You know, I’ve been staying in Terengganu for more than half a decade now but I don’t seem to pick up the local language as fast as I’d like to. But of course, over the course of six years, I haven’t been communicating MUCH with the local Malays, but that’s another story.
The Terengganu Malay language is a funny one. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I don’t grow up here and that’s why I see everything unfamiliar as funny. I mean, where else do you pronounce “ayam” as “ayang” and “ikan” and “ikang”?? For example, if you’re at the wet market and you want to buy a chicken and a fish, you tell the lady, “Mek, nok beli ayang dan ikang” and she tells you, “Spuluh yah”, meaning ten ringgit.
And, where else can you see a HUGE billboard with sentences you don’t understand? Terengganu kekgi??!! Ke arah generasi ulul albab?! What the fish is ulul albab anyway?!
And where else can you find a Chinese New Year banner, sponsored by the MP to the residents, but there isn’t a single Chinese character in it?
Ouh, and by the way, we need another BIG banner to inform everybody that KUSTEM is now officially UMT..
Hip, hip, hooray!
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LOL! Now that reminds me of a part of Sabah (in Tawau) where the people there speaks like Bugis. Well, there’s a hell lot of immigrants over there, so I think people in Tawau tend to pick up their language as well. They also pronounce ikan as “ikang”, plastic bag as “kompek” and the list goes on… Sometimes they confuse me that I refused to continue talking. LOL.
pelf: Ouh..? The locals in Terengganu call plastic bags “sumpit” !!
But er… that signboard you posted, I have no idea what “Kekgi” means. It’s a public board. Shouldn’t they be using our National language, one that EVERYONE can understand??? Weird. And yah, it’s weird seeing CNY wishes with non-Chinese letters on it. We have that too back in Sabah. :|
pelf: Ouh, and we just found some similarities between Terengganu and Sabah, didn’t we?
Don’t know about Tawau, but the part of Sabah where I’m staying, we call plastic bag as “bahai”.
pelf: WOW.. No offense, but THAT sounds vulgar!
oh yeah, other part of Sabah called it “bahai”. LOL.
kinda sounds like “mah*i” eh? LOL
pelf: Err, well, yea.. It does sound like that
hmm….Terengganu reminds me about Pulau Redang…great place for divers…hehee..
pelf: Do you come to Terengganu often?
hi pelf…
u did mentioned bout “…what the fish is ulul albab?” rite???
well FYI, ulul albab means gedung ilmu..ulul albab is in arabic.
specifically:
ulul=ilmu
albab=gedung/pintu
so, “terengganu lening ke arah ulul albab” =”terengganu skang ke arah gedung ilmu”..get it pelf? *smile*
“terengganu kekgi” = “terengganu nanti” :-)
pelf: Thanks for the explanations!!