Serdang Malay

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

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. Collectively, these varieties are classified as the East Sumatran Malay group. It is estimated that the differences between these dialects ranges from 51% to 71.50%. 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. 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. 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 to the letter similar to Batubara Malay, unlike other dialects of Serdang Malay which change to the letter

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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/.

Notes:

* In writing, and are both represented as .

Consonants

Serdang Malay has 19 consonants.

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

* is
* is
* is
* is
* is
* is
* is

Diphthongs

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

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

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. The table below presents a list of some examples of affixes used in Serdang Malay, along with their allomorphs, meanings, and examples:

Reduplication

In Serdang Malay, as in other varieties of Malay, reduplication is also present. Reduplication in Serdang Malay does not change the word class. Reduplication serves several functions, such as indicating plurality, expressing repeated actions, conveying reciprocity, indicating ‘somewhat’ or ‘rather,’ describing quality, condition, or characteristic as stated in the root word, and denoting distributive quantity within groups. There are two types of reduplication in Serdang Malay: base-form reduplication and affixed-form reduplication.

Examples of base-form reduplication are shown below:

* ''tingkap'' 'window' ''→'' ''tingkap-tingkap'' 'windows'
* ''daon'' 'leaf' ''→'' ''daon-daon'' 'leaves'
* ''malu'' 'shy' ''→'' ''malu-malu'' 'a bit shy'
* ''panjang'' 'long' ''→'' ''panjang-panjang'' 'long things'

Examples of affixed-form reduplication are shown below:

* ''meriah'' 'crowded' ''→'' ''semeriah-meriahnye'' 'as crowded as possible'
* ''dekap'' 'to hug' ''→'' ''bedekap-dekapan'' 'to hug one another'
* ''bual'' 'to talk' ''→'' ''bebual-bual'' 'to chat repetitively'
* ''lari'' 'to run' ''→'' ''berlari-lari'' 'to run around repetitively'

Nouns

Nouns in Serdang Malay have several characteristics. They can function as the subject, predicate, and object in a sentence. They can be accompanied by the morphemes ''nun'' or ''yan'' meaning ‘that’ and ''ne'' or ''nen'' meaning ‘this.’ They can also be followed by the morpheme ''nang'' meaning ‘who/which.’ Additionally, nouns can take affixes such as ''peN-'', ''peN-...-an'', ''peR-...-an'', ''-an'', and ''ke-...-an''. They can be pluralized through reduplication and can be replaced by the pronouns ''die'' meaning ‘he/she’ and ''mereke'' meaning ‘they.’ In Serdang Malay, nouns can be classified into four types based on their ability to be preceded by classifiers when expressing quantity. The first type consists of nouns that can be preceded by the classifier ''buah'', which is used for inanimate objects, large items, or general things. The second type includes nouns that can be preceded by ''ekor'', a classifier specifically used for animals. The third type includes nouns that can be preceded by ''orang'' ‘person’ when specifying quantity. The fourth type consists of uncountable nouns.

Examples of nouns that can be preceded by the classifier ''buah'' are shown below:

* ''due buah kelamber'' 'two coconuts'
* ''tujoh buah pisang'' 'seven bananas'

Examples of nouns that can be preceded by the classifier ''ekor'' are shown below:

* ''tige ekor ikan'' 'three fishes'
* ''lime ekor ketam'' 'five crabs'

Examples of nouns that can be preceded by the classifier ''orang'' are shown below:

* ''lapan orang pendudok'' 'eight locals'
* ''enam orang nelayan'' 'six fishermen'

Examples of uncountable nouns are shown below:

* ''kebahagian'' 'happiness'
* ''kesejokan'' 'coldness'

Verbs

Verbs in Serdang Malay have several characteristics. They tend to function as predicates, can be followed by adjectives, and can be preceded by particles. They can take various affixes, including ''me-'', ''beR-'', ''beR-...-an'', ''-ke'', ''-i'', ''meN-...-ke'', ''meN-...-i'', ''teR-'', ''teR-...-ke'', and ''teR-...-i''. Additionally, verbs can be made passive by adding the affixes ''di-'', ''di-...-ke'', and ''di-...-i''. Serdang Malay verbs can be categorized into three types: verbs that can be followed by a single noun, verbs that can be followed by a noun phrase, and verbs that are not followed by a noun (intransitive verbs).

Examples of verbs that can be followed by a single noun are shown below:

* ''membawe padi'' 'to bring crops'
* ''menjual mempelam'' 'to sell mangoes'
Examples of verbs that can be followed by a noun phrase are shown below:
* ''menebang pokok kelamber'' 'to cut down a coconut tree'
* ''nyari jarom jaet'' 'to find a sewing needle'
Examples of intransitive verbs are shown below:

* ''beputar'' 'to turn'
* ''benyanyi'' 'to sing'

Adjectives

Adjectives in Serdang Malay have several characteristics. They can be followed or preceded by nouns, preceded by verbs, followed by particles as intensifiers, and take the suffix -an to indicate a comparative degree. There are three types of adjectives in Serdang Malay: the positive form, the comparative form, and the superlative form. The positive form is used to describe a simple or neutral quality, without any comparison. The comparative form expresses a difference in degree between two entities, typically indicating that something is more or less than another, and can be marked by the prefix ''se''- or the suffix ''-an''. The superlative form indicates the highest or extreme degree of a quality, often describing the most or least of something in comparison, and can be marked by the morpheme ''kali'', ''sunggoh'' or ''betol'', all of which in this context means 'so', ‘very’ or ‘extremely'. These comparative structures can be expressed through either bound or free morphemes.

Examples of positive adjectives are shown below:

* ''kabar mendai'' 'good news'
* ''tidor lelap'' 'deep sleep'
Examples of comparative adjectives are shown below:

* ''sepokak'' 'as deaf as'
* ''meriahan'' 'more crowded'

Examples of superlative adjectives are shown below:

* ''sial betol'' 'very unfortunate'
* ''lambat'' kali 'so slow'

Numerals

Numerals in Serdang Malay have several characteristics. They can be followed by nouns and can undergo reduplication to indicate grouped quantities. There are three types of numerals in Serdang Malay: definite numerals, which express specific quantities; indefinite numerals, which indicate an unspecified amount; and ordinal numerals, which denote ranking or order.

Examples of definite numerals are shown below:

* ''satu'' 'one'
* ''lime'' 'five'
* ''sepuloh'' 'ten'
* ''tige puloh'' 'thirty'

Examples of indefi

* ''banyak'' 'many'
* ''sikit'' 'few'
* ''semue'' 'all'

Examples of ordinal numerals are shown below:

* ''kedue'' 'second'
* ''kelime'' 'fifth'
* ''kesebelas'' 'eleventh'

Particles

Particles in Serdang Malay have distinct characteristics: they cannot take affixes, they can be followed by nouns, verbs, adjectives, or numerals, and they can be preceded by nouns or verbs. Particles can be classified into several types: those that can be followed by nouns, those that can be followed by verbs or adjectives, those that can only be preceded by adjectives, those that can be followed by numerals and adjectives, those that can be followed by both nouns and verbs, and those that function as connectors between words, between words and phrases, or between phrases.

Examples of particles that can be followed by nouns are shown below:

* ''di pekan'' 'at the market'
* ''ke kebun'' 'to the field'
* ''dari laot'' 'from the sea'

Examples of particles that can be followed by verbs or adjectives are shown below:

* ''belom balek'' 'have not go home'
* ''tengah tidor'' 'is sleeping'
* ''endah masok'' 'wants to enter'

Examples of particles that can only be preceded by adjectives are shown below:

* ''lagak kali'' 'so pretty'
* ''malas betol'' 'so lazy'
* ''besar sunggoh'' 'so big'

Examples of particles that can be followed by numerals and adjective are shown below:

* ''amper putus'' 'almost disconnected'
* ''kurang satu'' 'short by one'
* ''lebeh tige'' 'an excess of three'

Examples of particles that can be followed by both nouns and verbs are shown below:

* ''ia pe'' 'he too'
* ''raje pe'' 'the king too'
* ''makan pe belom'' 'have not eaten too'

Examples of particles that function as connectors between words, between words and phrases, or between phrases are shown below:

* ''lenjar tide datang ie'' 'and then he did not come'
* ''raje seberang tekene lenjar tekapa''r 'the king on the other side was struck until he collapsed'
* ''emak dan abah'' 'mom and dad'

Vocabulary

Like other varieties of Eastern Sumatran Malay, Serdang Malay features a wealth of unique lexicons not found in Indonesian or other Malay varieties. As with many Malay dialects, it has absorbed numerous loanwords from foreign languages, particularly Arabic, due to the influence of Islam in both the Serdang region and the wider area. An example of this is ''abah'' 'father', which is borrowed from the Arabic ''abā'' (أَبَاً). Additionally, Serdang Malay has incorporated loanwords from Indonesian. As Indonesian holds the status of the national language and serves as the ''lingua franca'' in schools, many traditional Serdang Malay words have gradually been replaced by their Indonesian counterparts, leading to the decline in usage of many Serdang Malay terms.

Below are examples of commonly used Serdang Malay vocabularies along with their Indonesian and English translations:

Numerals

Directions

Personal Pronouns

Interrogatives Pronouns

Nouns

Verbs

Adjectives

Writing system

Like many other Malay varieties, Serdang Malay was historically written in Jawi script, also known as Arab-Melayu, a modified form of the Arabic script. Jawi served as the royal script of the Sultanate of Serdang and was used in official contexts, such as correspondence with other Malay kingdoms. Jawi was also widely used in Serdang's cultural sphere, including inscriptions and traditional Serdang Malay ceremonies. The use of Jawi script declined significantly during the Dutch colonial era with the introduction of the Latin script. This trend continued after Indonesia's independence, as standard Indonesian, written in the Latin script, became the official medium of instruction in schools. Today, the use of Jawi in Serdang is very limited in daily life and is mostly confined to cultural and religious purposes.

See also

* Serdang Bedagai Regency
* Deli Serdang Regency
* Sultanate of Serdang
* Langkat Malay
* Deli Malay
* Tamiang Malay

References

Bibliography

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Agglutinative languages
Languages of Indonesia
Malay dialects
Malayic languages