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The government has historically made little distinction between "Malay culture" and "Malaysian culture". [8] The Malays, who account for over half the Malaysian population, [1] play a dominant role politically and are included in a grouping identified as bumiputra. Their native language, Bahasa Malaysia, is the national language of the country. [9]
The official language of Malaysia is the "Malay language" [5] (Bahasa Melayu) which is sometimes interchangeable with "Malaysian language" (Bahasa Malaysia). [6] The standard language is promoted as a unifying symbol for the nation across all ethnicities, linked to the concept of Bangsa Malaysia (lit. 'Malaysian Nation').
The Malaysian government also has taken the step of defining Malaysian Culture through the 1971 National Culture Policy, which defined what was considered official culture, basing it around Malay culture and integrating Islamic influences. The government has historically made little distinction between "Malay culture" and "Malaysian culture". [36]
Malay is the national language in Malaysia by Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia, and became the sole official language in West Malaysia in 1968, and in East Malaysia gradually from 1974. English continues, however, to be widely used in professional and commercial fields and in the superior courts. Other minority languages are also ...
Non-Muslims and non-Malays could be labelled as Malays as long as they spoke and wrote Malay and followed a Malay way of life, or if they Masuk Melayu—meaning, don certain clothes, follow certain culinary practices, and become an integral part of the Malay-speaking trading network.
Much of Malaysian culture shows heavy influences from Malay culture, an example can be seen in the belief system, whereby the practice of Keramat shrine worshipping that prevalent among Malaysian Chinese, originates from the Malay culture. Other Malay cultural influence can also be seen in traditional dress, cuisine, literature, music, arts and ...
The official and national language of Malaysia is Malaysian Malay, [21] a standardised form of the Malay language. [273] The previous official terminology was Bahasa Malaysia (lit. ' Malaysian language ') [274] [275] [276] but now government policy uses "Bahasa Melayu" (Malay language) to refer to the official language [277] and both terms ...
Malaysian, or Standard Malay, is the official language, while English is considered the de facto language for business. The Bumiputeras speak various Austronesian and Austroasiatic languages as well as language families with smaller number of speakers such as Tai-Kadai and Creoles .