the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1957, between Her Majesty the Queen and Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States it was agreed that the Malay States of Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak and the former Settlements of Melaka and Pulau Pinang should as from the 31st day of August, 1957, be formed into a new Federation of States by the name of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu And whereas it was further agreed between the parties to the said agreement that the Settlements of Melaka and Pulau Pinang aforesaid should as from the said date cease to form part of Her Majesty’s dominions and that Her Majesty should cease to exercise any sovereignty over them. And whereas it was further agreed by the parties aforesaid that the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, and all other agreements subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and Their Highnesses the Rulers or any one of them immediately before the said date should be revoked as from the date and that all powers and jurisdiction of Her Majesty or of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in or in respect of the Settlements aforesaid or the Malay States or the Federation as a whole should come to an end And whereas effect has been given to the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1957, by Her Majesty the Queen, Their Highnesses the Rulers, the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Legislatures of the Federation and of the Malay States And whereas a constitution for the Government of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu has been established as the supreme law thereof And whereas by the Federal Constitution aforesaid provision is made to safeguard the rights and prerogatives of Their Highnesses the Rulers and the fundamental rights and liberties of the people and to provide for the peaceful and orderly advancement of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu as a constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy And whereas the Federal Constitution aforesaid having been approved by an Ordinance of the Federal Legislatures, by the Enactments of the Malay States and by resolutions of the Legislatures of Melaka and Pulau Pinang has come into force on the 31st day of August 1957, aforesaid Now In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful, I Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Prime Minister of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, with the concurrence and approval of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf of the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu that as from the thirty first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty seven, the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu comprising the States of Johor, Pahang, Negeri Semblian, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Melaka and Pulau Pinang is and with Allah’s blessing shall be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations. Kuala Lumpur, 31st Day of August 1957 Signature Prime Minister
context_page_description: Malaysian Malays are Malaysians of Malay ethnicity whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the Malay world. In 2015 population estimate, Malaysian Malays form 50.8% of the total population of Malaysia or 15.7 million people. They can be broadly classified into two main categories; Anak Jati and Anak Dagang.
  The Malays proper consist of those individuals who adhere to the Malay culture native to the coastal areas of Malay Peninsula and Borneo. Among notable groups include the Bruneians, Kedahans, Kelantanese, Pahang, Perakians and Terengganuans. On the other hand, the foreign Malays consist of descendants of immigrants from other parts of Malay archipelago who became the citizens of the Malay sultanates and were absorbed and assimilated into Malay culture at different times, aided by similarity in lifestyle and common religion. Many foreign Malays or anak dagang have Acehnese, Banjar, Bugis, Javanese, Mandailing and Minangkabau ancestries that come from Indonesia. There are also a minority of Malays who are partially descended from more recent immigrants from many other countries who have assimilated into Malay Muslim culture.
context_section_description: Malay is the national language, and the most commonly spoken language in Malaysia, where it is estimated that 20 percent of all native speakers of Malay live. The terminology as per federal government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally "Malaysian language") but in the federal constitution continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally "Malay language"). The National Language Act 1967 specifies the Latin (Rumi) script as the official script of the national language, but allow the use of the traditional Jawi script. Jawi is still used in the official documents of state Islamic religious departments and councils, on road and building signs, and also taught in primary and religious schools. Malay is also spoken Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand. The total number of speakers of Standard Malay is about 60 million. There are also about 198 million people who speak Indonesian, which is a form of Malay. Standard Malay differs from Indonesian in a number of ways, the most striking being in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling. Less obvious differences are present in grammar. The differences are rarely a barrier to effective communication between Indonesian and Malay speakers, but there are certainly enough differences to cause occasional misunderstandings, usually surrounding slang or dialect differences.
  The Malay language came into widespread use as the lingua franca of the Melaka Sultanate (1402–1511). During this period, the language developed rapidly under the influence of Islamic literature. The development changed the nature of the language with massive infusion of Arabic, Tamil and Sanskrit vocabularies, called Classical Malay. Under Melaka, the language evolved into a form recognisable to speakers of modern Malay. When the court moved to establish the Johor Sultanate, it continued using the classical language; it has become so associated with Dutch Riau and British Johor that it is often assumed that the Malay of Riau is close to the classical language. However, there is no connection between Melakan Malay as used on Riau and the Riau vernacular. Variants of Malay in Malaysia differed by states, districts or even villages. The Melaka-Johor dialect, owing to its prominence in the past, became the standard speech among Malays in Singapore and Malaysia, and it formed the original basis for the standardised Indonesian language. There are also well known variants of Malayan languages that are mostly unintelligible to Standard Malay speakers including Terengganuan, Kelantanese, Pahang, Negeri Sembilanese, Sarawakian, Perakian, Kedahan and Bruneian (including a Bruneian-based pidgin Sabah Malay).
caption: The Malayan Declaration of Independence in Jawi alphabet.
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