Language/Malay-individual-language/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
As a Malay language teacher of 20 years, I believe that learning the Malay alphabet and pronunciation is the foundation of the language. It is crucial to get this right in order to communicate effectively in Malay.
Malay Alphabet
The Malay alphabet consists of 26 letters, just like the English alphabet. The letters are:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
However, there are additional letters when the language is written in Jawi script, a modified Arabic script used to write Malay in the past. In this lesson, we will focus on the standard Latin script version.
The Malay language is unique in that it contains a mix of vowel sounds from various languages, such as Sanskrit, Arabic, and Portuguese. It is important to note that every letter represents one sound, except for the letter 'e'.
Malay Pronunciation
Here are some guidelines on how to pronounce the Malay alphabet:
Vowels
The Malay language has five vowels. They are:
- A (/a/): pronounced as in "cat". - E (/ə/): pronounced as a schwa sound, or like the 'e' in "the". - I (/i/): pronounced as in "feet". - O (/o/): pronounced as in "go". - U (/u/): pronounced as in "soup".
Table of Malay vowels:
| Malay (individual language) | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | "cat" |
| E | /ə/ | "the" |
| I | /i/ | "feet" |
| O | /o/ | "go" |
| U | /u/ | "soup" |
Consonants
The Malay language has 20 consonants. They are:
- B (/b/): pronounced as in "bat". - C (/tʃ/): pronounced as in "cheese". - D (/d/): pronounced as in "dog". - F (/f/): pronounced as in "fun". - G (/ɡ/): pronounced as in "goat". - H (/h/): pronounced as in "help". - J (/dʒ/): pronounced as in "jump". - K (/k/): pronounced as in "kick". - L (/l/): pronounced as in "leave". - M (/m/): pronounced as in "map". - N (/n/): pronounced as in "knee". - P (/p/): pronounced as in "pig". - Q (/k/): pronounced as in "kick". - R (/r/): pronounced as a rolled "r". - S (/s/): pronounced as in "snake". - T (/t/): pronounced as in "top". - V (/v/): pronounced as in "voice". - W (/w/): pronounced as in "water". - X (/ɡz/ or /ks/): pronounced as in "exercise" or "exist". - Z (/z/): pronounced as in "zipper".
Table of Malay consonants:
| Malay (individual language) | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| B | /b/ | "bat" |
| C | /tʃ/ | "cheese" |
| D | /d/ | "dog" |
| F | /f/ | "fun" |
| G | /ɡ/ | "goat" |
| H | /h/ | "help" |
| J | /dʒ/ | "jump" |
| K | /k/ | "kick" |
| L | /l/ | "leave" |
| M | /m/ | "map" |
| N | /n/ | "knee" |
| P | /p/ | "pig" |
| Q | /k/ | "kick" |
| R | /r/ | "rolled-r" |
| S | /s/ | "snake" |
| T | /t/ | "top" |
| V | /v/ | "voice" |
| W | /w/ | "water" |
| X | /ɡz/ or /ks/ | "exercise" or "exist" |
| Z | /z/ | "zipper" |
Diphthongs
A diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds that form a single syllable. There are two diphthongs in Malay:
- AI (/ai/): pronounced as in "eye". - AU (/au/): pronounced as in "cow".
Table of Malay diphthongs:
| Malay (individual language) | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| AI | /ai/ | "eye" |
| AU | /au/ | "cow" |
Understanding the Malay alphabet and pronunciation will give you a solid foundation to build your language skills upon. Practice often and listen to Malaysian speakers to improve your pronunciation.