1Malaysia is not something new

Actually, 1Malaysia has been around for the past 20 years. It's just that, only lately, the Gov has decided to put a name on it. Apasal? Tak percaya ka?

We all know that the identity for a country is its language. Tamil is the identity for India, Mandarin for China, English for Sallehland and Bahasa Melayu is for Malaysia. But 1Malaysia is a concept of uniting all those and others into 1. And that would basically means having 1 language of its own.

So, to prove that 1Malaysia has been around for the longest time, ladies and jantanmen, presenting... the B1... or Bahasa 1Malaysia!

1) Tong-tong | To share.
Our forefathers believed that this came from a Chinese word. Whatever lah, as long as it sounds fun. There are those from the big town who prefer to use English to 'jaga' status, but being 1Malaysia, so they say... (see next word)

2) Share-share | as above.

3) Tani | Drink session.
A word popularized during the samsu-haram era. It innocently means, 'let's have a drink.' But of coz, with its origin in mind, it has the widest scope and might confuse people over the venue and drink selection as it can be from a teh tarik stall to a make-believe Cognac made from coconut.

4) Mapley | Teh tarik stall.
A direct tribute to the person who created 'teh tarik', Encik Maplei Tanimalai. Anyway, saying "jom - mapley - tani" is way cool than "mari ke gerai minum".

5) Jom | Ayuh, or let's go!
Used to perfection (see example at no. 4), this word managed to trick all the smart asses in TV3 to think that it's a proper vocab from the dictionary. This word is used extensively. Some believe that it will slowly 1Malaysianize and replace the word 'bye'.

6) Tapau | Takeaway
Extremist would want this to be spelt Da-bao. But it would sound too much like the guy from Pasukan Badminton Negara China. By the way, tapau is used by all from the rich to the cheap.

7) Brader | Dude!
Some thought it came from the English word 'brother'. What were they thinking?? Of coz it's 100% pure Malaysian, just like oksigen. Anyway, used by the whole nation as a reference to men.

8) Boss | Sir
Only in Bolehland. This, ironically, is to describe the mutual respect that every man in Malaysia have towards every other man in Malaysia. You call the Mamak 'boss'. You call the Bangla guy 'boss'. You call your dad 'boss'. Your boss calls you 'boss'. Everyone is 'boss' in the 1Malaysia.

9) Kak | Ma'am.
While the English refers all ladies as 'Ma-am' to revert politeness, Malaysian calls them 'Kak' to up-a-level by making them feel young and somewhat available. However, variations are used to stress the 2 elements; such as Kak Long, Kak Chik, Kak Oi, Kak Hhang and etc.

10) Syiok| To express pleasure.
Syiok is good. You know it when you need to use it. If it's really good, then its 'manyak syiok'. You just know it.

11) Chun | Great!
The 1Malaysia vocab goes as far as importing a word from Japan. Though this one is believed to be Chinese, just that no Chinese has heard of it. But used expansively by 1Malaysia to good effect to descriptively describe 'chunness'. If the food is good, you say 'chun!'. If not so good, you look down but still say 'chun!' to the missus. If your friend just bought an iPhone, you say 'chun!'. And it goes on and on... *to fade...

12) Giler | To the max! (Part 1)
To express maximusness. This is like ajinamoto to cooking. It's used to enhance every word. For example: 'Chun' is beautiful. But 'chun giler' is Megan Foxyful.

13) Kaw-kaw | To the max! (Part 2)
Malaysians love to exaggerate. Everything is 'meletup'. Even when ordering a cup of coffee, they want it 'exegarrated'. But saying exagaratted is as hard as it is to spell it. So... kaw-kaw it is. For example; "raining cats and dogs" means heavy downpour. But "raining cow-cow" means "downpour kaw-kaw".

I think, the list goes on and on. But before I end, the most common identity for a 1Malaysian is the 'lah' word. If you hear a man ending every sentence with a 'lah', that's the 1Malaysia DNA barcoded on the tongue.

So I hope it's enough to prove that 1Malaysia has always been around and not such a new thing after all.

Jom.