You Say, I Say...

Come end of March 2005, it would have been exactly three years since my return to Kuching, my hometown. I remember (and forgotten) some things very clearly about the decision to make the drastic move from KL, where I have lived and worked the past 11 years, to a place I hardly knew but on occasion such as my one week yearly holiday over Gawai Festival and/or Christmas holidays.

One of the things which I have forgotten, for lack of practice, is the local Malay dialect used by the locals. Having lived among the KL-ites, I have earned myself the KL-ites tongue, I speak and express stuff in the typical KL-ites manner. I fact, I was so good at it, over the telephone, the person at the other end can be forgiven for thinking that I am Malay, or was born/raised in the city.

But having return to Kuching, I have to re-learn the language, especially when I started working and colleagues tend to speak local malay with me. Initially, I had the tendency to reply in Bahasa Malaysia, or speak in the language when I am forced to use malay. But now, I believe the dialect has returned to my tongue and I can speak it without having to think too much. But of course, there are words which I do not know, and never will know because really, Malay is not my mother tongue. English is.

So for those who are interested, here is a short lesson on Kuching-Malay dialect, with its meaning/translation in Bahasa Malaysia:

Kuching-Malay dialect Bahasa Malaysia
Apa tek? Apa dia?
Marek Kelmarin
Sidak Mereka
Kamek Saya
Kitak Kamu/Awak
Sik ‘boh (or Sik iboh) Tak apa
Apa polah kitak? Awak buat apa?
Sinei kitak pergi? Awak pergi mana tadi?
Kamek sik tau’ Saya tak tahu.
Sik tau’ Entah-lah.
Ga’go Penyibuk
Tu’nuk Tumbuk (makanan)
Lawa Sombong
Kacak Lawa
Kitak mau’k apa? Awak nak apa?

Sample conversation between an Office Worker (OW) and the Pak Guard (PK) at his office:
OW: Apa khabar ‘cik? Lamak sik nampak? Sinei kitak pergi?
PG: Khabar baik. Kamek pegi KL hari ya. Anak kamek baru beranak jadik mak cik pegi jaga –nya kejap. Kamek pun ikut-lah.
OW: Oh…makan angin-lah kitak.
PG: Sik jua’. Kamek nei tau jalan-jalan sia. Sabtu ahad baru dapat. Tok pun mun sidak ngembak. Mun sik, diam rumah ajak kamek.
OW: Oh. Anak cucu macam nei? OK? Cucu laki kah prempuan?
PG: Cucu laki. Anak kamek dah habis pantang, jadi kamek balit-lah. Bosan jua’ tinggal sia. Sik ada kerja nak dipolah.
OW: Auk-lah…kamek masuk kerja ‘lok.
PG: Auk.