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94-530: Construction of the mosque started in 1889, following the order of Tengku Sultan Abdul Aziz, late 19th-century ruler of the Langkat Sultanate and son of Tengku Sultan Haji Musa al-Khalidy al-Muazhzham Syah. The mosque was designed by a German architect. Many of the construction workers were the Chinese inhabitant of Langkat Regency. Material for construction were shipped from Penang and Singapore via

188-672: 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

282-630: A fortress, Penang fell without struggle to the Imperial Japanese Army on 19 December 1941 after daily aerial attacks. The British covertly evacuated Penang's European populace; historian Raymond Callahan since contended that "the moral collapse of British rule in Southeast Asia came not at Singapore, but at Penang". Penang Island was subsequently renamed Tojo-to after Prime Minister Hideki Tojo . Japanese military police imposed order by massacring Chinese civilians under

376-399: A hilly and mostly forested interior. The island's coastal plains are narrow, with the most extensive plain located at the northeastern cape. George Town, which started off as a small settlement at the northeastern tip of the island, has expanded over the centuries to encompass the entire island, although the marshy western coast remains relatively underdeveloped. The highest point of the state

470-527: 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 ,

564-555: 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

658-434: 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")

752-431: 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

846-529: A rotational basis, including Rifle Company Butterworth . With a land area of only 1,049 km (405 sq mi), Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis . It is located on the northwestern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia, lying between latitudes 5.59° and 5.12°N, and longitudes 100.17° and 100.56°E. The state is divided into two major halves by the Penang Strait , which

940-494: Is Penang Hill , which stands at a height of 833 m (2,733 ft) at the centre of the island. On the other hand, Seberang Perai has mostly flat topography, save for a hilly region along the eastern border with Kedah. Due to land scarcity in George Town, land reclamation projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas, particularly along the island's east coast. In 2023, a massive reclamation project commenced off

1034-402: 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

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1128-456: 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",

1222-404: Is about 25 x 25 meter. Three Mughal styled entrances on the north, south, and east side of the main prayer hall provide entry points. It is equipped with Mughal-styled copper domes, the heaviest is around 40 tons. The interior is mainly of marble, with Italian crystal chandeliers. Within the mosque complex are several tombs of the royal family belonging to the Langkat Sultanate. The architecture of

1316-430: 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

1410-472: Is also divided into five administrative districts – two in George Town and three in Seberang Perai. Each district is headed by a district officer. The lands and district office in each district deals with land administration and revenue. Thus, it differs from the local governments that oversee the provision and maintenance of urban infrastructure. After Pakatan Rakyat was voted into power in 2008 ,

1504-568: 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 is pluricentric and a macrolanguage , i.e., several varieties of it are standardized as

1598-406: 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

1692-482: 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

1786-476: Is home to the largest contingent of foreign diplomatic missions among Malaysian states . As of 2023 , a total of 27 countries have either established consulates or appointed honorary consuls within Penang. The Penang state government has also inked a sister state agreement with Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture and a friendship state partnership with China's Hainan Province . This list is based on information from

1880-623: 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

1974-569: 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

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2068-595: 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

2162-417: Is only 3 km (1.9 mi) wide at the narrowest point and 13 km (8.1 mi) at its widest. The state capital, George Town , encompasses the entirety of Penang Island and a few surrounding islets, including Jerejak , Betong , Kendi , Rimau and Andaman islands. On the other hand, the city of Seberang Perai covers the mainland side of Penang. Penang Island is irregularly shaped, with

2256-521: 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

2350-624: 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

2444-525: 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

2538-571: Is the state's highest law, consisting of 42 articles that govern the proceedings and powers of the state government. The head of state is the Governor ( Malay : Yang di-Pertua Negeri ), who is appointed by the King of Malaysia . Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak is the current Governor of Penang, having assumed office in 2021. In practice, the Governor's role is largely symbolic and ceremonial. This includes

2632-730: The Battle of Penang during which the Imperial German Navy cruiser SMS Emden sank two Allied warships off George Town. During the interwar years , the British had acknowledged the need to fortify their armed forces in northern Malaya. However, complacency and lack of resources left British forces ill-prepared to confront the Japanese invasion at the onset of the Pacific War . Although Penang Island had been designated as

2726-624: 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

2820-590: The Description of Malacca , Portuguese cartographer Manuel Godinho de Erédia named it Pulo Pinaom . [REDACTED] British East India Company 1786–1858 [REDACTED] British Raj 1858–1867 [REDACTED]   Straits Settlements 1826–1941; 1945–1946 [REDACTED] Empire of Japan 1941–1945 [REDACTED]   Malayan Union 1946–1948 [REDACTED]   Federation of Malaya 1948–1963 [REDACTED]   Malaysia 1963–present Archaeologists have discovered human remains such as

2914-696: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs , unless otherwise cited. In 1861, the Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps (P&PWVC) was established as the second volunteer military force in Malaya after the Singapore Volunteer Corps . Initially, the unit was exclusively formed by Europeans, with other races being barred until 1899. Over time, the P&;PWVC transformed into the 3rd Battalion of

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3008-612: The Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge . The state shares borders with Kedah to the north and east, and Perak to the south. Penang is one of Malaysia's most developed economic powerhouses, with the highest GDP per capita of all states , and the fourth highest Human Development Index after Kuala Lumpur , Selangor and Labuan . Penang is also Malaysia's leading exporter with over RM447 billion (US$ 108.94 billion) in exports in 2023, primarily through

3102-801: The Penang International Airport which is also the nation's third busiest in passenger traffic . Established by Francis Light in 1786, Penang became part of the Straits Settlements , a British crown colony also comprising Malacca and Singapore . During World War II , Japan occupied Penang, but the British regained control in 1945. Penang was later merged with the Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia), which gained independence in 1957. Penang's economy shifted from entrepôt trade to electronics manufacturing and

3196-561: The Sook Ching policy, while women were forced into sexual slavery . Swettenham Pier was converted into a major submarine base by the Axis Powers . Between 1944 and 1945, Allied bombers from India targeted naval and administrative buildings in George Town , damaging and destroying several colonial buildings in the process. The Penang Strait was mined to restrict Japanese shipping. Following Japan's surrender , George Town

3290-638: The Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF) and by 1937, the unit also contained a European machine gun platoon, a Malay rifle company, a medical section and headquarters reserve. Although enlistment increased prior to the Japanese invasion of Malaya , 3rd Battalion SSVF was eventually evacuated from Penang without engaging in any combat. Since independence, the Malaysian federal government assumes sole responsibility for

3384-685: The neoclassical State Assembly Building in George Town . Penang practises the Westminster system whereby the State Executive Council members are appointed from the elected State Assemblymen. Any amendment to Penang's Constitution requires the support of at least two-thirds of the State Legislative Assembly. Prior to a state election, it is customary to dissolve the legislature, which necessitates

3478-454: The tertiary sector throughout the late 20th century. With 1.74 million residents and a population density of 1,659/km (4,300/sq mi) as of 2020 , Penang is one of Malaysia's most densely populated and urbanised states. Seberang Perai is Malaysia's third largest city by population . Penang is culturally diverse with a population that includes Chinese , Malays , Indians , Eurasians, Siamese and expatriates. The name Penang comes from

3572-656: The "Penang Woman", along with seashells, pottery and stone tools, in Seberang Perai . The artifacts indicate that around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, Penang was inhabited by nomadic Melanesians during the Neolithic era. Pali inscriptions on the Cherok Tok Kun megalith suggest the Hindu - Buddhist Bujang Valley civilisation, based in present-day Kedah , held authority over parts of Seberang Perai by

3666-554: The 6th century. The entirety of Penang later formed part of Kedah , which came under Siamese suzerainty by the late 18th century. Penang's modern history began in 1786 when Francis Light , a representative of the British East India Company (EIC), obtained Penang Island from Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah of Kedah in exchange for military aid. Light had been sent to the Malay Peninsula by

3760-570: The Azizi Mosque had inspired the construction of Zahir Mosque in Kedah , Malaysia. Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca . It has two parts: Penang Island , where the capital city, George Town , is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula . These two halves are physically connected by

3854-567: The EIC to build trade relations in the region, where he saw the strategic potential of Penang Island as a "convenient magazine for trade" that could enable the British to check Dutch and French territorial ambitions in Southeast Asia . After negotiating an agreement with the Sultan, Light and his entourage landed on Penang Island on 17 July that year and took formal possession of the island "in

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3948-404: 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

4042-1005: 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

4136-530: The Prince of Wales Island in 1791. However, the attempt was defeated by EIC forces and the Sultan sued for peace. An annual payment of 6,000 Spanish dollars was agreed in exchange for British sovereignty over the island. In 1800, Lieutenant-Governor George Leith secured a strip of hinterland across the Penang Strait , which was subsequently named Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai ). The EIC gained permanent sovereignty over both Prince of Wales Island and

4230-681: 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

4324-573: The authority to appoint the head of government and approve legislation that has been passed by the state's legislature. The Penang state government has its own executive body and legislature, but their powers are limited compared to the Malaysian federal government . According to the Federal Constitution , the state can legislate on matters pertaining to Malay customs, land, agriculture and forestry, local government, civil and water works, and state administration. Matters falling under

4418-550: The city's southern coast to build the 920 ha (2,300-acre) Silicon Island, envisioned as a new hub for high-tech manufacturing and commerce. Following years of reclamation works, the Gurney Drive shoreline is also being transformed into Gurney Bay , intended as "a new iconic waterfront destination for Penang". The major rivers within Penang include the Pinang , Perai , Muda and Kerian rivers. The Muda River serves as

4512-628: The city. Resentment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration led to the Pakatan Rakyat bloc (now Pakatan Harapan ) rising to power through the 2008 state election . Efforts to preserve George Town's heritage architecture led to the city's historical core being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that year. Penang, a former British crown colony , is one of the four Malaysian states without hereditary monarchies. The Constitution of Penang , codified in 1957,

4606-555: 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

4700-417: The consent of the Governor . The 2023 state election witnessed an unprecedented alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its erstwhile adversaries Barisan Nasional (BN). The PH–BN alliance currently commands a supermajority in the State Legislative Assembly, controlling 29 out of the 40 seats. However, the election also saw the right-wing Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition bloc gaining ground in

4794-747: 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

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4888-744: The country's defence. Penang houses the Malaysian Army 's 2nd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment and Rejimen 509 Askar Wataniah , which traces its lineage back to the P&PWVC. The Royal Malaysian Navy maintains a volunteer reserve base in George Town . RMAF Butterworth Air Base also serves as the headquarters of the Five Power Defence Arrangements Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS). The air base continues to host Australian air force and army units on

4982-516: 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

5076-613: The development of hitherto rural areas such as Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam . However, the population growth created social problems such as inadequate sanitation, health facilities and rampant crime, culminating in street violence and rioting in 1867 . The Straits Settlements became a British crown colony within the same year. Direct British rule led to improved law enforcement, and investments in health care and public transportation in Penang. Owing to enhanced access to education, active participation of Asian residents in municipal affairs and substantial press freedom, George Town

5170-486: 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

5264-474: 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

5358-536: The economy, Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu established the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in 1972. Massive industrialisation proved instrumental in reversing Penang's economic slump and led to the state's rapid economic growth until the late 1990s. Under Lim's tenure, the Penang Bridge , the first road link between Penang Island and the Malay Peninsula , was built. Persistent brain drain, aggravated by federal policies prioritising

5452-590: 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

5546-539: The first fully-elected municipality in Malaya by 1956 and was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in the following year. This made George Town the first city within the Federation of Malaya, and by extension, Malaysia. George Town's status as a free port was rescinded by the Malaysian federal government in 1969. This led to a loss of maritime trade, causing massive unemployment and brain drain . To revive

5640-553: The growth of Kuala Lumpur, resulted in Penang losing its leading position in the national economy by the 21st century. This decline, compounded by various issues including incoherent urban planning, poor traffic management and the dilapidation of George Town's heritage enclave following the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001, contributed to growing dissatisfaction within Penang's society. In response, civil societies in George Town mobilised public support to rejuvenate

5734-521: 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

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5828-484: The impending annexation of Penang into the vast Malay heartland proved unpopular among Penangites. The Penang Secessionist Committee was formed in 1948 due to economic and ethnic concerns, but their attempt to avert Penang's merger with Malaya was unsuccessful due to British disapproval. To relieve the concerns raised by the secessionists, the British government guaranteed George Town's free port status and reintroduced municipal elections in 1951. George Town became

5922-414: The joint purview of state and federal authorities include social welfare, wildlife protection and national parks, scholarships, husbandry, town planning, drainage and irrigation, and public health regulations. The 40-member Penang State Legislative Assembly forms the state's legislature and is elected for a maximum term of five years from single-member constituencies through state elections . Compared to

6016-560: 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

6110-589: 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,

6204-401: 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

6298-412: The majority in 25 of the 40 state constituencies . Thus, non-Malay electoral support is crucial to any political coalition aiming for power in Penang. The Penang State Executive Council is the executive authority of the Penang state government , similar in function to the federal Cabinet . It is led by the Chief Minister , who serves as the head of government in Penang. To this day, Penang remains

6392-494: The maritime route between Lingga and Kedah . The Siamese , who were the overlords of Kedah, called it Ko Mak ( Thai : เกาะหมาก ). Maritime explorers also took note of the island's abundance of areca nut. During the 15th century, Admiral Zheng He of Ming China referred to the island as Bīngláng Yǔ ( traditional Chinese : 檳榔嶼 ; simplified Chinese : 槟榔屿 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī : Pin-nn̂g-sū ; lit. 'areca nut island') in his navigational charts. In

6486-412: The modern Malay name Pulau Pinang which means ' areca nut island'. Penang is also colloquially referred to as the "Pearl of the Orient" and "The Island of Pearls" ( Malay : Pulau Mutiara ). Over the course of history, Penang Island had been known by different names by seafarers from various regions. The locals named it Pulo Ka Satu , meaning "The First Island", as it was the largest island on

6580-433: The name of King George III of England" on 11 August. The island was renamed Prince of Wales Island after the heir to the British throne and the new settlement of George Town was established in honour of King George III. Unbeknownst to Sultan Abdullah, Light had acted without the authority or the consent of his superiors in India . When the EIC reneged on military protection, the Sultan launched an attempt to recapture

6674-426: 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 ")

6768-429: The new mainland territory, while the annual payment to the Sultan of Kedah was increased to 10,000 Spanish dollars. The British and Malaysian governments maintained the annual payments to Kedah until 2018, when the Malaysian federal government increased the amount by RM10 million yearly. George Town grew rapidly as a free port and a conduit for spice trade , diverting maritime commerce away from Dutch outposts in

6862-553: The newly-elected state government attempted to reinstate local government elections within Penang, which have been suspended since the 1960s. At the time, the Barisan Nasional -controlled federal government objected to the move, which eventually led to the Federal Court 's decision that local government elections do not fall under the jurisdiction of state governments. The present-day Malaysian judicial system traces its roots to 19th-century George Town . In 1807, Penang

6956-655: The northern border between Seberang Perai and Kedah , while the Kerian River forms part of the southern boundary between Seberang Perai, Kedah and Perak . Penang has a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification ( Af ). The state experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high of about 32 °C and an average low of 24°C. Penang's proximity to Sumatra makes it susceptible to dust particles carried by wind from transient forest fires that create

7050-604: The only Malaysian state where the position of the head of government has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since the nation's independence. Additionally, Penang was the first state to impose a two-term limit for the head of government's tenure. The current Chief Minister of Penang is Chow Kon Yeow of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), having assumed office after the 2018 state election . The unicameral 40-seat Penang State Legislative Assembly , whose members are called State Assemblymen, convenes at

7144-431: 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

7238-449: The perennial Southeast Asian haze . The Penang Meteorological Office at Bayan Lepas is the primary weather forecast facility for northwestern Malaysia. In spite of rapid urbanisation, Penang has managed to preserve a significant portion of its natural environment. Within the state, 7,761 ha (77.61 km ) have been designated as protected forest reserves. In 2021, the 12,481 ha (124.81 km ) Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve

7332-541: 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

7426-510: The region's premier entrepôt , Singapore became the capital instead in 1832. Despite its secondary importance to Singapore, George Town retained its importance as a vital British entrepôt. Towards the end of the 19th century, it became a major tin exporter and Malaya 's primary financial centre. Penang's prosperity attracted a cosmopolitan population comprising Chinese , Malay , Indian , Peranakan , Siamese and migrants of mixed European-Asian lineage referred to as "Eurasians", and led to

7520-513: The region. In 1805, Penang became a separate presidency of British India , sharing similar status with Bombay and Madras . By 1808, George Town had established its local government, while the founding of the Supreme Court of Penang marked the birth of Malaysia's modern judiciary. In 1826, George Town was made the capital of the Straits Settlements which included Singapore and Malacca . As Singapore soon supplanted George Town as

7614-417: The rest of Peninsular Malaysia , Penang's electoral landscape is perceived as being more liberal and distinct due to the state's ethnic diversity and socio-economic development. Unlike other Peninsular states, ethnic Chinese have formed the plurality in Penang for decades, and the state's economic infrastructure is based primarily on commerce and trade rather than agriculture. As of 2023 , non-Malays formed

7708-444: The river Batang Serangan, and was transferred on site with 80 ox-carts. Abdul Aziz died before the completion of the mosque, so the construction was taken over by his son Tengku Sultan Mahmud Rahmat Syah. The mosque was completed on June 13, 1902. A minaret was added in 1926. The mosque was restored several times in 1978-1979, 1980–1981, and 1990-1991. The mosque stands on a complex of about 3 hectares (7.4 acres). The main prayer hall

7802-414: The rural Malay-majority constituencies, occupying the remaining 11 seats in the legislature. Penang is further divided into two city-level municipalities, each administered by a local government . The local governments exercise power in areas such as planning and development control, public housing, public spaces, waste disposal, business licensing, markets, local transport, and municipal roads. Penang

7896-590: 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

7990-435: 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

8084-608: 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,

8178-775: Was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in recognition of the area's biodiversity. The gazetted nature reserve includes the Penang National Park , which covers 2,562 ha (25.62 km ) of the northwestern tip of the island. It has been identified as one of the state's ecotourism destinations, alongside the Penang Botanic Gardens and the Tropical Spice Garden. Economic sectors in Penang by GDP share (2023) Malay language Malay ( / m ə ˈ l eɪ / mə- LAY ; Malay: Bahasa Melayu , Jawi : بهاس ملايو )

8272-635: 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

8366-456: 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

8460-603: Was granted a Royal Charter which paved the way for the establishment of a Supreme Court. In the following year, the Supreme Court of Penang (now Penang High Court ) was inaugurated at Fort Cornwallis with the appointment of Edmond Stanley as the first Recorder. The Penang High Court serves as the highest court in the state. Notable lawyers who served the high court include Tunku Abdul Rahman , Cecil Rajendra and Karpal Singh . There are also four Magistrates Courts and two Sessions Courts throughout Penang. Penang

8554-534: Was perceived as being more intellectually receptive than Singapore. The settlement attracted intellectuals and revolutionaries, including Rudyard Kipling , Somerset Maugham and Sun Yat-sen . In 1910, Sun selected George Town as the centre for the Tongmenghui 's political activities in Southeast Asia, aimed at overthrowing the Qing dynasty . Penang emerged from World War I relatively unscathed, apart from

8648-611: Was the first Malayan settlement liberated by British marines through Operation Jurist on 3 September 1945. Penang was placed under British military administration until 1946, after which the Straits Settlements was abolished. The British sought to consolidate the various political entities in British Malaya , including the Crown Colony of Penang , under a single polity known as the Malayan Union . Initially,

8742-621: 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

8836-928: 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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