76-532: Alor Setar Tower ( Malay : Menara Alor Setar ), also known as Kedah Tower , is a four-story, 165.5-metre-long (543 ft)-tall telecommunication tower in Alor Setar , Kedah, Malaysia. It is once third tallest tower in Malaysia , the tallest structure in the state and the tallest structure in the city. Apart from serving the role of a telecommunication tower, it also caters as a tourist destination for
152-550: A comfortable waiting area and a hydraulic lift to take visitors from Megaview Banquet Hall (TH03) to 'STAR VIEW' (TH04) in addition to the interesting and exclusive floor design and wall finishes. "The initiative and idea to build the 'STAR VIEW' on the Open Deck of Menara Alor Setar has been inspired by the success of two Sky Box units built on the Sky Deck, Menara Kuala Lumpur". (*photo credit-drone_tech_imaging) The design of
228-442: A container of water. Incense is burnt again as the dukun recites incantations. At dawn the next morning, the stick and water are checked. If the pail of water has spilled or the bamboo has shortened, the plot is bad luck. If the water has overflowed or the stick has lengthened, it is very auspicious. Once the site has been chosen, a hole is dug in the ground for the house's main pillar. The shaman places seven grains of rice into
304-672: A descendant of the Proto-Austronesian language , began to break up by at least 2000 BCE, possibly as a result of the southward expansion of Austronesian peoples into Maritime Southeast Asia from the island of Taiwan . The history of the Malay language can be divided into five periods: Old Malay, the Transitional Period, the Classical Malay, Late Modern Malay and Modern Malay. Old Malay is believed to be
380-527: A lingua franca derived from Classical Malay as well as Makassar Malay , which appears to be a mixed language . Malay historical linguists agree on the likelihood of the Malayic homeland being in western Borneo . A form known as Proto-Malayic was spoken in Borneo at least by 1000 BCE, it has been argued to be the ancestral language of all subsequent Malayic languages . Its ancestor, Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ,
456-453: A location is determined by the colour, taste and smell of the soil, as well as the formation of its surface. In general, the colours of the soil from best to worst are white, red, yellow, grey and black (the Malay language also categorizes brown as a shade of yellow). Soil which is greenish-yellow, fragrant and tart-tasting will ensure an abundance of gold and silver unto the third generation. If
532-400: A main pillar called the tiang seri where the spirit of the house ( semangat rumah ) is said to dwell. Sometimes it may decorated with the family kris wrapped in yellow cloth. The construction of any building begins by digging a hole for this central post, accompanied by the recitation of a charm. The best time of day for this is 7 a.m. The workers must ensure that their shadows do not fall on
608-555: A mid vowel [e, o] . Orthographic note : both /e/ and /ə/ are written with ⟨e⟩ . Orthographic /e, o/ are relatively rare, so the letter ⟨e⟩ usually represents /ə/ . There are some homographs; for example, perang is used for both /pəraŋ/ "war" and /peraŋ ~ piraŋ/ "blond". (In Indonesia, "blond" may be written perang or pirang .) Some analyses regard /ai, au, oi/ as diphthongs. However, [ai] and [au] can only occur in open syllables, such as cukai ("tax") and pulau ("island"). Words with
684-434: A phonetic diphthong in a closed syllable, such as baik ("good") and laut ("sea"), are actually two syllables. An alternative analysis therefore treats the phonetic diphthongs [ai] , [au] and [oi] as a sequence of a monophthong plus an approximant: /aj/ , /aw/ and /oj/ respectively. There is a rule of vowel harmony : the non-open vowels /i, e, u, o/ in bisyllabic words must agree in height, so hidung ("nose")
760-431: A root word ( affixation ), formation of a compound word (composition), or repetition of words or portions of words ( reduplication ). Nouns and verbs may be basic roots, but frequently they are derived from other words by means of prefixes , suffixes and circumfixes . Malay does not make use of grammatical gender , and there are only a few words that use natural gender; the same word is used for 'he' and 'she' which
836-491: A total height of 165.5 metres (543 ft), it is the third tallest telecommunication tower in Malaysia (behind the Kuala Lumpur Tower , 421 m (1,381 ft) and the newly opened Kuantan 188 , 188 m (617 ft), managed by Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn. Bhd, a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), and it was surpassed by Kuantan 188 as the second tallest tower in 2020. The design of Alor Setar Tower
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#1732776575761912-428: A variety of other facilities for visitors which include the observation deck located at 88 metres (289 ft) above sea level with five sets of automated binoculars. There is also Megaview Banquet Hall at 100 metres (330 ft) height providing facilities for functions. At 94 metres (308 ft) height, there is also Menara Alor Setar's Revolving Restaurant which provides dining in the sky experience hence represents
988-402: Is dia or for 'his' and 'her' which is dia punya . There is no grammatical plural in Malay either; thus orang may mean either 'person' or 'people'. Verbs are not inflected for person or number, and they are not marked for tense; tense is instead denoted by time adverbs (such as 'yesterday') or by other tense indicators, such as sudah 'already' and belum 'not yet'. On the other hand, there
1064-631: Is pluricentric and a macrolanguage , i.e., several varieties of it are standardized as the national language ( bahasa kebangsaan or bahasa nasional ) of several nation states with various official names: in Malaysia, it is designated as either Bahasa Malaysia (" Malaysian ") or also Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language"); in Singapore and Brunei, it is called Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language"); in Indonesia, an autonomous normative variety called Bahasa Indonesia (" Indonesian language ")
1140-616: Is a commonly used name for a system of geomancy , comprising metaphysical and geomantic principles considered when siting or designing buildings to improve and maintain well-being in Maritime Southeast Asia . It was traditionally practiced by shamans and architects from Indonesia and Malaysia . The term actually alludes to a book entitled Tajul muluk which covered a number of other topics including herbal medicine, astrology and dream interpretation along with geomancy. While all these subjects may be categorised under
1216-456: Is a complex system of verb affixes to render nuances of meaning and to denote voice or intentional and accidental moods . Malay does not have a grammatical subject in the sense that English does. In intransitive clauses, the noun comes before the verb. When there is both an agent and an object , these are separated by the verb (OVA or AVO), with the difference encoded in the voice of the verb. OVA, commonly but inaccurately called "passive",
1292-430: Is allowed but * hedung is not. Pronunciation Pronunciation Pronunciation Study by Uri Tadmor which was published in 2003 shows that mutation of ⟨a⟩ in final open syllable is an areal feature. Specifically, it is an areal feature of Western Austronesia. Uri Tadmor classify those types into four groups as below. Malay is an agglutinative language , and new words are formed by three methods: attaching affixes onto
1368-429: Is checked against the threshold's length, and the number of times it is contained therein determines which animal it corresponds to. If the measurement is unlucky, the threshold would be cut shorter. The ominous significance of the eight beasts is often illustrated in rhyme. An example, recorded by Walter William Skeat, reads as follows: The rules of a house's height are also determined by the matriarch's armspan. Ideally
1444-406: Is designated the bahasa persatuan/pemersatu ("unifying language" or lingua franca ) whereas the term "Malay" ( bahasa Melayu ) is domestically restricted to vernacular varieties of Malay indigenous to areas of Central to Southern Sumatra and West Kalimantan . Classical Malay , also called Court Malay, was the literary standard of the pre-colonial Malacca and Johor Sultanates and so
1520-482: Is divided into Bornean and Sumatran Malay; some of the most widely spoken Sumatran Malay dialects are Riau Malay , Langkat , Palembang Malay and Jambi Malay . Minangkabau , Kerinci and Bengkulu are believed to be Sumatran Malay descendants. Meanwhile, the Jakarta dialect (known as Betawi ) also belongs to the western Malay group. The eastern varieties, classified either as dialects or creoles , are spoken in
1596-527: Is inspired from the Kedah ’s state nickname ‘ Jelapang Padi ' which refers to the geographical landscape of the state that is dominated by rows of paddy field with the structure of the tower represents ' Serumpun Padi ' or the tied rice clusters, while the large pillar supporting the tower structure implies the ' Tiang Seri ', symbolizes the strength of the people of Kedah Darul Aman . Menara Alor Setar provides telecommunications and broadcasting services as well as
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#17327765757611672-447: Is level. The best aspect of the land's surface is that which is low on the north and high in the south, thought to bring the occupants absolute peacefulness. Land which is low on the west and high in the east is also auspicious. The reverse of these directions (i.e. high in the north and low to the south, or high to the west and low to the east) will bring poverty and death. The worst land is hilly or full of holes. A house that inclines from
1748-623: Is not a tonal language . The consonants of Malaysian and also Indonesian are shown below. Non-native consonants that only occur in borrowed words, principally from Arabic, Dutch and English, are shown in brackets. Orthographic note : The sounds are represented orthographically by their symbols as above, except: Loans from Arabic : Malay originally had four vowels, but in many dialects today, including Standard Malay, it has six, with /i/ split into /i, e/ and /u/ split into /u, o/ . Many words are commonly pronounced variably, with either [i, u] or [e, o] , and relatively few words require
1824-569: Is not readily intelligible with the standard language , and the same is true with some lects on the Malay Peninsula such as Kedah Malay . However, both Brunei and Kedah are quite close. Malay is now written using the Latin script , known as Rumi in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore or Latin in Indonesia, although an Arabic script called Arab Melayu or Jawi also exists. Latin script
1900-595: Is official in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Malay uses Hindu-Arabic numerals . Rumi (Latin) and Jawi are co-official in Brunei only. Names of institutions and organisations have to use Jawi and Rumi (Latin) scripts. Jawi is used fully in schools, especially the religious school, sekolah agama , which is compulsory during the afternoon for Muslim students aged from around 6–7 up to 12–14. Efforts are currently being undertaken to preserve Jawi in Malaysia, and students taking Malay language examinations in Malaysia have
1976-521: Is similar to Kelantanese Malay, but the language has no official status or recognition. Owing to earlier contact with the Philippines , Malay words—such as dalam hati (sympathy), luwalhati (glory), tengah hari (midday), sedap (delicious)—have evolved and been integrated into Tagalog and other Philippine languages . By contrast, Indonesian has successfully become the lingua franca for its disparate islands and ethnic groups, in part because
2052-682: Is the basic and most common word order. The Malay language has many words borrowed from Arabic (in particular religious terms), Sanskrit , Tamil , certain Sinitic languages , Persian (due to historical status of Malay Archipelago as a trading hub), and more recently, Portuguese , Dutch and English (in particular many scientific and technological terms). There is a group of closely related languages spoken by Malays and related peoples across Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , Singapore , Southern Thailand , Kampung Alor in East Timor , and
2128-525: Is the lack of possessive pronouns (and suffixes) in eastern dialects. Manado uses the verb pe and Ambon pu (from Malay punya 'to have') to mark possession. So 'my name' and 'our house" are translated in western Malay as namaku and rumah kita but kita pe nama and torang pe rumah in Manado and beta pu nama , katong pu rumah in Ambon dialect. The pronunciation may vary in western dialects, especially
2204-687: Is thrown away. This process continues until it results in a good dream, when the clod of earth which induced the dream is placed in the hole and serves as the tiang seri pole's foundation. An example of a charm recited when erecting the tiang seri runs as follows: Hai Raja Guru, Maharaja Guru, daripada tajar menyenseng Engkaulah anak Betara Guru Hai hantu tanah, benah tanah Aku tahu asal kau jadi: Jembalang tanah Daripada kilat sabung-menyabung Undur kau dari sini ke laut yang dalam Aku tahu asal kau jadi: Ke rimba yang sunyi Daripada embun setitik Antara aku dengan engkau, aku tahu asal kau jadi Ho Raja Guru, Maharaja Guru Thou art sons of Bhattara Guru Ho, ghost of
2280-624: The Cham alphabet are used by the Chams of Vietnam and Cambodia . Old Malay was written using Pallava and Kawi script, as evident from several inscription stones in the Malay region. Starting from the era of kingdom of Pasai and throughout the golden age of the Malacca Sultanate, Jawi gradually replaced these scripts as the most commonly used script in the Malay region. Starting from the 17th century, under Dutch and British influence, Jawi
2356-579: The Malay Peninsula . The earliest account of the art comes from the book Taj al-Mulk (meaning "Royal Crown of Sovereignty" in Arabic) written for Acehnese royalty. The title was pronounced "Tajul Muluk" in Malay so the information it contained was referred to as ilmu tajul muluk or just ilmu tajul , meaning "knowledge of Tajul Muluk". According to British civil servant Walter William Skeat in his book Malay Magic , originally published in 1900,
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2432-523: The Sanskrit term Bhattara Guru meaning "teacher-lord"), an epithet for the Hindu god Siwa or Shiva . The four corners mentioned in the incantation is found in Malay, Indian and Chinese spiritual world concepts . In Hindu cosmology the surface of the earth is represented as a square in reference to the horizon's relationship with sunrise and sunset. Traditional Malay buildings have at their centre
2508-445: The "eight beasts", each one corresponds to an animal possessing its own characteristics. The eight beasts regulate the length of a house's threshold. This is measured in a unit called depa , the length of the house-mistress's armspan. After measuring off a depa on a piece of string, the string is folded into three before one-third of its length is cut off. The remainder is folded into eight and reduced to one-seventh. The remaining seventh
2584-404: The Malay world of Southeast Asia, and was one of the oldest testimonies to the advent of Islam as a state religion in the region. It contains the proclamation issued by a ruler of Terengganu known as Seri Paduka Tuan, urging his subjects to extend and uphold Islam and providing 10 basic Sharia laws for their guidance. The classical Malay language came into widespread use as the lingua franca of
2660-1057: The Malayic languages spoken by the Orang Asli ( Proto-Malay ) in Malaya . They are Jakun , Orang Kanaq , Orang Seletar , and Temuan . The other Malayic languages, included in neither of these groups, are associated with the expansion of the Malays across the archipelago. They include Riau-Johor Malay ( Malaysian and Indonesian ), Kedah Malay , Kedayan/Brunei Malay , Berau Malay , Bangka Malay , Jambi Malay , Kutai Malay , Natuna Malay, Riau Malay , Loncong , Pattani Malay , and Banjarese . Menterap may belong here. There are also several Malay-based creole languages , such as Betawi , Cocos Malay , Makassar Malay , Ambonese Malay , Dili Malay , Kupang Malay , Manado Malay , Papuan Malay , Pattani Malay , Satun Malay , Songkhla Malay , Bangkok Malay , and Sabah Malay , which may be more or less distinct from standard (Malaccan) Malay. Due to
2736-459: The Malaysian government would bury human skulls under the foundation of any large structure. A number of methods are used to ascertain whether the hole is in a propitious location. In one example a white cup is filled with water, fumigated with incense , and left in the hole overnight. If the cup is still full the next day or has live insects inside, it is a good sign. If the insects are dead or
2812-681: The actual ancestor of Classical Malay. Old Malay was influenced by Sanskrit, the classical language of India . Sanskrit loan words can be found in Old Malay vocabulary. The earliest known stone inscription in the Old Malay language was found in Sumatra , Indonesia, written in the Pallava variety of the Grantha alphabet and is dated 1 May 683. Known as the Kedukan Bukit inscription , it
2888-555: The colonial language, Dutch, is no longer commonly spoken. (In East Timor , which was governed as a province of Indonesia from 1976 to 1999, Indonesian is widely spoken and recognized under its Constitution as a 'working language'.) Besides Indonesian , which developed from the Riau Malay dialect, there are many Malay varieties spoken in Indonesia; they are divided into western and eastern groups. Western Malay dialects are predominantly spoken in Sumatra and Borneo , which itself
2964-747: The constitution as one of two working languages (the other being English ), alongside the official languages of Tetum and Portuguese . The extent to which Malay is used in these countries varies depending on historical and cultural circumstances. Malay is the national language in Malaysia by Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia , and became the sole official language in Peninsular Malaysia in 1968 and in East Malaysia gradually from 1974. English continues, however, to be widely used in professional and commercial fields and in
3040-516: The court moved to establish the Johor Sultanate, it continued using the classical language; it has become so associated with Dutch Riau and British Johor that it is often assumed that the Malay of Riau is close to the classical language. However, there is no closer connection between Malaccan Malay as used on Riau and the Riau vernacular. Among the oldest surviving letters written in Malay are
3116-486: The early settlement of a Cape Malay community in Cape Town , who are now known as Coloureds , numerous Classical Malay words were brought into Afrikaans . The extent to which Malay and related Malayan languages are used in the countries where it is spoken varies depending on historical and cultural circumstances. Malay is the national language in Malaysia by Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia , and became
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3192-589: The earth, blight of the earth I know the origin from which you sprang: Demon of the earth From the flashing lightning Retire ye hence to the depths of the sea I know the origin from which you sprang: To the peace of the forest From a single drop of dew Betwixt you and me, I know the origin from which you came into being As with the Chinese bagua and the guardians of Jambudvipa in Indian culture, Malay astrology and geomancy also uses eight points of divination. Known as
3268-474: The eastern part of the Malay or Nusantara archipelago and include Makassar Malay , Manado Malay , Ambonese Malay , North Moluccan Malay , Kupang Malay , Dili Malay , and Papuan Malay . The differences among both groups are quite observable. For example, the word kita means 'we, us' in western, but means 'I, me' in Manado, whereas 'we, us" in Manado is torang and Ambon katong (originally abbreviated from Malay kita orang 'we people'). Another difference
3344-590: The far southern parts of the Philippines . They have traditionally been classified as Malay, Para-Malay, and Aboriginal Malay, but this reflects geography and ethnicity rather than a proper linguistic classification. The Malayic languages are mutually intelligible to varying extents, though the distinction between language and dialect is unclear in many cases. Para-Malay includes the Malayic languages of Sumatra . They are: Minangkabau , Central Malay (Bengkulu), Pekal , Talang Mamak , Musi (Palembang), Negeri Sembilan (Malaysia), and Duano’ . Aboriginal Malay are
3420-458: The highest restaurant in Kedah. Recently Menara Alor Setar introduced a unique attraction that will give visitors a new experience called ‘STAR VIEW’, two units of glass box built on the Open Deck at a height of 105 metres (344 ft) using the state's official colors; green (facing north) and yellow (facing south). To complete the new experience for visitors, the Open Deck has been enhanced with
3496-521: The highlands of Sumatra , Indonesia . Terengganu Inscription Stone (Malay: Batu Bersurat Terengganu ; Jawi: باتو برسورت ترڠݢانو) is a granite stele carrying inscription in Jawi script that was found in Terengganu, Malaysia is the earliest evidence of classical Malay inscription. The inscription, dated possibly to 702 AH (corresponds to 1303 CE), constituted the earliest evidence of Jawi writing in
3572-422: The hole and recites mantera before inserting the pillar. If any of the rice grains are missing the next day, the site has negative energy. It is important to note however that an area which is bad for one family may be good for another since the ritual is based on the matriarch's armspan. Another, perhaps older, method involves dreams . After clearing the area, the dukun lays four sticks in its centre and calls
3648-414: The hole or on the post itself, or illness will follow. Certain materials are then deposited into the hole such as brazilwood ( kayu sepang ), ebony ( kayu arang ), scrap metal, tin-ore, a copper coin, a broken hatchet-head, or a candle-nut ( buah gorek ). To appease the local earth-spirit or demon ( jembalang tanah or puaka ), the head, feet and blood of an animal are also deposited in the hole. Depending on
3724-560: The language is sometimes called Malacca, Johor or Riau Malay (or various combinations of those names) to distinguish it from the various other Malayic languages . According to Ethnologue 16, several of the Malayic varieties they currently list as separate languages, including the Orang Asli varieties of Peninsular Malay , are so closely related to standard Malay that they may prove to be dialects. There are also several Malay trade and creole languages (e.g. Ambonese Malay ) based on
3800-763: The languages' words for kinship, health, body parts and common animals. Numbers, especially, show remarkable similarities. Within Austronesian, Malay is part of a cluster of numerous closely related forms of speech known as the Malayic languages , which were spread across Malaya and the Indonesian archipelago by Malay traders from Sumatra. There is disagreement as to which varieties of speech popularly called "Malay" should be considered dialects of this language, and which should be classified as distinct Malay languages. The vernacular of Brunei— Brunei Malay —for example,
3876-460: The letters from Sultan Abu Hayat of Ternate , Maluku Islands in present-day Indonesia , dated around 1521–1522. The text is addressed to the king of Portugal , following contact with Portuguese explorer Francisco Serrão . The letters show sign of non-native usage; the Ternateans used (and still use) the unrelated Ternate language , a West Papuan language , as their first language . Malay
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#17327765757613952-405: The main pillar should be a round number (e.g. 5 depa) but the actual measurement usually contains a fraction (e.g. five and two-tenths depa). Depending on the amount of extra length, there would be a different result. Malay village houses were built so that they could be disassembled and rebuilt when the situation demanded it such as war, floods or famine. Some have noted that these rules consider
4028-406: The malignity of the earth-spirit, the animal may be either a fowl ( ayam ), a goat ( kambing ) or a buffalo ( kerbau ). For a small demon, an egg will suffice. Among the natives of ancient Borneo the victim of this sacrifice would have been human, and the Malay custom of killing an animal for the purpose arose from what was once human sacrifice. As recently as the beginning of the 20th century,
4104-404: The name of the presiding local deities or spirits. Taking a handful of soil, he recites the following chant: The soil is then wrapped in white cloth, fumigated with incense and placed under the occupant's pillow at night. Before sleeping, the last two lines of the aforementioned charm are repeated. If the occupant has a nightmare, the house cannot be built. If the dream is good, the four corners of
4180-453: The number four unlucky, just as in Chinese superstition. The direction that the house's door faces is also said to play a part in determining the occupants' well-being. The worst direction for the door to face is south, which brings bad career luck. A door which faces the west is said to bring knowledge or encourages the coming of someone well-learned, especially in matters of religion. This
4256-631: The open deck or skydeck is at a height of 105 m (344 ft) and the antenna tower is with the height of 50.5 m (166 ft). Before Alor Setar Tower was built, the tallest structure in Kedah was Holiday Villa Alor Setar, which is 114.7 m (376 ft). Located at the Alor Setar City Centre, it was built in 1994. It is also the second structure in Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia to surpass 100 m (330 ft) after Penang 's Komtar . Alor Setar Tower
4332-431: The option of answering questions using Jawi. The Latin script, however, is the most commonly used in Brunei and Malaysia, both for official and informal purposes. Historically, Malay has been written using various scripts. Before the introduction of Arabic script in the Malay region, Malay was written using the Pallava , Kawi and Rencong scripts; these scripts are no longer frequently used, but similar scripts such as
4408-659: The pronunciation of words ending in the vowel 'a'. For example, in some parts of Malaysia and in Singapore, kita (inclusive 'we, us, our') is pronounced as /kitə/ , in Kelantan and Southern Thailand as /kitɔ/ , in Riau as /kita/ , in Palembang as /kito/ , in Betawi and Perak as /kitɛ/ and in Kedah and Perlis as /kitɑ/. Tiang Seri The Tajul muluk (taken from Arabic : تجول ملوك , romanized : tājūl mūlūk , lit. 'wandering kings')
4484-541: The region during the Malacca Sultanate era (1402–1511). It was the period the Malay language developed rapidly under the influence of Islamic literature. The development changed the nature of the language with massive infusion of Arabic , Sanskrit , and Tamil vocabularies, called Classical Malay . Under the Sultanate of Malacca the language evolved into a form recognisable to speakers of modern Malay. When
4560-525: The rituals of tajul muluk were once commonplace. Even in the making of roads through the forest it would appear that sacrificial ceremonies are not invariably neglected. On one occasion I came upon a party of Malays in the Labu jungle who were engaged in making a bridle-track for the Selangor Government. A small bamboo censer, on which incense had been burning, had been erected in the middle of
4636-515: The site are pegged with sticks. A dead branch is then taken and heaped with earth before being set on fire. When it has been reduced to ashes, it is swept up and covered. A similar incantation is then spoken: The next morning, the ashes are uncovered and God will show a sign of the plot's good and bad potential. This method is no longer practiced today because of its pre-Islamic origin. The name Menteri Guru , which translates literally as "minister teacher", may be an alternate form of Betara Guru (from
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#17327765757614712-423: The soil is red and sour, the dweller will be loved by their family. White soil with a sweet smell and taste is said to bring wealth and happiness. Foul-smelling earth of the wrong colour and texture will bring sickness and poverty. Soil that is full of holes will cause the occupants to die poor. Aside from the soil, the lay of the land must also be taken into consideration. The best site for a house, city or orchard
4788-590: The sole official language in West Malaysia in 1968, and in East Malaysia gradually from 1974. English continues, however, to be widely used in professional and commercial fields and in the superior courts. Other minority languages are also commonly used by the country's large ethnic minorities. The situation in Brunei is similar to that of Malaysia. In Singapore, Malay was historically the lingua franca among people of different nationalities. Although this has largely given way to English, Malay still retains
4864-410: The southwest causes one to lose their livelihood or source of income. A house that inclines from the south brings death to its owner. If the house inclines from the west, the occupant will waste away all their money. Once the ground has been cleared, the dukun or bomoh begins smoking the area with incense ( kemenyan ). He then measures one depa of bamboo and sticks it in the ground together with
4940-435: The status of national language and the national anthem , Majulah Singapura , is entirely in Malay. In addition, parade commands in the military, police and civil defence are given only in Malay. Most residents of the five southernmost provinces of Thailand —a region that, for the most part, used to be part of an ancient Malay kingdom called Pattani —speak a dialect of Malay called Yawi (not to be confused with Jawi), which
5016-608: The superior courts. Other minority languages are also commonly used by the country's large ethnic minorities. The situation in Brunei is similar to that in Malaysia. In the Philippines , Indonesian is spoken by the overseas Indonesian community concentrated in Davao City . Functional phrases are taught to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as local students. Malay, like most Austronesian languages,
5092-633: The term ilmu tajul , it usually refers to the otherwise unnamed set of rites and rules for constructing buildings in Acehnese and Malay culture. The history of Malay geomancy has never been documented, but the system contains cultural symbolism of Indian origin, indicating that it has existed as far back as the Hindu - Buddhist period of Southeast Asian history . Some conjecture that it may have been influenced by Indian vastu sastra or Chinese feng shui , both of which have traditionally been practiced in
5168-521: The tower is from Tiang Seri . Malay language Malay ( / m ə ˈ l eɪ / mə- LAY ; Malay: Bahasa Melayu , Jawi : بهاس ملايو ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , and Singapore . It is also spoken in East Timor and parts of Thailand . Altogether, it is spoken by 290 million people (around 260 million in Indonesia alone in its own literary standard named " Indonesian ") across Maritime Southeast Asia . The language
5244-414: The town. The tower also houses some restaurants and a souvenir shop. The tower is an observatory tower to look for the crescent moon to mark the beginning of Muslim months such as Ramadhan , Shawwal , and Zulhijjah , to celebrate Ramadhan , Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha , respectively. The observation deck is at a height of 88 m (289 ft) from the base of the structure. Also,
5320-527: The trace ; and I was informed that the necessary rites (for exorcising the demons from the trace) had just been successfully concluded. With the rise of the Islamization movement of Southeast Asia during the 1980s, animistic and Hindu - Buddhist aspects of Malay culture were condemned and banned. Today tajul muluk is considered a superstitious relic of the past and books written on the subject are sometimes banned in Malaysia. The auspiciousness of
5396-399: The water has lessened, it is a bad omen. Alternatively, one could wait until everyone has left the area before picking up three clods of soil, holding them over incense, and reciting a certain mantera or mantra. The soil must be taken home without ever turning to look back. Upon arrival, the earth is placed under the occupant's pillow before sleeping. If they have a bad dream, one of the clods
5472-635: Was discovered by the Dutchman M. Batenburg on 29 November 1920 at Kedukan Bukit, South Sumatra , on the banks of the Tatang, a tributary of the Musi River . It is a small stone of 45 by 80 centimetres (18 by 31 in). For centuries, Srivijaya , through its expansion, economic power and military prowess, was responsible for the widespread of Old Malay throughout the Malay Archipelago . It
5548-456: Was gradually replaced by the Rumi script. Malay is spoken in Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , East Timor , Singapore and southern Thailand . Indonesia regulates its own normative variety of Malay, while Malaysia and Singapore use a common standard. Brunei, in addition to Standard Malay, uses a distinct vernacular dialect called Brunei Malay . In East Timor , Indonesian is recognised by
5624-593: Was started in 1994, topped-out in 1995, it surpassed the previous Holiday Villa Alor Setar, became the third to surpass 100 m (330 ft). The tower was completed in 1996. It opened on 14 August 1997 by Mahathir Mohamad , who was the prime minister at the time. Following the completion of the Alor Setar Tower, many high-rise and low-rise buildings started taking shape, including Amansuri Residences, Aman Central , SADA Tower, G Residence Alor Setar, VIVRE Residence, AS100, and AMEX Alor Mengkudu. With
5700-621: Was the working language of traders and it was used in various ports, and marketplaces in the region. Other evidence is the Tanjung Tanah Law in post-Pallava letters. This 14th-century pre-Islamic legal text was produced in the Adityawarman era (1345–1377) of Dharmasraya , a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that arose after the end of Srivijayan rule in Sumatra . The laws were for the Minangkabau people , who today still live in
5776-928: Was used solely as a lingua franca for inter-ethnic communications. Malay is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, which includes languages from 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 language . There are many cognates found in
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