Baba Nyonya
Baba Language
- The Malay influence
by Raymond Kwok
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Baba Nyonya
Baba Language - The Malay influence by Raymond Kwok |
AAA abok abok dust abu ash achilote catch as catch can ack, acksi to put on airs adat custom, tradition adoi! exclamation adoi! It is painful! adoi! Is that so! agak to presume, to suppose, to guess agak-agak about akai brains ah-lah! exclamation ah-lah! Why did you let the dog go? alahmak! exclamation alamak! I forgot! amboi! exclamation amboi! He clever at bisik only amboi! You are wearing such a beautiful dress! angin temperamental antak send I antak a letter to him |
| anting ear ring asap smoke asap the whole house assam (-ko) tamarind BBB bak ketiak armpits bakuli, buar guli a game children play with marbles balai police station go, make a report at the balai balang glass jar balu fresh, recently he baloo went out bangkai carcass bangku stool bangsa race kind type nor lay siang bangsa - two of a kind bangsat stingy bantai hit, thrash bantai pulot Dutch wife barangkali perhaps batang stem, tree batoh cough batu stone he is a real kepala batu he is very stubbborn bayang shadow, sign bo bayang not a sign (of him) bedak powder bedak sujuk powder made of rice flour every night she prefers to be old fashioned and applies bedak sujuk on her face belekeh; selekeh untidy, messy Ayoh! her house is really belekeh! berlian diamonds bengkak swollen
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| bengkeng uncouth, rude, crude he has no manners, very bengkeng berepek loose mouth, one who talks nonsense he's got no brains; he's only good at berepek only berkumbak; berkembarbb twins berlagak bbshow off very good to berlagak, can't stand him)Berlian diamonds betui betui really bichala go to court, court action not yet bichala the trial hasn't started biji seed bilan, bidan midwife bila jam when (showing impatience) bila jam can you finish the job? also used in challenges: You want to fight me? Any time! bilai wash, rinse bintang star, brooch bisik whisper bising noisy bisoay, misoay boils bongkar expose bungkui bundle, wrap botak bald botoi bottle bua guli, bua guling marbles bua fruit bua peliak scrotum bunting pregnant Buah peliak scrotum buntut fat, rotund buruk bad lawyer buruk (fake lawyer) one who talks nonsense busuk foul smelling buta blind, all for nothing |
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Tones ` down tone as in tay (earth) ^ up tone as in ch'uan (tired) ! abrupt sound n nasal
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| ************************************************************* Raymond Kwok: Phone 604 656 9550 email dkwok@tm.net.my ***************************************************** ******** |
| ______ INDEX Point to the article that you want to read, and CLICK Index page Baba words Book
review Food guide
Peace pact (2) Letter from Pulau Tikus Letter to the editor Pulau Tikus discovered Prince of Wales Island Gazette (5)
Road names |
_____________________ The Penang File Issue 33 |