Tamiang Malay

Tamiang Malay (bahase Temiang, Jawi: بهاس تامينڬ), is a Malayic language spoken in Indonesia, specifically in the Aceh Tamiang and significant minorities in Langsa on southeastern Aceh, bordering North Sumatra. It is primarily spoken by the native Malay people of Tamiang. Tamiang Malay is significantly different from Acehnese, the dominant language in Aceh, and they are mutually unintelligible. Instead, Tamiang Malay shows similarities to Langkat Malay and Deli Malay spoken in neighboring North Sumatra. Additionally, Tamiang Malay has been influenced by other languages, such as Acehnese and Gayonese, forming a distinct Malay dialect unique to the region. Tamiang Malay plays a significant role in the daily lives of the Tamiang community. For example, traditional ceremonies, community activities, and other social interactions are conducted in Tamiang Malay. Additionally, for the Tamiang people, Tamiang Malay is considered as a symbol of pride and a distinct regional identity. Most Tamiang people are proficient in Acehnese and Indonesian, in addition to their mother tongue.

The Malays have inhabited Tamiang since the 7th century. Tamiang was once ruled by various pre-Islamic Malay kingdoms and empires, including the Sriwijaya and the Tamiang Kingdom. The increasing influence of the Samudera Pasai Sultanate led to the Islamization of Tamiang in the 14th century. This has resulted in the assimilation of Tamiang culture with other cultures, such as the Acehnese. The continuous arrival of immigrants from other parts of Indonesia has threatened the existence of Tamiang Malay, as its usage has gradually diminished. The current generation of Tamiang Malays is not proficient in Tamiang Malay; instead, they are more comfortable speaking Indonesian.

Classification
Tamiang Malay is a Malayic language. Speakers of Malayic languages are spread from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, to the southernmost part of the Philippines. Malay is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, which includes languages from Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia. Malagasy, a geographic outlier spoken in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, is also a member of this language family. Although these languages are not necessarily mutually intelligible to any extent, their similarities are often quite apparent. In more conservative languages like Malay, many roots have come with relatively little change from their common ancestor, Proto-Austronesian. There are many cognates found in the languages' words for kinship, health, body parts and common animals. Numbers, especially, show remarkable similarities.

Taming Malay shows similarity with other Malay dialects spoken in the eastern coast of Sumatra, such as Deli Malay and Langkat Malay. According to Sahril (2007:156), Tamiang Malay is grouped with several other varieties of Malay on the east coast of Sumatra, namely Langkat, Deli, Serdang, Batubara, Asahan, Kualuh, Panai, and Bilah. Several opinions suggest that the Tamiang Malay community originated from the immigration of Malays from Langkat, Penang, and Langkawi. However, some argue that the Tamiang Malay language originated from immigrants from the Riau Islands, specifically Bintan and Lingga, who were fleeing attacks by the Sriwijaya Kingdom. This community settled in Tamiang and developed the language. The language is not mutually intelligible with Acehnese, the dominant and co-official language in Aceh. However, there may be influences on Tamiang Malay from Acehnese, as Tamiang was historically ruled by the Aceh Sultanate for centuries, and the status of Acehnese as the lingua franca of the province.

Geographic distribution and usage
Tamiang Malay is primarily spoken by the Tamiang Malays. It is the dominant language throuhout the Aceh Tamiang Regency on southeastern Aceh, except in the Manyak Payet and Kuala Simpang Districts, where Acehnese is predominantly spoken. Aside from Malays, there are also other ethnic groups inhabiting Aceh Tamiang, such as Acehnese, Gayo, and Minangkabau, who speak their own mother tongue. In addition, many migrants from other parts of Indonesia, such as the Javanese, have moved to Aceh Tamiang since the Dutch colonial era and continuing through the New Order era. In some parts of Aceh Tamiang, the Javanese form the majority of the population. Tamiang Malay also has a significant minority of speakers in Langsa, north of Aceh Tamiang, which is proven by the Dutch East Indies government's general report on education in Aceh in 1933 and 1934, with 38 schools in Langsa using Malay as the instruction language, the largest number of any region in Aceh.

Tamiang Malay is widely used as a language of communication among ethnic Malays in Aceh Tamiang. It is commonly spoken in informal and semi-formal contexts, such as in markets and at cultural events. In official settings, such as government institutions and higher educational institutions, Indonesian is used instead. Most Tamiang Malays are trilingual, able to speak Acehnese and Indonesian in addition to their native tongue. Acehnese serves as the dominant language within Aceh and is commonly used to communicate with people from other regions within the province. Indonesian, being the national language of Indonesia, is used for communication with people outside of Aceh. Tamiang Malay is also included in the elementary school curriculum in Aceh Tamiang Regency as part of the regional languages program.

Dialects
Generally, Tamiang Malay has two dialects, the hulu 'inland' dialect and the hilir 'coastal' dialect. The inland dialect of Tamiang Malay shares similarities with Kelantan and Kedah Malay spoken in the Malay Peninsula, while the coastal dialect is shares similarities to other Malay dialects spoken on the eastern coast of Sumatra. The primary distinctions between these two dialects are found in their phonology and lexicon. For example, words that typically end with [a] in standard Malay and Indonesian change to [o] in the inland dialect, similar to Minangkabau and Malay dialects spoken in the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. In the coastal dialect, these words end with [e], similar to other Malay dialects elsewhere. Some scholars also identify a third dialect, the tengah 'central' dialect, which is spoken in the urban central part of Tamiang. The inland dialect, specifically the one spoken in Karang Baru, the capital of Aceh Tamiang, is regarded as the prestige dialect of Tamiang Malay. Despite the differences between these dialects, they are generally mutually intelligible. Each of these dialects has its own sub-dialects, which may differ slightly from one village to another. Below are a few examples of lexical differences between the coastal and inland dialects: