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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Malaysia (Peninsular) > Malay, Standard

Malay, Standard

A language of Malaysia (Peninsular)

ISO 639-3: zsm

Population	Some L1 speakers, but pervasive diglossia with local Malay varieties makes it difficult to estimate L1 population.
Region	Widespread Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. Also in Brunei, Singapore.
Alternate names	Formal Malay, Malay, Malayu, Melayu, Melayu Baku
Dialects	Over 80% cognate with Indonesian.
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Malayo-Sumbawan, North and East, Malayic, Malay A member of macrolanguage Malay [msa] (Malaysia).
Language use	Official language. National language. Dominant medium of instruction through secondary education and in some tertiary institutions.
Language development	Fully developed. Bible: 1733–1996.
Comments	SVO.

Also spoken in:

Brunei

Language name	Malay, Standard
Alternate names	Formal Malay, Malay, Malayu, Melayu, Melayu Baku
Language use	Official language since 1959 with the signing of the constitution. Used only in formal domains, religion, government.
Language development	Taught through third grade; used in the classroom through the final year.
Comments	L2 only.

Singapore

Language name	Malay, Standard
Population	Few L1 speakers. L2 speakers include ethnic Malays and some others, particularly the older generation.
Alternate names	Formal Malay, Malay, Malayu, Melayu, Melayu Baku
Language use	Official language. Used as medium of instruction in some schools.
Comments	In Singapore, Standard Malay [zsm] exists in a diglossic relationship with Local Malay [zlm].

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

LEVINSOHN, Stephen H., author. 1991. "Constituent order in ‘di’ clauses in Malay narratives."

OTHMAN, Normala, author. 2006. "Current trends in pronoun usage among Malay speakers."