Serdang Malay (Serdang Malay: Bahase Melayu Serdang, Jawi: بهاسي ملايو سردڠ) is a Malayic language primarily spoken by the Malay people living in Serdang Bedagai Regency, the city of Tebing Tinggi, and eastern part of Deli Serdang Regency in North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is closely related to other Malay varieties spoken in the eastern coast of Sumatra such as Deli Malay and Langkat Malay.[2] While Serdang Malay is the indigenous language of Serdang, it is no longer dominant due to migration from other parts of Indonesia, including Java and Kalimantan.[3] Despite these influences, Serdang Malay is still widely spoken as the lingua franca and a common language for social interaction in Serdang. It coexists with migrant languages like Javanese and Banjarese. Many migrants, including the Banjar and Batak groups such as the Karo and Mandailing people, are also proficient in Serdang Malay.[4] The language has been influenced by other Indonesian languages, especially Banjarese, brought by Banjar migrants from South Kalimantan. Their influence can be seen in Serdang Malay's phonology and morphology.[5]

Serdang Malay is mainly used in informal settings, while standard Indonesian is reserved for formal contexts such as schools and government institutions. The role of Serdang Malay is evident in daily interactions, including greetings, casual conversations on the street or in markets, and discussions in rice fields, on the beach, and other communal spaces. It is primarily a spoken language, whereas written communication is typically in standard Indonesian. For instance, letters to family members, as well as sermons in mosques and prayer halls, are usually delivered in Indonesian or Arabic.[6] It is also used for traditional Malay ceremonies and rituals. The traditional ceremonies of the Serdang Malay people are closely tied to the belief system of their ancestors, which continues to be practiced today.[6] In these ceremonies, Serdang Malay plays a vital role. The language used in traditional rituals differs from everyday colloquial Serdang Malay. This distinction is marked by specific variations, particularly in word choice kinship terms, and the noble language of the Malay aristocracy, which is rarely used in daily conversation.[6]

Classification

Serdang Malay is a Malayic language. Speakers of Malayic languages are spread from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, to the southernmost part of the Philippines. Malay is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, which includes languages from Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia. Malagasy, a geographic outlier spoken in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, is also a member of this language family. Although these languages are not necessarily mutually intelligible to any extent, their similarities are often quite apparent. In more conservative languages like Malay, many roots have come with relatively little change from their common ancestor, Proto-Austronesian. There are many cognates found in the languages' words for kinship, health, body parts and common animals. Numbers, especially, show remarkable similarities.[7]

Serdang Malay is closely related to other Malay varieties spoken along the eastern coast of North Sumatra, including Asahan Malay, Deli Malay, Langkat Malay, and Panai Malay.[2] Collectively, these varieties are classified as the East Sumatran Malay group.[8] It is estimated that the differences between these dialects ranges from 51% to 71.50%.[9] The differences between these varieties primarily lie in their phonology and lexicon. Despite these differences, they share a high degree of similarity.

Geographic distribution and usage

Serdang Malay is mainly spoken in areas that were once part of the Serdang Sultanate, including Serdang Bedagai Regency, and eastern part of Deli Serdang Regency. It is also spoken in Tebing Tinggi city, where many Serdang Malays migrants from Serdang Bedagai have settled.[10] It is spoken in areas with significant Malay populations, such as Perbaungan, which was the royal capital of the Serdang Sultanate and the cultural center of the Serdang Malays community, as well as Pantai Cermin and Teluk Mengkudu in Serdang Bedagai Regency, and also Lubuk Pakam, the capital of Deli Serdang Regency.[11][12] In Tanjung Beringin, especially in the village of Nagur on the southeast coast of the regency, Serdang Malay is spoken by the ethnic Malay who are collectively called Tanjung Beringin Malays, also by Javanese minority. This dialect relies mainly on changing the letter [a] to the letter [o], similar to Batubara Malay, unlike other dialects of Serdang Malay which change to the letter [e].[13][14]

Serdang Malay is primarily used in daily social interactions and traditional ceremonies. Its role is particularly significant in everyday communication, not only among the Serdang Malay community but also among migrant groups such as the Banjar, Mandailing, and Javanese.[6] The traditional ceremonies of the Serdang Malay people are closely tied to the belief system of their ancestors, which continues to be practiced today. These traditions are expressed through various rituals, including engagement, marriage, housewarming, jamu laut (sea offerings), melenggang perut or mandi tian (prenatal rituals), membelah mulut (a baby’s first tooth-cutting ceremony), and others.[6] In these ceremonies, Serdang Malay plays a significant role. However, in religious ceremonies, its presence is less prominent. Sermons in mosques, funeral rites, and wedding vows are typically conducted in Arabic, with Indonesian also commonly used.[6]

The use of Serdang Malay in daily life coexists with the languages of migrant communities, such as Banjarese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and Karo. Many Banjar, Karo, and Mandailing people can speak Serdang Malay, and vice versa.[4] In formal education and government, Serdang Malay is no longer used. It remains primarily spoken within families and during traditional ceremonies, while standard Indonesian is used in formal settings. Indonesian, which evolved from Johor-Riau Malay, became the language of instruction in Serdang's formal education system in the early 20th century during the Dutch colonial era. This shift was marked by the establishment of madrasahs, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, and vocational schools.[1] Many Serdang Malay speakers frequently code-switch or code-mix between Serdang Malay and Indonesian. The growing influence of Indonesian has triggered a language shift, posing a threat to the Serdang Malay community. Younger generations are becoming increasingly reluctant to speak Serdang Malay, while local terms are gradually being replaced by their Indonesian equivalents.[15]

Phonology

Serdang Malay, like many other regional languages in Indonesia, lacks a standardized phonological system. Nevertheless, many of the phonological system designed for Serdang Malay is loosely based on standard Indonesian orthography, especially the system created by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

Vowels

Like Indonesian and Standard Malay, Serdang Malay has six vowels. These vowels are /i/, /e/, /ə/, /a/, /u/, and /o/.[16]

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a

Notes:

  • In writing, /e/ and /ə/ are both represented as ⟨e⟩.

Consonants

Serdang Malay has 19 consonants.[17]

Labial Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Uvular Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/

Affricate

voiceless p t t͡ʃ k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ
Fricative voiceless s h
voiced
Approximant w l j
Trill ʀ̥

Notes: In writing, the following phonemes are represented as thus:

  • /ŋ/ is ⟨ng⟩
  • /ɲ/ is ⟨ny⟩
  • /t͡ʃ/ is ⟨c⟩
  • /d͡ʒ/ is ⟨j⟩
  • /ʔ/ is ⟨k⟩
  • /j/ is ⟨y⟩
  • /ʀ̥/ is ⟨r⟩

Diphthongs

Serdang Malay has 3 diphthongs.[18] The following examples illustrate their usage:

  • /au/: ijau 'green'
  • /ai/: pantai 'beach'
  • /oi/: amboi '(interjection that expresses surprise, pity, or admiration)'

Grammar

Main article: Malay grammar

Along with Indonesian, standard Malay, and other Malayic languages, the word order in Serdang Malay is typically subject-verb-object (SVO). While there are notable exceptions, the grammar structure of Serdang Malay shares many similarities with Indonesian and Standard Malay.

Affixes

The affixes found in Serdang Malay are of four types: prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes, and compound affixes.[19] The table below presents a list of some examples of affixes used in Serdang Malay, along with their allomorphs, meanings, and examples:

Type of affixes Affixes Allomorphs Functions and meanings Example of basic word Example of derived word
Prefixes meN- mem-, men-, me-, ny-, meng, ng- Used to form verbs or adjectives. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing an action’ when combined with a verb and ‘expressing a quality as described by the root word’ when combined with an adjective.[20] itam 'black' ngitam 'to become black'
beR- be-, ber- Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘having an object as described by the root word’ when combined with a noun, ‘being in a state or performing an action’ when combined with a verb, ‘possessing a quality as described by the root word’ when combined with an adjective, and ‘becoming a group totaling...’ when combined with a numeral.[21] sabar 'patience' besabar 'to be patient'
peN- pem-, pen-, peny-, pe-, peng- Used to form nouns. It conveys the meaning of ‘forming the meaning of ‘a person who [does something] or a tool for [doing something]’ when combined with a noun or verb, and ‘expressing a quality as described by the root word’ when combined with an adjective.[22] sapu 'broom' penyapu 'sweeper'
teR- te-, ter- Used to form verbs or adjectives. It conveys the meaning of ‘arriving at…’ when combined with a noun, ‘by accident’ when combined with a verb, and ‘most’ when combined with an adjective.[23] lagak 'pretty' telagak 'most pretty'
se- none Used to form adjectives and numerals. It conveys the meaning of ‘one’ when combined with a noun and ‘indicating equality’ when combined with an adjective.[24] burok 'bad' seburok 'as bad as'
di- none Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task with the object described by the root word’ when combined with a noun and ‘performing a task according to the root word’ when combined with a verb.[25] jale 'net' dijale 'to be caught using a net'
Suffixes -i none Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task with…’ or ‘discarding or killing’ when combined with a noun, ‘repetitive’ when combined with a verb, and ‘causative’ when combined with an adjective.[26] kulit 'skin' kuliti 'to skin something'
-ke none Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task as described by the root word’ when combined with a noun, ‘performing a task for someone else’ or ‘causative’ when combined with a verb, and ‘causative’ when combined with an adjective or numerals.[27] sejok 'cold' sejokke 'to make something become cold'
-an none Used to form nouns. It conveys the meaning of ‘location or what is [verb]-ed’ when combined with a verb and ‘more [adjective]’ when combined with an adjective.[28] asam 'sour' asaman 'more sour'
Circumfixes ke-...-an none Used to form nouns. It conveys the meaning of ‘indicating a location’ when combined with a noun, ‘indicating an abstraction or thing’ when combined with a noun and ‘known or suffering or an abstraction’ when combined with an adjective.[29] raje 'king' kerajean 'kingdom'
beR-...-an be-, ber- Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘mutual’ or ‘an action from the root word performed by many actors at the same time’ when combined with a verb, and ‘many [adjective]’ when combined with an adjective.[30] pukol 'to hit' bepukolan 'to hit one another'
peN-...-an pem-, pen-, peny-, pe-, peng- Used to form nouns. It conveys the meaning of ‘thing or result’ when combined with a verb or adjective.[31] jual 'to sell' penjualan 'sales'
peR-...-an pe-, peR- Used to form nouns. It conveys the meaning of ‘things related to what is mentioned in the root word,’ ‘area,’ or ‘place’ when combined with a noun or verb.[32] perang 'war' peperangan 'things related to wars'
Compound affixes meN-...-ke mem-, men-, me-, ny-, meng, ng- Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task according to the root word’ when combined with a verb, and ‘making it as described by the root word’ when combined with an adjective or verb.[33] angkat 'to lift' ngangkatke 'performing the task of lifting'
meN-...-i mem-, men-, me-, ny-, meng, ng- Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘giving or discarding as described by the root word’ when combined with a noun, ‘performing a repetitive task or many actors performing the task’ when combined with a verb, and ‘making/causing (the object) as described by the root word’ when combined with an adjective.[34] garam 'salt' menggarami 'to add salt to something'
di-...-ke none Used to form verbs.It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task as described by the root word’ when combined with a verb or adjective.[35] lebar 'wide' dilebarke 'to be widened'
di-...-kenye none Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘performing a task as described by the root word’ when combined with a noun, verb, or adjective.[36] cabot 'to pluck' dicabotkenye 'performing the task of plucking'
teR-...-i te-, ter- Used to form verbs. It conveys the meaning of ‘can be [verb]’ when combined with a noun, verb, or adjective.[37] dekat 'near' tedekati 'can be approached'

Reduplication

References

  1. ^ a b Noor et al. 1995, p. 23.
  2. ^ a b Natalia, Ayu; Muryati; Rukiyah, Siti (2024-05-13). "Kearifan Bahasa Melayu Pesisir Timur Sumatera dalam Perkembangan Penggunaan Bahasa Indonesia". Innovative: Journal of Social Science Research. 4 (3): 2333–2342. doi:10.31004/innovative.v4i3.10765 (inactive 26 February 2025). ISSN 2807-4238.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2025 (link)
  3. ^ Anugrah, Murti (2015). ” Perilaku politik masyarakat pada pemilihan legislatif tahun 2014 : Studi tentang relasi agama dan etnisitas pemilih terhadap kemenangan H. Usman Efendi Sitorus, S.Ag, MSP sebagai calon legislatif Dapil III Kab. Serdang (Thesis) (in Indonesian). State Islamic University of North Sumatra.
  4. ^ a b Noor et al. 1995, p. 24.
  5. ^ Khairunisha, Risza (2020). Interferensi Bahasa Banjar Ke dalam Bahasa Melayu Serdang Masyarakat Dusun V Desa Pematang Sijonam, Kecamatan Perbaungan, Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai (Undergraduate thesis) (in Indonesian). State University of Medan.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Noor et al. 1995, p. 25.
  7. ^ Adelaar, K. Alexander; Himmelmann, Nikolaus (2013-03-07). The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar. Routledge. ISBN 9781136755095.
  8. ^ Nuzwaty (2017-11-14), Leksikal Pemarkah Evidensial pada Bahasa Kualuh, doi:10.31219/osf.io/hbpf3, retrieved 2025-02-19
  9. ^ Pramuniati, Isda; Mahriyuni, Mahriyuni; Syarfina, Tengku (2024-01-09). "The vitality of Malay Language in North Sumatera, Indonesia". Research Journal in Advanced Humanities. 5 (1). doi:10.58256/h2vqkg98. ISSN 2708-5953.
  10. ^ Haratikka, Haya (2021-08-27). "Malay Language in STIE Bina Karya". Linguistik, Terjemahan, Sastra (LINGTERSA). 2 (2): 24–30. doi:10.32734/lingtersa.v2i2.8548. ISSN 2775-5622.
  11. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 22.
  12. ^ Heny, Widiyawati; Widyati, Dwi D. (2017). Geografi Dialek Bahasa Melayu di Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai. Repository Institusi Universitas Sumatera Utara (RI-USU) (Thesis) (in Indonesian). Medan: University of North Sumatra.
  13. ^ "Masyarakat Melayu Pesisir di Kecamatan Tanjung Beringin Sergai". www.internationalmedia.id (in Indonesian). International Media. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  14. ^ Abidin, Khoirul; Mulyani, Rozanna (2019). Kesantunan Berbahasa Muda-Mudi Melayu di Tanjung Beringin: Suatu Kajian Pragmatik. Repository Institusi Universitas Sumatera Utara (RI-USU) (Thesis) (in Indonesian). Medan: University of North Sumatra.
  15. ^ Faridah (2014). Khazanah Ekoleksikal, Sikap, dan Pergeseran Bahasa Melayu Serdang : Kajian Ekolinguistik. Repository Institusi Universitas Sumatera Utara (RI-USU) (Doctoral thesis) (in Indonesian). Medan: University of North Sumatra.
  16. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 37.
  17. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 39.
  18. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 42.
  19. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 87.
  20. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 90.
  21. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 92.
  22. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 94.
  23. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 96.
  24. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 97.
  25. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 98.
  26. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 100.
  27. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 101-102.
  28. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 103.
  29. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 104-105.
  30. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 106.
  31. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 108.
  32. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 109.
  33. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 111.
  34. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 112.
  35. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 113.
  36. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 114.
  37. ^ Noor et al. 1995, p. 116.

Bibliography

Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serdang_Malay
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