Bengkulu Malay

Last updated
Bengkulu Malay
Bahaso Bengkulu
Region Bengkulu, Sumatra
Ethnicity Bengkulu Malays
Native speakers
66,000 [1]
Latin, Jawi, and Rejang
Language codes
ISO 639-3 bke (merged into pse in 2008) [2]
pse-ben Bengkulu, Bencoolen, Bengkulan
Glottolog beng1290
Linguasphere 33-AFA-du
Bengkulu Malay.svg
  Areas where Bengkulu Malay is a majority
  Areas where Bengkulu Malay is a significant minority
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Bengkulu Malay, or simply Bengkulu, is a Malayic language spoken primarily in the province of Bengkulu, Indonesia, including Bengkulu City and surrounding areas, as well as parts of Pesisir Barat Regency in the province of Lampung. It is the native language of the Bengkulu Malays and is more closely related to other Central Sumatra Malay varieties, such as Col, Jambi Malay, Palembang Malay, and Minangkabau, than to the Rejang language, which is also spoken in the province.

Contents

The Bengkulu Malay is threatened with extinction. In 2021, only about 50% of the people of Bengkulu City still actively speaks the language, namely the residents who live in the coastal area which is called Kampung Lamo. Overall, Bengkulu Malay received a score of 44%, so the status of its language vitality is endangered because it is in the range of 41–60%. [3]

Geographic distribution

Bengkulu Malay is mostly spoken in Bengkulu City, North Bengkulu Regency, parts of Central Bengkulu Regency, and the coast from Seluma Regency to the Pesisir Barat Regency in the province of Lampung. [4] Its speakers can also be found in the Bengkulu highlands, in Curup, Rejang Lebong Regency, amidst Rejang speakers. [5]

Apart from Indonesia, Bengkulu Malay speakers also exist in their region in Malaysia, specifically in Sungai Choh, Selangor. The Bengkulu Malays have lived there for three generations and still maintain the Bengkulu Malay. [6]

Usage

The Bengkulu Malays primarily speak Bengkulu Malay, a regional variant of the Malayic languages that has developed through assimilation with various cultures. [7] It serves as the dominant language in Bengkulu City and is widely used as a lingua franca across the province, facilitating communication between different ethnic groups.

As the most widely spoken language in the province of Bengkulu, Bengkulu Malay holds an important cultural and social role. [7] While native to the Bengkulu Malays, it is also used by other ethnic groups, including Lembak, Rejang, Batak, and Chinese communities. In rural areas, in the, where indigenous languages such as Rejang and Mukomuko are still spoken, Bengkulu Malay remains a common means of interethnic communication.

Despite linguistic diversity in the province, Bengkulu Malay continues to function as a symbol of identity for the Bengkulu Malays, reflecting their history, traditions, and cultural adaptability. [7]

Foreign influence

Bengkulu Malay has been influenced by several regional and foreign languages, including Rejang, Serawai, Pekal, Mukomuko, Minangkabau, Javanese, Arabic, English, and Dutch. Many loanwords from these languages have been incorporated into its vocabulary. For example, words such as kilap 'lightning', maap 'sorry', surgo 'heaven', and nerako 'hell' come from Arabic, while terms like kabat 'cupboard', jel 'jail', and pakit 'pocket' come from English. Meanwhile, Dutch influences can be seen in words like ban 'tire' and bangku 'bench'. [7]

Phonology

Bengkulu is written in the Latin, Jawi, and sometimes in Rejang scripts.

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p ⟨p⟩ t ⟨t⟩ tɕ ⟨c⟩ k ⟨k⟩ ʔ ⟨k⟩ (coda)
voiced b ⟨b⟩ d ⟨d⟩ dʑ ⟨j⟩ ɡ ⟨g⟩
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩, ⟨n⟩ (before c/j) ŋ ⟨ng⟩
Fricative s ⟨s⟩ ɕ ⟨si⟩( h ⟨h⟩) (coda)
Lateral l ⟨l⟩
Tap ɾ ⟨r⟩
Semivowel j ⟨y⟩ w ⟨w⟩

The letters ⟨f⟩, ⟨sy⟩, ⟨v⟩ and ⟨z⟩ are used in loanwords from Indonesian.

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ⟨i⟩ u ⟨u⟩
Middle ɛ ⟨e/é⟩ ə ⟨e⟩ ɔ ⟨o⟩
Open a ~ ɑ ⟨a⟩

Bengkulu diphthongs are ⟨ai⟩, ⟨au⟩.

References

  1. ↑ "Bengkulu in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Change Request Documentation: 2007-179". SIL International.
  3. ↑ Ardhi N., Satria (8 September 2021). "Mahasiswa UGM Teliti Ancaman Kepunahan Bahasa Melayu Bengkulu". ugm.ac.id (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University . Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Mengenal Bahasa Melayu Bengkulu: Identitas dan Bahasa Pemersatu di Provinsi Bengkulu". www.beritasatu.com (in Indonesian). Berita Satu. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Saputera, Yuda; Botifar, Maria; Zelvi, Iskandar (2025). Interaksi Komunikasi Bahasa Melayu Bengkulu di Jalan Baru Kecamatan Curup Kabupaten Rejang Lebong (Thesis) (in Indonesian). Curup: Institut Agama Islam Negeri Curup – via E-Theses IAIN Curup.
  6. ↑ Omar, Asmah Haji; Jaafar, Salinah; Mat, Siti Ruhaizah Che (2015). "Contact of Dialect Clusters: The Malay Peninsula and Sumatera". Open Journal of Modern Linguistics. 5 (5): 459–469. doi: 10.4236/ojml.2015.55040 . ISSN   2164-2818.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Morfosintaksis Bahasa Melayu Bengkulu" (PDF), Agency for Language Development and Cultivation (in Indonesian), December 2024, retrieved 2025-03-19


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