Some Diachronic Changes in Meaning in the Malay Language

This study discusses the diachronic changes in the meanings of words in the Malay language. This historical study uses a top-down approach in its analysis. The data was traced in several stories. The archaic words used in these stories were analyzed for changes in meaning and form in the current Malay/Indonesian language. The findings of this study indicate that there are several changes in meaning in the Malay language, including expansion of meaning, narrowing of meaning, deviation of meaning, replacement, reduction, and metaphor. Changes due to expansion are found in the words balairung, melanggar, masyhur, and segan; changes due to narrowing are found in the word sahaja; changes due to replacement are found in the word malaka; changes due to metaphor are found in the words rawan, menyabung, meminang, and cembul. In addition, Proto-Austronesian lexical changes that have altered meaning include the word "hulu," which originally meant "head," and has evolved into the word "hulu sungai," retaining a similar meaning. Changes in meaning in the Malay language are closely related to the social and cultural factors of Malay speakers. The social and cultural factors affecting Malay speakers are factors that encourage them to bring about lexical and semantic changes in the Malay language

Lexical definition · Lexicon · Malay · Metaphor · Semantic change · Cultural and Religious Practices in Indonesia · Education and Islamic Studies · Linguistic, Cultural, and Literary Studies