Beza bahasa Melanau dan Melayu

Photo: Muzium Melanau Sapan Puloh

Sering kali terdapat salah faham yang mengatakan bahawa bahasa melanau itu merupakan dialek atau cabang bahasa melayu. Istilah melanau melayu sering kali digunapakai. Sebenarnya tangapan begitu kurang tepat.

Dalam penulisan ini, Learn Melanau ingin mengupas persoalan dan perbezaan antara bahasa melanau dan bahasa melayu. 

Adakah Bahasa Melanau cabang bahasa melayu? 

Jawapannya tidak. Bahasa Melanau tergolong dalam rumpun North Borneo dan Bahasa Melayu dalam rumpun Malayo-Chamic.
 
Fakta yang menarik, bahasa Iban merupakan bahasa yang serumpun dengan bahasa Melayu yakni dalam Rumpun Malayic dan Bahasa Bintulu (Vaie) bukanlan bahasa melanau tetapi dalam rumpun North Sarawakan.

Source: Ethnologue

Mengapa bahasa melanau mengunakan banyak istilah bahasa melayu? 

Seperti yang kita ketahui, bahasa melayu merupakan lingua franca di seluruh pelusuk asia tenggara. Bahasa melayu merupakan bahasa perdangangan dan banyak mempengaruhi bahasa-bahasa tempatan. Sebagai contoh bahasa Tagalog di Filipina menggunakan sekitar 3200 perkataan melayu dalam kosa katanya.

Bangsa melanau yang juga merupakan pelayar dan pedagang utama di rantau asia tenggara, meminjam kosa kata bahasa melayu dan di"melanau"kan untuk tujuan perdangangan harian mereka dan untuk menerangkan konsep dunia melayu yang asing buat orang melanau.

Tiada sapaan waktu dalam bahasa melanau. 

Dalam memulakan perbualan, sapaan merupakan pembuka bicara yang sering digunakan. Dalam bahasa melanau tiada istilah selamat pagi, selamat petang, dan selamat malam digunakan. Sapaan sebegini merupakan pinjaman dari budaya melayu.

Sapaan (Muwueng) dalam bahasa melanau lebih berbentuk gurauan (Selurok), bidalan (Tidak/ Perambahan), atau omongan terhadap kerja yang tengah dilakukan.

Contoh:
Menyapa seseorang yang tengah menjemur kain:

"Puwei gak dibak pala ji kaau giyen". (Berjemur dibawah mentari rupanya kamu disana). 

Menyapa seseorang yang berjalan membawa barang runcit ditangan:

"Mengasi kawak idak ji wak nasui nou yen" (Banyaknya barang yang dibawa itu). 

Tiada ungkapan "Terima kasih".

Kebanyakan bahasa-bahasa di borneo khususnya bahasa melanau, konsep berterima kasih dengan ungkapan "Terima Kasih" merupakan konsep yang dahulunya amat asing.

Ungkapan "Terima Kasih" merupakan ungkapan yang diperkenalkan budaya melayu kepada masyarakat borneo.

Ini tidak bermakna bahawa bangsa melanau tidak tahu berterima kasih, cuma bagi bangsa melanau, perasaan terhutang budi ataupun berterima kasih tidak mencukupi dengan sekadar ungkapan.

Memandangkan bangsa melanau pernah tinggal dalam satu rumah besar, budaya bahawa setiap ahli masyarakat perlu menambah apa yang kurang dan membantu sama lain dilihat sebagai perbuatan yang fitrah dan lazim.

Konsep membalas kebaikan orang lain pada masa jikalau ada kemampuan merupakan cara tersendiri orang melanau berterima kasih.

Konsep ini tersimpul dalam ungkapan lama melanau:

Enda bei inou bak idok kou gak nou ajau, menyabek asek ipok siewlah tuwa

Tiada apa yang saya boleh berikan sekarang, memohon kasihan Ipok (Semangat alam) dahululah kita berdua. 

Apabila orang melanau melihat orang ingin berbaik kepadanya, ungkapan sebegini sering diucapkan.

"Kak un kaau gagau"- Janganlah kamu susahkan diri

Konsep "Fikir"

Konsep memisahkan akal fikiran dan perasaan merupakan konsep yang dibawa oleh bangsa melayu.

Dalam dunia melanau, akal fikiran dan perasaan merupakan satu zat yang tidak boleh dipisahkan kerana akal boleh mempengaruhi perasaan dan perasaan juga boleh pengaruhi akal. Penyatuan akal dan perasaan ini dirumuskan sebagai istilah "Naseng".

Oleh yang demikian, jikalau orang melanau ingin bertanya pendapat seseorang, orang tersebut akan ditanya tentang "Naseng" nya:

Betan tan naseng nou? Apakah rasa "Naseng" awak? ( Apa fikiran kamu?)

Dalam budaya melanau, berfikir ( melanau: Pikir) dilihat sebagai sesuatu yang tidak baik. Lazimnya orang melanau melarang orang yang kuat sangat befikir

Kak jed angai pikir- Janganlah kuat sangat berfikir

 kerana perbuatan ini boleh menimbulkan was was dan menganggu perjalanan pekerjaan harian dan juga menganggu  "Naseng" (Pedeh Naseng).

By: Nativeglot On 12:29 AM

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Bulan Pengesiseang (The Month of the Gills)

Description

This month coincides with the month of February.

Timing

The strong wind brings heavy rain and blows the flowers off from the trees as well as uproots the trees. The flood waters bring them to the sea.

Logs floating in the sea are pushed ashore by huge waves to the beaches. The strong wind blows the branches and fronds of the coconut and sago palms as well as the leaves of the other trees making them open up to look just like the gills of the fish. As such, this month of strong winds and rain is so named. This marks the end of the year for the Melanau.

Events

no significant event happen in this month.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 12:21 PM

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Bulan Pemalei (The Month of Taboo)

Description

This month coincides with the month of January.

Timing

Legend has it that in ancient times, a great shaman was killed by his wife and his head was chopped off. However, the head disappeared from the house and it became the Taboo Star. This month is named the month of the killing of the great shaman of ancient times. This marks the eleventh month.

Events

All activities of the Melanau is tabooed during this month. Marriage is not allowed and so are the activities of livelihood, such as fishing, planting, house construction and everything else. This month is regarded as a month of ill fortune by the Melanau.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 12:21 PM

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Bulan Penangaih (The Month of Revival)

Photo by : Ahmed El-Araby

Description

This month coincides with the month of December.

Timing

It is a time when the rains come to allow the flowers to blossom and the fruits to bear in the jungle and the forest. This marks the tenth month.

Events

no sigificant event happen in this month.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 12:21 PM

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Bulan Pidai (The Month of the Discoloured Skies)

Photo by: Ma Poupoule

Description

This month coincides with the month of November.

Timing

This is the beginning of the monsoon season (suloh). Strong winds begin to blow, shifting the location of the sun and the moon. The Melanau calls it the South East Moon (Bulan Tenggara). This marks the ninth month.

Events

It is the end of the fishing season for the Melanau. It is the last time that the fishermen can go out to sea for the year and only the brave would dare venture out stealthily to fish.

In the morning, the sea will be calm, but by afternoon, waves will be at its biggest, thus any fishermen who dare venture out will have to return before afternoon.

source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 11:54 AM

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Bulan Suwah (The Month of the Waves)

Description

This month coincides with the month of October.

Timing

During this month, the ground will seem to grow and rise like waves. This marks the eighth month. According to Melanau belief, this is caused by the fish swimming back to the ocean and their fins appear to be like waves swimming out.

Events

This is the third and final fishing season for the year for the Melanau. This is also the time for the Melanau to start planting rice and sago palm as well as other crops. In Melanau tradition, they say that such as the earth grows well so will the crops that they plant.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 11:48 AM

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Bulan Pelepak (Month of Plentiful)

Description

This month coincides with the month of August.

Timing

The Three Star takes over from the Seven Sisters and rise high in the sky. The wind drops and the sea is calm. The fish begin to come out and play. This marks the sixth month.

Events

It is time for the second fishing season where the catch will be bountiful and the fishermen will enjoy fishing and will have plenty of fish to prepare for the forthcoming monsoon season , which will be long and when no work can be done due to the wind and heavy rain.

This plentiful fishing season will last until the beginning of Bulan Pegalan (September).


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 11:48 AM

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Mepak (Kiss feeding): Melanau motherly love

Photo by: Stefan

This is a melanau saying about Mepak:

Yen ji tileang a tina gak aneak,
Tenguan a debei keman,
Tenguan yen kawak sien mepak aneak,
Mepak tapak a debei nyaheak,
Enda lawuih madak aneak nyaheak. 

Which roughly translated:
A motherly love is when she is willing to kiss feed her infant during her meal and let her infant go full feed first.

Mepak is the act of chewing food for the purpose of physically breaking it down in order to feed a baby.

This is a traditional way to feed a baby used for generation by melanau mothers.

For western people and younger generation, Mepak may be alien to them but this is actually one of the most ancient practice for feeding a baby and perhaps the most natural way.

For instance, in the Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus, a mother was instructed to give medical remedy to a child through Mepak.

By: Nativeglot On 1:00 PM

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Bulan Pegalan (Month of the North Star)

Description

This month coincides with the month of September.

Timing

The sea will be very calm but there will be little fish to catch as it is the time for the fish to spawn. This month is called the month of Pegalan because this is the time when the Pegalan (North) Star is high in the sky at the hour of six at eventide. This marks the seventh month.

Events

Legend has it that this is the month when the Melanau finds it difficult to swallow their saliva i.e. difficult to look for food. During this month, the Melanau would avoid getting married at all cost as the marriage would be cursed in that they will find it difficult to make a living.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 6:57 PM

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Bulan Paka Ayeng (The Month of the Rise of the Greater Stars)

Photo by : EarthSky

Description

This month coincides with July. 

Timing

The Seven Sisters rise high in the sky and the Three Stars appear lower in the sky. The wind is of gale force.This marks the fifth month.

Events

All farming and fishing activities ceases totally for the whole of this month as it is not possible for them to go out to the jungle or to sea due to the strong winds. This will last until the month of Pelepak (August) or the sixth month.


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 6:55 PM

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Bulan Paka Umik (The Month of the Rise of the Lesser Stars)

Description

This month coincides with the month of June.

Timing

The Seven Sisters appear in the skies. The West Wind blows strong to arrange the stars in the sky. This marks the fourth month.

Events

It is time for the Melanau to go to the jungle/forest and begin their work for the planting season. They will start to cut the big trees and vines as well as plant their crops. The farmers will continue their jungle clearing work until the beginning of the next month, Bulan Paka Ayeng (July).


source: Disappearing culture

Note:
The calendar is a translation from handwritten notes of the ancient calendar given by the late Godfrid Albert Yaman @ Yaman bin Guan, who was also the founder of the Melanau Associations throughout Sarawak.

By: Nativeglot On 6:55 PM

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