I’m back again with juice on the biggest Malaysian youth marketing challenge of 2009: Marketing to the ‘Malay’ segment of Malaysian youth. If you missed part 1 in a previous issue of Marketing Magazine, here’s what we covered: Malay youths account for 70% or more of the Malaysian youth segment. This is huge! Communicating effectively with Malay youth requires ‘thinking’ in Malay. Too many marketers ‘think’ in English. One effective way to reach this Malay segment is actually the internet! 87.7% of Malaysian youth between 15 to 34 years old are internet users, based on 2006 MCMC data. Also, online communities and social network sites have huge Malay user bases. Okay, let’s use the internet to win this chunk of the youth segment! But hold up! Many of us will be caught underprepared. Driven by the need to say as much as possible in a 160 character SMS, a “new” Malay language was created – Malay SMS language. This Malay SMS language has now found its way online, integrating more abbreviation and slang than even sasoned Malay speakers can handle. Here’s an example: “ak da lame tnggu ko call.nk ke x neh? da nek boring ak.xpe la. Nnt kalo ko nk tepon ko msg ak dlu yea. kalo tak, ak gi sma member2 lain” What are they saying? I didn’t learn to write like this in SPM!
Is this how future ad copy to Malay youths look like? How far should brands use Malay jargon to connect with Malay youths? Is Era FM’s “Kena Kantoi” as good as it gets? Of course there is more to the story.
THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
To communicate with someone, speaking their language goes beyond just “knowing the words”. Quoting Samuel Johnson, “Language is the dress of thought”.
In our private research on Malay youth, we discovered 80% of new jargon fits into these 5 categories:
Angst / Offensives
Teasing
Describing something ‘cool’
Being easygoing/ chilling out
Compliments on skills/beauty
Why? What does this reveal about the motivations of this segment?
Before we delve into that topic, I present a light introduction to understanding the psyche of the Malay youth via their language. My team has compiled for you a few words you may or may not be very familiar with, depending on who you chat with often. 
Kantoi
Part of Speech: verb
Pronunciation: kan-toi
Definition: the act of getting caught by surprise whilst doing something sneaky or secretive
Usage: Often used with ‘kena’, kantoi is a term highly used in humorous contexts. Thus, “Semalam aku tertidur dalam kelas, kena kantoi pulak dari cikgu” is a sentence used to describe a student getting caught in the act of falling asleep in class. The term is also used to describe the act of catching someone by surprise: “Aku kantoi boyfriend aku hisap rokok!”
Jom
Part of Speech: interjection
Pronunciation: jome
Definition: an exclamation used as an expression of invitation – let’s
Usage: Used only in narrative dialogues, jom should be used only at the beginning of sentences to invite the addressee to do or go somewhere together. For instance, “Jom pergi makan!” is normally used to invite the addressee for a meal together.
Dowh
Part of Speech: interjection
Pronunciation: dough
Definition: an exclamation or expression of emphasis
Usage: Whilst not holding any substantial definition or meaning in itself, dowh is commonly used in narrative dialogues where emphasis is key. As such, “Sakit sangat dowh, jangan cubit lagi la!” shows the much needed emphasis on the pain caused by the addressee’s pinching. Not to be confused with Homer Simpson’s d’oh.
Selamber
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: sir-lum-ber
Definition: nonchalance, without warmth of enthusiasm, casually indifferent
Usage: The term selamber comes in many spelling variants, such as selamba or selambe. Used to describe a person showing lack of concern, the term fits in various contexts, such as “Dia baru menang loteri, tapi selamber ajer”, or “Adik kau menangis, kenapa kau selamber ajer?” Quite often, ‘selamber’ is associated with facial expressions rather than behavior in general, such as “Kau ni, adik menangis kat situ, kau ni muka selamber saje kat sini!”
Sengal
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: sir-ngull
Definition: to be daft, or blur
Usage: Someone who is accused of being sengal is often taken to be a person who is often forgetful, clumsy and is not aware of his/her surroundings. Thus, “Malik yang sengal tu seringkali tertinggal telefon bimbitnya dalam bas.” A harsher, more offensive version of this word would be henggok.
Mencapub
Part of Speech: verb
Pronunciation: mern-char-pub
Definition: the act of boasting, to show off, to brag
Usage: Arguably, the origin of this term owes its roots to an odd combination of ‘mencari’ (to seek) and ‘publisiti’ (publicity). Simply put, mencapub best describes someone who seeks cheapskate publicity and usually a turn off. An example, “Lina tu, dah naik gaji, mencapub pulak kereta baru tu. Menyampah betul.”
Hampeh
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: hum-pay
Definition: having no use, worthless, purposeless, not functional
Usage: Best describes a person or an object which is not able to fulfill even the simplest of functions. For instance, “Buka tin makanan pun tak tau? Hampeh la kau ni…” describes a person, or “Komputer kau ni memang hampeh la, nak main lagu pun tak boleh.”
Jerk
Part of Speech: interjection
Pronunciation: jerk
Definition: only
Usage: Not related to the English word of the same spelling, jerk is one of the many variants of ‘sahaja’, amongst others such as ‘saje’, ‘aje’, or simple ‘je’. This variant is used most in a context associated with anger, desperation or extreme excitement, such as “Aku tengah mandi, lepas tu dia bukak pintu.. tetiber jerk!”
Chun
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: choon
Definition: beautiful, having quality of beauty, of great aesthetic or non-aesthetic value; an exclamation
Usage: Used to express approval, pleasure or fondness. Thus, “Lukisan awak ni chun sangat la!” describes a beautiful drawing, or “Kakak you memang chun!” describes a beautiful or pretty sister.
Awek
Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: ah-whack
Definition: girl
Usage: A loose term used by mostly boys to refer to girls, an awek is usually used on a girl placed as a subject of endearment. As such, more often than not, awek is seen paired up with the term chun, such as “Jom lah pergi, banyak awek chun kat situ!” or “Aku nak bersenam. Nak jadi awek chun.” Sometimes, the term is used as a replacement for ‘girlfriend’, thus “Ini Mona, awek aku. Dah dua tahun kita bersama.”
Cner
Part of Speech: adverb
Pronunciation: char-nerr
Definition: how
Usage: A very much shortened version of ‘macam mana’, amongst its many other variants such as ‘caner’, ‘camaner’ or ‘camner’. Usually ends with a question mark, like “Kedai dah tutup pulak, cner skarang?” or a sentence expressing doubt, such as “Dia tak nak makan. Tak tau lah cner skarang.”
Gelabah
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ger-la-bah
Definition: to panic, to be distressed or overreact
Usage: Used to describe someone who overreacts or is panicky about something, or someone. Thus, “Tadi bila kereta ku terbabas, aku gelabah sekejap… nasib baik tak kena accident.” Could also be used as a verb, such as, “Exam aku esok. Aku tengah menggelabah sekarang weh!”
Lek
Part of Speech: verb
Pronunciation: lack
Definition: relax
Usage: The shortest variant of ‘rilek’ (direct usage of the English word ‘relax’). Example of use would be, “Lek la dulu. Exam tu esok, bukan nanti. Tak payah gelabah.”
Of course there are many words, and there will be more. As the Internet facilitates more and more communication, new colloquialisms, slang and codes will emerge really fast.
You don’t necessarily need to know exactly what they’re saying… but you can use what they’re saying as a doorway into what they are thinking.
If enough readers are interested in this segment, write to me and let me know. Throw me questions if you like. If there’s enough interest, I will continue with Part 3 of this series, where I can share some research findings related to what they’re saying reveals their motivations, interests, and trends and how you can ride on the right insights to connect with them.
By Khailee Ng