KEP р╣Ар╕Бр╣Зр╕Ъ
Tidy up, collect, put aside, store
Probably the Thai word we most use when speaking English. Simple concept. Kep it. Pick it up. Kep everything to children: tidy your room/belongings!
Every morning I go downstairs, and when I reach the street I clap my hands loudly and shout “ojek”. Nothing happens, and I start walking to work. But if this were Indonesia, a guy on a motorcycle would pull up in no time flat, and ask me where I wanted to go. “Ojek” means “motorcycle taxi”, and is the most wonderful invention in the world. (Except when it’s raining, of course.) Ojeks can be found on every street corner in Indonesia, and not just there, they’re all over the world, from Mandalay to Lagos. Why hasn’t anybody in the west thought of this?
Nice suggestion. I would just add that the basic meaning of “ramai” is crowded, and its other connotations derive from the fact that Indonesians LIKE it crowded.
If English borrows “ramai”, it should probably also borrow its antonym, “sepi”, whose basic meaning is “lacking in people”, but which has lots of negative connotations, eg. “sad”, “depressing”.
Another culinary contribution. If your steaming bowl of pork stew comes with your rice, then it’s your “lauk” (if you’re speaking Indonesian), or your “ulam” (if you’re speaking Tagalog). But if the same bowl of stew is an accompaniment to your beer, well that’s called “pulutan”. “Pulutan” is anything that goes with booze. Whereas the prototypical “pulutan” is perhaps peanuts, it can be anything. “Hey, barman, what kind of “pulutan” does this joint offer?”
If we’re making culinary proposals, here’s mine. “Lauk” can be anything edible, well almost anything, it can’t be rice. Because “lauk” refers to whatever it is that you eat WITH rice. Or at least that’s how westerners think of it; Indonesians and other Southeast Asians would turn it around and say that you eat your rice with “lauk”. English, well at least Chinese restaurant English, already has a word for this concept, “topping”. Philippines English uses the high-falutin’ word “viande”. But “lauk” sounds much nicer.
My candidate word would be “pat thai” It has acheived universal status as a favorite dish of anyone who has tried Thai food, and that population numbers in the millions. It also appears in print on the “pat thai noodle kit” boxes in places as “un-gourmet” as WalMart.
Look at what happened with ketchup and chop suey. They made their way into western eating from Chinese.
Rivals to “phat thai” might be Vietnamese “Pho” and “satay,” from Malay “satai” – Indonesian “sate”
This noun comes from the youth language of Malaysia and refers to a fashion-loving Muslim girl. It is a portmanteau of the words “hijab” + “hipster”. Hijabster has already spread to Indonesia and Brunei. The word is also used in Arabic (╪н╪м╪з╪и╪│╪к╪▒), but guess what, Google’s customized date range option proves beyond doubt that it first occurred in Malaysia! I nominate hijabster because it fills a vacant semantic niche: women can be Muslim, yet progressive and cosmopolitan at the same time. The hijabster mirrors today’s global “kampung”. (Hey, another candidate for this competition!) Hijabster needs no phonological modification in English, but the Koreans would probably pronounce it as hijabseuteo (эЮИьЮбьКдэД░)…
To spot check unannounced. Comes from the javanese word of blusuk, which is more or less related to the word pelosok that translates into places less traveled.
I believe the word could transcend its meaning in English (and indeed in Bahasa as well) into the style of management that involves heavy outside office interactions with customers (for business) or ordinary citizen (for government).
Pretty sure this word exist in both Indonesian and Malay language. Used to connote unconditional love but sayang is different from love and like in fact I’ve read somewhere that it’s pretty hard to translate sayang. The closest word that exist in English dictionary to sayang would be ‘dear’. Sayang could be an endearing pet name to your loved ones but also could be used to describe your feelings; but it’s not love or like it’s something much more deeply rooted, a word that is used to express your affection. e.g:”Sayang, I sayang you.”
You asked for a word from Merauke, so here’s one from Marind, the indigenous language spoken in the area surrounding Merauke. Actually I’m familiar with the word in the local dialect of Papuan Malay, where it’s what linguists call a “discourse particle”, which is what linguists call words whose meanings are so subtle they can’t quite figure them out. Basically, you just insert “pele” into your speech in seemingly random places, perhaps once or twice per sentence, and – as Humpty Dumpty said – let the meanings take care of themselves. Full disclosure: in the original Marind, “pele” means “cunt”, but I can assure you that in Papuan Malay it can be used in polite conversation, so there’s no reason why the same should pele not be the case if it is borrowed also into pele English.
A very recently invented word, blending two older words, “tongkat” (staff) and “narsis” (narcissistic). Refers to a newly invented gadget consisting of an extendible rod with an attachment at the end into which you insert your smartphone, facing back at you, in order to take a selfie.
There is a short-time hotel on Ratchapruek Road (my daily drive to work) in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok. It’s called the Gigstown Hotel and neon lights invite you to enter. Kik is a fairly recent, I believe, bit of Thai slang that means something like a friend who is also an occasional sexual partner. It’s all sanook with a gig. So the Gigstown hotel is a place where you can take your “kik” for a couple of hours of innocent fun.
It’s already a hybridization of English and Thai so it has enormous potential to get into the English language. English lacks a precise equivalent of the kik/gig – mistress, affair, paramour, etc seem rather old fashioned. Lover would be too serious. Casual pickup too demeaning.
I suggest the way to get currency for this word is to casually try it out as a pick-up line. “Wanna go to Gigstown, baby?” The object of your affections will probably want to know what you mean. If it works often enough, it would certainly get currency.
Thai/Lao noun phrase literally meaning ‘big thread’. More commonly understood as ‘big contacts’ or ‘powerful patrons to whom one is linked in either a simple linear sense or a more complex web’. ‘Ksae Thom’ is the Khmer equivalent. Can be applied to politics, business, state bureaucracy and community relations. Normally infers an element of corruption as a result of patrimonialism or nepotism. The cultivation of which is considered essential for one’s advancement in social, political, military and economic circles.
Super versatile Indonesian adjective that kind of means “happening”, “lively”, “crowded”. You can use it to compare cities, “Sydney is ramai and Canberra is not.” You can work it into social conversations, “Should I come to the party? How ramai is it?” You can even use it in the workplace to make small-talk about a colleague’s outlandish shirt, “That’s nice and ramai.” A handy word just waiting to be incorporated into other languages.
Hokkien adjective literally meaning, “afraid of losing”. A highly pejorative description beloved of Singaporeans. So useful, it should be adopted elsewhere.
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Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Indonesian: dah-dah (or da-da), sometimes daaa.
Probably a corruption of sudah (already, finished), meaning ‘bye-bye’or ‘see you later’.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
KEP р╣Ар╕Бр╣Зр╕Ъ
Tidy up, collect, put aside, store
Probably the Thai word we most use when speaking English. Simple concept. Kep it. Pick it up. Kep everything to children: tidy your room/belongings!
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Indonesian “ojek”
Every morning I go downstairs, and when I reach the street I clap my hands loudly and shout “ojek”. Nothing happens, and I start walking to work. But if this were Indonesia, a guy on a motorcycle would pull up in no time flat, and ask me where I wanted to go. “Ojek” means “motorcycle taxi”, and is the most wonderful invention in the world. (Except when it’s raining, of course.) Ojeks can be found on every street corner in Indonesia, and not just there, they’re all over the world, from Mandalay to Lagos. Why hasn’t anybody in the west thought of this?
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
I would predict that if hijabster enters general English usage, it will be reinterpreted as referring to a male person who digs, erm, hijabstresses …
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Nice suggestion. I would just add that the basic meaning of “ramai” is crowded, and its other connotations derive from the fact that Indonesians LIKE it crowded.
If English borrows “ramai”, it should probably also borrow its antonym, “sepi”, whose basic meaning is “lacking in people”, but which has lots of negative connotations, eg. “sad”, “depressing”.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Tagalog “pulutan”
Another culinary contribution. If your steaming bowl of pork stew comes with your rice, then it’s your “lauk” (if you’re speaking Indonesian), or your “ulam” (if you’re speaking Tagalog). But if the same bowl of stew is an accompaniment to your beer, well that’s called “pulutan”. “Pulutan” is anything that goes with booze. Whereas the prototypical “pulutan” is perhaps peanuts, it can be anything. “Hey, barman, what kind of “pulutan” does this joint offer?”
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Indonesian “lauk”
If we’re making culinary proposals, here’s mine. “Lauk” can be anything edible, well almost anything, it can’t be rice. Because “lauk” refers to whatever it is that you eat WITH rice. Or at least that’s how westerners think of it; Indonesians and other Southeast Asians would turn it around and say that you eat your rice with “lauk”. English, well at least Chinese restaurant English, already has a word for this concept, “topping”. Philippines English uses the high-falutin’ word “viande”. But “lauk” sounds much nicer.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
My candidate word would be “pat thai” It has acheived universal status as a favorite dish of anyone who has tried Thai food, and that population numbers in the millions. It also appears in print on the “pat thai noodle kit” boxes in places as “un-gourmet” as WalMart.
Look at what happened with ketchup and chop suey. They made their way into western eating from Chinese.
Rivals to “phat thai” might be Vietnamese “Pho” and “satay,” from Malay “satai” – Indonesian “sate”
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
HIJABSTER
This noun comes from the youth language of Malaysia and refers to a fashion-loving Muslim girl. It is a portmanteau of the words “hijab” + “hipster”. Hijabster has already spread to Indonesia and Brunei. The word is also used in Arabic (╪н╪м╪з╪и╪│╪к╪▒), but guess what, Google’s customized date range option proves beyond doubt that it first occurred in Malaysia! I nominate hijabster because it fills a vacant semantic niche: women can be Muslim, yet progressive and cosmopolitan at the same time. The hijabster mirrors today’s global “kampung”. (Hey, another candidate for this competition!) Hijabster needs no phonological modification in English, but the Koreans would probably pronounce it as hijabseuteo (эЮИьЮбьКдэД░)…
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
BLUSUKAN (v)(indo)
To spot check unannounced. Comes from the javanese word of blusuk, which is more or less related to the word pelosok that translates into places less traveled.
I believe the word could transcend its meaning in English (and indeed in Bahasa as well) into the style of management that involves heavy outside office interactions with customers (for business) or ordinary citizen (for government).
The word is of course popularized by Joko Widodo.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
SAYANG
Pretty sure this word exist in both Indonesian and Malay language. Used to connote unconditional love but sayang is different from love and like in fact I’ve read somewhere that it’s pretty hard to translate sayang. The closest word that exist in English dictionary to sayang would be ‘dear’. Sayang could be an endearing pet name to your loved ones but also could be used to describe your feelings; but it’s not love or like it’s something much more deeply rooted, a word that is used to express your affection. e.g:”Sayang, I sayang you.”
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Marind “pele”
You asked for a word from Merauke, so here’s one from Marind, the indigenous language spoken in the area surrounding Merauke. Actually I’m familiar with the word in the local dialect of Papuan Malay, where it’s what linguists call a “discourse particle”, which is what linguists call words whose meanings are so subtle they can’t quite figure them out. Basically, you just insert “pele” into your speech in seemingly random places, perhaps once or twice per sentence, and – as Humpty Dumpty said – let the meanings take care of themselves. Full disclosure: in the original Marind, “pele” means “cunt”, but I can assure you that in Papuan Malay it can be used in polite conversation, so there’s no reason why the same should pele not be the case if it is borrowed also into pele English.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Indonesian “alay”
tHi$ w0rD r3ferZ 2 tH3 $p3$sHL $tYLe 0v wR1t1ng uZD 1n iNd0n3s14N tXt1ng, FB upDaT3$ & $o oN, wH1cH k1nD ov l00k$ L1k3 tH1$.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Indonesian “tongsis”
A very recently invented word, blending two older words, “tongkat” (staff) and “narsis” (narcissistic). Refers to a newly invented gadget consisting of an extendible rod with an attachment at the end into which you insert your smartphone, facing back at you, in order to take a selfie.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Gigstown.
There is a short-time hotel on Ratchapruek Road (my daily drive to work) in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok. It’s called the Gigstown Hotel and neon lights invite you to enter. Kik is a fairly recent, I believe, bit of Thai slang that means something like a friend who is also an occasional sexual partner. It’s all sanook with a gig. So the Gigstown hotel is a place where you can take your “kik” for a couple of hours of innocent fun.
It’s already a hybridization of English and Thai so it has enormous potential to get into the English language. English lacks a precise equivalent of the kik/gig – mistress, affair, paramour, etc seem rather old fashioned. Lover would be too serious. Casual pickup too demeaning.
I suggest the way to get currency for this word is to casually try it out as a pick-up line. “Wanna go to Gigstown, baby?” The object of your affections will probably want to know what you mean. If it works often enough, it would certainly get currency.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
For those curious about the spelling in Lao –
р╗Ар║кр║▒р╗Йр║Щ р╗Гр║лр║Нр╗И
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Saen can also mean “line” or ‘string”
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Saen Yai (alt. Sen Nyai)
Thai/Lao noun phrase literally meaning ‘big thread’. More commonly understood as ‘big contacts’ or ‘powerful patrons to whom one is linked in either a simple linear sense or a more complex web’. ‘Ksae Thom’ is the Khmer equivalent. Can be applied to politics, business, state bureaucracy and community relations. Normally infers an element of corruption as a result of patrimonialism or nepotism. The cultivation of which is considered essential for one’s advancement in social, political, military and economic circles.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
RAMAI
Super versatile Indonesian adjective that kind of means “happening”, “lively”, “crowded”. You can use it to compare cities, “Sydney is ramai and Canberra is not.” You can work it into social conversations, “Should I come to the party? How ramai is it?” You can even use it in the workplace to make small-talk about a colleague’s outlandish shirt, “That’s nice and ramai.” A handy word just waiting to be incorporated into other languages.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
KIASU
Hokkien adjective literally meaning, “afraid of losing”. A highly pejorative description beloved of Singaporeans. So useful, it should be adopted elsewhere.