A New Perspective on Indigenous Historiographical Models for the Study of the Malay Linguistic Tradition

Abstract

This article proposes a new historiographical framework for the study of the Malay linguistic tradition, grounded in the concept of reti bahasa as an indigenous philosophical, theoretical, and methodological foundation. It addresses the inadequacies of existing linguistic historiography in accounting for the authenticity of the Malay linguistic tradition, owing to the dominance of Western universalist assumptions and methodological approaches that focus primarily on individual scholars or canonical texts. Adopting an indigenisation of knowledge perspective, the study employs semantic and etymological analysis to reconstruct the concept of bahasa within the Malayonesian cultural tradition. The findings demonstrate that the concept of bahasa in this cultural framework extends beyond grammatical structure to encompass thought, human conduct and language use. Building on Hassan’s (2016) concept of tahu bahasa, the study develops the broader concept of reti bahasa, comprising four principal dimensions: tatabahasa (grammar), tatafikir (thought), tatalaku (moral conduct), and tataberbahasa (language use). This framework integrates the technical dimension of linguistics with cognitive, psychological, and moral dimensions, thereby providing a foundation for reassessing contemporary linguistics while enriching our understanding of the indigenous Malay linguistic tradition. In addition, it has the potential to contribute to the formulation of national cultural policy and to strengthen the relationship between language, culture, and knowledge. In conclusion, reti bahasa offers an “unusual” perspective on linguistics because it is rooted in the cultural identity of the indigenous Malayonesian world.

Keywords: Malay language, philosophy of language, linguistic historiography, Malay linguistic philosophy, indigenisation of knowledge.