The depiction of ‘Bahasa Rojak’

Introduction

Code-switching is the natural alternation of two or more languages in a speaker’s speech that occurs in the system of bilingualism. According to reports, code-switching occurs subconsciously and ‘people may not be aware that they switched or be able to report, following a conversation; which code they used for a specific issue’ (Ariffin & Rafik-Galea, 2009:1). While code-switching is a spontaneous process, research has shown that it can be employed as a communicating device depending on the switcher’s communicative intentions. It is viewed as a communication method that gives continuity in speech to compensate for the inability to express.

Bahasa Rojak in Malaysia

Code-switching is a widespread phenomenon especially in a bilingual country like Malaysia. The fusion of its mixed citizens, like Malays, Chinese, Indians and other minorities, has an indirect impact on the people’s use of language and communication approach. This demonstrates Malaysians’ proficiency in several languages, as they can switch between two or more languages in a conversation. This may be witnessed for the first time in 1970, when the implementation of national language policy reformed the education system in Malaysia, where Malay is the national language to foster national unity among varied ethnic groups. However, public primary schools have given students the option of learning one of three major languages: Malay, Mandarin or Tamil. Nonetheless, all secondary public schools must employ Malay as the medium of instruction (Ismadi et.al, 2021). As a result, mixing more than one language is common in a Malaysian’s daily life. Due to most of them speaking the dialects that their ancestors which they themselves have carried with them and passed down and mixing with their second or third languages which would show a sense of retaining and maintaining their ethnic identity while living in a multiracial country.

On that reason, the term ‘bahasa rojak’ is used in Malaysian speech communities to allude the diverse quality of the spoken language, employing the metaphor of the local mixed fruit and vegetable salad (Bakar, 2009). The term ‘bahasa rojak’ refers to any combination of two or more languages that is used in a communication with any of the languages serving as the basis language. A well-known example is ‘Manglish’ which combines words or phrases from Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tamil and a few other languages with English. To delve deeper, two forms are necessary: ‘Rojak Phonology’ and ‘Rojak Morphology’ (Bakar, 2009). ‘Rojak Phonology is the act of importing word properties from English word whereas ‘Rojak Morphology’ refers to imported lexical words that can be attached to Malay morphemes such as ‘-kan’, and the most notable example is ‘-lah’. Consequently, these features indicate a creolization process within the language in Malaysia by the mixing and adding.

Examples of the ‘Rojak’ elements. (Bakar, 2009:103)

Example 1: Phonology

Consonant cluster simplification

Deletion of final consonant in word-final consonant

clusters.

e.g. “predict” — [‘predik’]

“breakfast” — [‘brekfes’]

Example 2: Morphology

i)the verbal “-kan”

lepas tu kan ensurekan semua orang masuk.

Translation: make sure everyone comes in.

ii)the emphatic “-lah”

Beza dia aku rasa macam basically ko punya time, time managementlah.

Translation: I think the difference is just basically your time management.

Film vs Reality

Consequently, code-switching phenomena can be regarded to be successful in bringing out Malaysia’s distinct communicating strategy. To explore more on ‘bahasa rojak’ through the exploration on films. This is because, film has been identified as the most suited medium for representing the ‘richness and complexity of real-life multilingual reality’ (Bleichenbacher, 2008). It depicts the identity of the nation’s multicultural citizens through code-switching in the characters’ talks, reinforcing the premise that film is a reaction to reality. According to Lee et al. (2012), code-switching occurrences in the Malaysian film Sepet (2005) were identified to be one of the fundamental communication strategies utilized by young Malaysians. The film successfully shows Malaysia as a harmonious multicultural nation, with a focus on racial relations. It is also presented in three of Malaysia’s most widely spoken languages: English, Malay and Cantonese.

When the characters communicate with addresses from various domains, the code-switching becomes visible. Jason, the main character, is a multilingual high school graduate from a Chinese family. This is presented when at home, he speaks Cantonese with his family members. However, when he enter the friend domain, he switches to English and Malay to converse with his best friend Keong and even his girlfriend Orked (Ling et.al, 2012). On the other hand, Orked is a bilingual Malay girl who is also semi-fluent in Cantonese. Orked conversation is mostly in Malay and English with some Cantonese thrown in for good measure. This is evident for example, when Orked communicates with her parents in Malay and English. Therefore, the characters in this film skillfully demonstrates the change in language choosing and depending on the domains that they are in at the time, as well as the multilingual capabilities of a typical Malaysian. The Excerpt below shows the scene of a conversation in three languages.

Example of ‘Bahasa Rojak’. (Ling et.al, 2012:173)

Excerpt 1

Jason to Orked: Want to buy some videos?

Lin to Jason : No, actually, I nak beli kasut la. Saya ni saiz enam, dia saiz lima, jual kasut tak? [Malay]

Orked to Jason: Jangan dengar cakap ini perempuan, she chee-sin. [Cantonese]

Lin to Oked : Apa chee-sin chee-sin [Cantonese] ni?

Oked to Lin : Takde, aku cakap you baik hati, so, suka campur dengan kawan bangsa lain. [Malay]

Conclusively, code-switching is a fundamental communication tactic used instinctively or consciously to convey the speaker’s intended message, whether emotional or merely informational. Individual words and string of words are imported from English and absorbed through a variety of phonological and morphological processes in Malaysia (Bakar, 2009:106). To summarise, code-switching is an important communicative style in conveying meaning with films providing the strongest evidence to reflect real-life scenarios. ‘Sepet’ has successfully shown real life events in a Malaysian society by casting more than one ethnic group in main roles in order to incorporate cultural features and contrasts. In my opinion, a film’s depictions could reflect opulent cultural features that Malaysia is known for having diverse ethnics and races. Therefore, it emphasizes the essential element of code-switching.

REFERENCES

Ariffin, K. and Rafik-Galea, S. (2009) Code-switching as a communication device in conversation, Code-Switching as a Communication Device in Conversation. Available at: https://crisaps.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2-Winter-2009-Ariffin.pdf (Accessed: November 28, 2022).

Bakar, H.A. (2009) Code-switching in Kuala Lumpur Malay The “Rojak” Phenomenon. EXPLORATIONS: a graduate student journal in southeast asian studies. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/60175944/Code_switching_in_Kuala_Lumpur_Malay_The_Rojak_Phenomenon (Accessed: November 28, 2022).

Ismadi, W.A.A.M. et al. (2021) Code-switching in Malaysian Chinese community in the film The journey (2014), The International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/74241797/Code_switching_in_Malaysian_Chinese_Community_in_The_Film_the_Journey_2014_ (Accessed: November 28, 2022).

Muthusamy, P. et al. (2020) “Factors of code-switching among bilingual international students in Malaysia,” International Journal of Higher Education, 9(4), p. 332. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n4p332.

Nilep, C. (2006) (PDF) “code switching” in sociocultural linguistics — researchgate, “Code Switching” in Sociocultural Linguistics. CU Scholar. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239461967_Code_Switching_in_Sociocultural_Linguistics (Accessed: November 28, 2022).

Yi Ling, L. et al. (2014) Code switching in Sepet: Unveiling Malaysians’ communicative styles, Academia.edu. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/3064359/Code_switching_in_Sepet_Unveiling_Malaysians_communicative_styles (Accessed: November 29, 2022).