Hmmm......I dont know if I should continue on talking about the
term 'Malay'....because it might be a distraction from the original
topic.....maybe a little off-topic...But I see some people are
still abit confused about this.....I wonder why.....I thought it's
pretty simple.....
I will try maybe one last time....after that I think I should
refrain talking about this anymore, because its a bit
off-topic.....
'Malay' is not a broad general term for the native peoples of
South-East Asia. It is a smaller distinct ethnic group found in
Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Brunei, parts of Sumatra
and Kalimantan.
'Malay' is not wide in scope.
If we want to refer to the wider/ broader general term of the
native people in this region, the term is 'Austronesia'.
Since it is a bit formal, and I think nobody use it in daily
conversations, maybe we can just say 'Native South-East Asians' or
if u have a particular region in mind, just say 'Native
Indonesians' or 'Native Phillipinos' for example.
'Malay' is 1 ethnic group among dozens or hundreds of ethnic groups
comprising this Austronesian people.
Simple right?
In practical terms, it is wrong and silly, for instance to refer to
a native man on a Jakarta street as a 'Malay', because for all
likelihood, he is actually a 'Javanese' and not a 'Malay'.
Simple right?
However a Javanese and a Malay are indeed in the same family of
that broader grouping, the general term 'Austronesia'.
So there is a mix-up, some people are using 'Malay' for the concept
of 'Austronesia'. Malay is actually a smaller or lower more
specific term, below 'Austronesia'.
In practical sense, 'Javanese' and 'Malay' have the same
position.
'Javanese' is not under 'Malay'.
'Malay' is not a broad term.
So......
Haiiiii.......
Please also check wikipedia.....type there 'Malay' you will see the
explanations....basically 'Malay' refers to a distinct ethnic
group, while using 'Malay' as a broader grouping or as a race, is
rejected by experts.......and I think by daily practice as well.
Basically those Javanese people dont feel they are Malays. Same
with Balinese, Batak, etc so on....
Javanese....when they marry....the marriage costume is
different....traditional food is different.....mother tongue
language is different.....the ancient teachings is
different...etc....
Basically they are a separate ethnic group, thats why there is a
name called Javanese. And so on so forth with the other ethnic
groups.
Meat Pao.
