Article published In: Language of Empire, Language of Power
Edited by Kees Versteegh
[Language Ecology 2:1/2] 2018
► pp. 41–59
How to dictate and survive life in the tropics
Malay-Dutch language guides to minimise communication
Published online: 9 November 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/le.18002.put
https://doi.org/10.1075/le.18002.put
Abstract
From the early years of contact in the closing years of the 16th century until the end of the colonial era in the early 1940s,
European agents have tried to master and regulate the languages of the scattered islands that bridge Asia with Australia. The
contact language they encountered was Malay, which had incorporated a relatively high percentage of foreign material. These
foreign agents distinguished between high and low, colloquial and bookish, correct and incorrect variants which they needed to
define and structure. This paper will briefly sketch the history of Malay language studies before turning to a more detailed
discussion of a number of Malay language guides published in the 19th century. I will focus on the topics these guides deal with
and what they tell us about the approach the Dutch migrants were expected to take towards the native population.
Keywords: Malay, language guides, colonial administration, language policy
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The Beginning: Frederick de Houtman (1603) and Albert Ruyll (1612)
- 3.The colonial era
- 4.Criticism and alternative dialogues
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
References
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