Title Writing As a Medium in Modern Malay Literature Author Muhammad Ariff Bin Ahmad Source Aksara

Title Writing as a medium in modern Malay literature Author Muhammad Ariff bin Ahmad Source Aksara: Menjejaki tulisan Melayu = Aksara: The passage of Malay scripts (231 - 239) Published by National Library Board Singapore This document was digitised and archived with permission from the National Library Board Singapore. Citation: Muhammad Ariff Ahmad. (2009). Writing as a medium in modern Malay literature. In Juffri Supa’at, & Nazeerah Gopaul (Eds.), Aksara: Menjejaki tulisan Melayu = Aksara: The passage of Malay scripts (231 - 239). Singapore: National Library Board. ,gkinan wujud e-sastera (sastera elektronik) .i komputer. Writing as a Medium in Modern ~aimanapun, pada hemat saya, selagi e-sastera 1 1 melalui komputer masih perlu dibaca maka Malay Literature rumi akan tetap relevan dipakai sebagai mya. Muhammad Ariff bin Ahmad .llahu alam bissawab ... .billahi-taufiq wal-hidayah ... N HIS BOOK 'SARINAH' (1947), THE LATE IR. SOEKARNO, Ifirst President of Indonesia, had mentioned, "we learn history to make us intellectual". And everyone knows that 231 history is a record of life experiences, be it an individual's or a nation's. That statement has an effect: those who deny history will not be intellectuals. asuk Kesatuan Guru-guru Melayu Slngapura dan History often shows the evolution and progress of a life, according to the condi :atan Sasterawan 50. ( termasuk beberapa perwakilan penerbit dari Singapura tions, period and what is desired of the living. The same happens to Malay literature. ohor Bahru yang tel ah bertindak keluar (walk-out) History proves that Malay literature started off as oral literature because liter inggalkan persldangan kerana permohonannya menjadi ature develops by word of mouth. rta penoh dltolak persidangan dengan lzin Pengerusl dangan. Folk literature like tales of: un, setelah tulisan rum i itu benar-benar menjad i • Pak Pandir, ma sastera Melayu Maden di Slngapura, amalan Islam >erkembangan dakwah lslamiah, bukan sahaja tldak • PakKaduk, sot atau tergugat; bahkan dengan tertubuhnya lebih So • Lebai Malang, Id generasl baru amalan Islam dlsinl bertambah maju . • Si Luncai, • Si Tanggang, Nakhoda Manis, combination of the scripts copy the words read by Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, and many more man as a source of obtaining information on knowl were passed on orally by storytellers ( who later edge, teachings and guidance to perfecting life. were called 'sahibul-hikayat') . As known by many, through Hinduism and With the advancement of human intellect Buddhism that were embraced once by the Malays at and civilization, along with technological develop the beginning of their civilization, written Malay liter ment and progress, Malay oral literature was then ature used pallawa, kawi and nagiri scripts as its tool. published in stages and known as written literature. After embracing Islam, the Malays began read The rise of the Malay intellect and civilization ing the Qur' an which is in Arabic and written in began when the Malays embraced religion. History the Arabic script. According to Marco Polo when tells us that the first religion which influenced he stopped over at Perlak en route to China in 1295, the life of the Malays was Hinduism/ Buddhism. the Perlak people were already reciting the Qur' an. Teachings of Hinduism/ Buddhism were transmit The experience of reading the Qur' an and ted to the Malays through the Old Malay language, Islamic texts in Malay (Arabic style and full of 232 with influences of Sanskrit. Arabic terms) eventually saw Arabic letters - later Terms like agama (religion), Tuhan (God), with some additions and system amendment - sembahyang (pray), puasa (fast), pahala (merit), being used to write Malay. dosa (sin), syurga (heaven), neraka (hell) and more With the addition of letters for phonemes ca, that are used in Malay till today are derived from ga, pa, nga and nya (that do not exist in Arabic) , Sanskrit. In fact, the term sastera (literature) also the omission of the Arabic diacritics a-i-u, and traces its roots back to Sanskrit. the replacement with alif-ya-wau as vocals for the Sastera originally meant 'writing' in Sanskrit. In Malay phoneme a-i-u, the modified Arabic writing Malay, sastera refers to language. With a prefix "su" was used to write Malay. (meaning beautiful in Javanese) , literature becomes The new writing, which had its spelling system susastera, meaning beautiful language. Literature is amended and revised over time, is known as the created and enjoyed by man through writing (also jawi script. The Johor people referred to jawi as the known as composition). Malay script. Writing is a jotting of phonemes of consonants Since then, except for being used in official and vocals, which are known as scripts or letters. A letters for royalty, jawi was also used in written 1ation of the scripts copy the words read by Malay literature - either for transcribing oral folk • Malay Language, a source of obtaining information on knowl literature into written literature or writing Malay Mathematics and Timetable, achings and guidance to perfecting life. translations of foreign literature, particularly • Health and Wellness, 2 known by many, through Hinduism and Hindu , Arabic/ Persian3 or English•. • Geography, sm that were embraced once by the Malays at Even newspapers, magazines, fiction, novels and History, and inning of their civilization, written Malay liter other literary works for public reading were mostly Art and Crafts. ;ed pallawa, kawi and nagiri scripts as its tool. printed in jawi until the 1960s, although since 1930s, er embracing Islam, the Malays began read there already rose a trend of publishing Malay books Qur' an which is in Arabic and written in written in the Roman script. bic script. According to Marco Polo when When I entered school in late 1933, there were ped over at Perlak en route to China in 1295, already old Malay literary works, including: .ak people were already reciting the Qur' an . Hikayat Awang Sulung Merah Muda, : experience of reading the Qur' an and Hikayat Malim Deman, texts in Malay (Arabic style and full of • Hikayat Raja Bedurai Putih, :erms) eventually saw Arabic letters - later Hikayat Anggun Cik Tunggal, 233 me additions and system amendment - • Hikayat Bayan Budiman, ,ed to write Malay. and the likes, which had been printed for the Malay :h the addition of letters for phonemes ca, Literature Series, and MPH had printed the Malay 1ga and nya (that do not exist in Arabic), Schools Series in romanised script. ssion of the Arabic diacritics a-i-u, and Prior to 1950, vernacular Malay schools in Sam Kok, atau, Tiga Negri Berprang: Siok, Gwi sama Gor di acement with alif-ya-wau as vocals for the Singapore were still using the 3M approach (read jaman .. Han Teow" honeme a-i-u, the modified Arabic writing ing, writing and counting) in schools. Malay The only subjects taught in the jawi script d to write Malay. schools of that period taught both types of writing - were reading, spelling, writing and composition & new writing, which had its spelling system jawi and rumi. letters; whereas other subjects (including the Malay d and revised over time, is known as the Subjects taught in Malay schools then were: language) were taught in the rumi script. .pt. The Johor people referred to jawi as the • Jawi and Rumi reading, I entered school when I was almost 9, having :ript. Jawi and Rumi spelling (dictation), completed reading the Qur'an twice and taught to :e then, except for being used in official • Jawi and Rumi writing, read the newspaper in Jawi weekly by my father at >r royalty, jawi was also used in written Composition and Letters, home. Hence, reading jawi was not a problem for me as I was used to reading the magazines Warta On the day the Tenno Heika soldiers took Malaya, Warta]enaka and Tanah Melayu which were over Singapore (15 February 1942), I had bought a often brought home by my late father, even though I Remington typewriter "axe brand" from a teacher for did not understand everything that I read5• $10.00 (British Malaya currency). With that type With regards to rumi (spelling, reading and writer (romanised script), I wrote a radio drama writing), I learnt the abc's, when I entered school. script for the Middle Syonan Drama group. In 1940, as a trainee teacher, other than read During the Japanese Occupation (15 February ing Utusan Melayu, Mastika and fiction printed in 1942 - 14 August 1945), there were two Malay Malaya in the jawi script, I also read many Malay magazines - Semangat Asia (publication of Marai books that were brought in from Java and Sumatra. Shimbun Sya Shimbun Sya) and Fajar Asia (publica Books written in romanised Malay from Java tion of Sinsei Marai Kensetsu Sya) that were printed were said to have been written by the Semarang inrumi. Chinese; however, with the rise of a group called After World War II, aside from newspapers Pujangga Baru, many writers comprised Malays and magazines written injawi, the Cenderamata 234 from the region. Maktab Perguruan SITC and Kencana magazines were Although the rumi spelling system within the published in Singapore in rumi since 1947. This was Dutch East Indies (known presently as Indonesia) followed by associations6 that published their bulle then was different from the system used in Malaya, tins in rumi - most were cyclostyled magazines. many Malay readers here were able to read books and That situation spurred the interest of many young magazines brought in from across the straits fluently. writers in the 5o 's, including myself, who used the Many of us are familiar with names like Hamka, typewriter to produce their works in romanised script, Marah Rosli, Merari Siregar, Adi Negoro, Surapaty, A. although the newspapers and magazines to which the Hashimy and many more through their books writ works were sent and published were printed in jawi.

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