Lah-Lah Land
Working on the Malaysian English of my third novel has made me think about that peculiarly Malaysian word “-lah”. It’s not really a word, I suppose - more a suffix used from time to time in colloquial Malaysian English as an emphasiser. “-Lah” is used only in Malaysia, as far as I know.
There’s a great entry in Wikipedia about Malaysian English with a section on the use of “-lah”. The entry implies that it derives from Chinese rather than Malay, although there is a suffix “-lah” used in Malay. I believe that the usage and context of the sound in Malay and Malaysian English are different - the “-lah” of Malay is a grammatical element that is integral to the language whereas “-lah” in Malaysian English can be dropped without changing the meaning. This is my lay person’s understanding - if there are any linguists or academics out there who would like to comment or deepen our understanding on this point, please do add a comment!
There’s also long discourse on Malaysian English - aka Manglish to afficionados - at Malaysia Uncut.
I speak in Manglish with my family and Malaysian friends and happily slip into “-lah” this and “-lah” that. If an English friend is also present, I can switch to full English English in the same breath as I turn towards them. My English friends who have visited Malaysia use “-lah” when remembering the fun times they had on their visits - but it sounds weird when tacked onto a proper English English sentence!
I’d love to hear from Malaysians living in Malaysia or abroad about your emotional connection with “-lah” and/ or Malaysian English. And also any migrants to Malaysia from other English speaking countries - have you got the hang of Lah-Lah land?
Photo: thanks to gamleys .co.uk
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Wed, November 29th, 2006 - Author
Yang-May Ooi - Category
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November 30th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Only on two aspects of lah, there are many more: I think -lah doesn’t change the meaning per se of the word it comes after - in both Malay and Manglish - it changes the emotion, the tone it is pronounced is most commonly “brusque” as wikipedia said, or cajoling: “Come out with us lah! No fun without you.” In Malay: tidak bolehlah means the same thing as tidak boleh - there is no grammatical difference. But emotionally the -lah is more regretful or emphatic. So when the Chinese speak that into manglish, we get the ubiquitous: Cannotlah! (Brusque:That’s a ridiculous request or Cajoling: I really want to but regretfully must refuse). The reason why it is probably attributed to more Chinese people speaking it, is that native Malay speakers would probably just switch to Malay and use the malay word with the lah. I went to a Malay school and I would often begin my sentence in English, switch to Malay and end in English. “Why you tidak boleh datang (can’t come) my party? “Too busylah…(cajoling: I’d like too but can’t or brusque: you know my life is so hectic and I am frustrated about it)” It’s become the symbol of Manglish, because i think it is a curiously intimate nuance in the language. It assumes you have knowledge about the speaker, and gives you extra clues by the intonation. I, for one, don’t use it casually and only with people I feel comfortable with - but that’s me. Perhaps we should have an evening where we get together YM, and only speak Manglish to practice dialogue for your book!!! Interestingly the Wikipedia article made a difference between Malaysian English and Manglish (colloquial) - would like to explore more of that - any thoughts?
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:22 pm
What a relief to find someone else who has the same problem as i do! Being a M’sian Chinese i can happily chat to my M’sian Indian friend in Manglish with our ‘unique’ distinct accent. But after the conversation has ended we do get stares from those around us as they could only understand every other English word and that we were speaking too fast! Also all the words with the -lahs at the end totally confused them! Thoroughly amusing though.
But this means that i have to speak proper English English and very slowly when speaking to clients. I do sometimes forget and my M’sian accent creeps back and it’s only when someone says ‘pardon?’ do i remember that I have to talk slloowweerr!
December 17th, 2006 at 10:13 am
RE: Pey’s Resonse to “Lah-Lah Land”
Pey hits the nail on the head when he/she writes about “lah” that:
>
I correspond by e-mail from the USA with good friends that I have made in my many visits to Malaysia. I find that “lah” has been very effective in situations that have required “extra cues” but at the same time, has only been effective precisely because those friends and I have acquired quite a lot of knowledge about each other. As Pey notes, “lah” gives a curiously intimate nuance,” even in an e-mail.
I was introduced to your blog by an article about you in today’s Star newspaper, which I read online regularly. I look forward to the Bookshelf section, in which I read the interview.
I have found most of the interesting authors I have read in the past few years in the Star’s book reviews, more than I have found through my local newspapers. The Star reviews far more “fusion” writers than the US media does.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Finally lah! Someone with same experience! Good lah! Fu-yooooh!
Anyway, I’ve stayed in Malaysia for 1 year and trust, you get the hang of it to use the -lah… After 5 months there, I just couldn’t stop using the “lah”, it was something natural to say…
I love Malaysia man…seriously, that’s my second home!
I remember that I was standing there in the post office, the woman told me it was 50 sen and 2,5 ringit for my letters, I just said without thinking: So 3 ringit lah!…the woman looked at me thinking “apa ni?! Mat saleh…die cakap “lah”!!! So she asked me: boleh bercakap bahasa Melayu?…that was so funny..
Now I’m half Malaysian, half Belgian, so Belaysian lah!
Saya anak Malaysia :D!
take care