Plant names in Malay/Indonesian

Introduction

Malay languages and dialects are mostly spoken in Malaysia and Indonesia. The linguistic situation of this area is complex (see Wikipedia). Each country endeavours to develop a national standard language, called respectively Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia. They differ by having distinct dialect substrates and different colonial histories. Malaysia has been influenced in the last centuries by English, and Indonesia by Dutch. But they share a lot in common, including an earlier influence of India (Sanskrit) and Islam (Arabic).

Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to adopt a common spelling. During colonial times, Indonesian was written the Dutch way (which is still the case for many surnames). Before colonization, Malaysia used an Arabic script.

A particular problem with plant names is that they are often regional or local. So their status is uncertain. They may be typical of a particular language or dialect, and at the same time used in the standard language. This is probably why PROSEA chosed to give names classified by country, and not by language.

Linguistic analysis

(What follows is based on Indonesian usage).

Many Malay names are motivated.

Specifiers

Specifiers do have a meaning, but they are an integral part of the plant name. They simply refer to an important perceived characteristic.

• buah: fruit
• bunga: flower
• kembang: flower
• daun: leaf
• pohon: tree
• kayu: tree, wood. Example: kayu manis, "sweet wood": Cinnamomum.
• paku: fern
• rumput: herb, grass

Generic terms

• bawang: most Allium.
• bayam, bayem: leafy vegetable (Amaranthus...)
• jambu: juicy fruit (Syzygium...)
• jeruk (djeroek in Dutch spelling), limau in Malaysia: Citrus
• kacang (katjang in Dutch spelling): bean, pulse
• temu: Zingiberaceae
• ubi: Ipomoea batatas, starchy tuber. Example: ubi kayu, "tree-tuber": Manihot.

Frequent qualifiers

• asam: sour, bitter. Example: pohon asam: "sour tree", tamarind tree; buah asam: "sour fruit", tamarind fruit
• manis: sweet
• hijau: green
• hitam: black, dark
• merah: red
• putih: white
• arang: charcoal

Other motivated names

• duri: spine. The derivative durian ("spiny") is Durio zibethinus.
• rambut: hair. The derivative rambutan ("hairy") is Nephelium lappaceum.

Sources

• Burkill Isaac H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. London, The Crown agents for the colonies. 2 vol. 2402 p. Reprint Kuala Lumpur, Min. Agric., 1966. 2 vol. 2444 p.
• Heyne K., 1927. Die nuttige planten van Nederlandsch Indië. 2e herziene en vermeerdeerde druk. Batavia, Depart. van landbouw, nijverheid en handel. 3 vol. 1450-XXXLI p.vol. 1 : 732 p. vol. 2 : pp. 733-1450 ; vol. 3 : pp. 1451-1662 (list of plants by use group) + CCXLI p. (index of scientific names and common Indonesian names). ca. 3000 plants.
• Levang Patrice & Foresta Hubert de, 1991. Economic plants of Indonesia. A Latin, Indonesian, French and English dictionary of 728 species. Bogor, ORSTOM. 180 p.
• PROSEA, 1989-2003. Plant resources of South-East Asia. 19 vol. Wageningen, PUDOC/PROSEA. (Bogor, PROSEA, 1992). ca. 7500 plants. Data are partially on-line: PROSEA