Language
Discovered over a century ago on a river bank at Kuala Berang, Terengganu, this inscribed stone, known as the Terengganu Stone, is not only the oldest extant evidence of the Malay language in Arabic script, but also the earliest record of the introduction of Islam to the Malay Peninsula.
Malay, in common with other great languages of the world, has a long history of absorbing and incorporating elements of other languages. This cosmopolitan mixing and merging of diverse components has strengthened the ability of Malay to meet the demands of its speakers. The history of the Malay language began with written texts carved in stone 1,300 years ago. Yet, even then, the incorporation of Indic language elements was already unmistakable.
- Information in the full article includes
- The origin of the Malay language
- Sanskrit influences in early scripts
- The introduction of religious concepts
- Religions change but words survive
- Early Malay inscriptions