The Kelantanese dialect – Baso Kelaté or Kécèk Kelaté – can be a challenge to understand even to the most proficient speaker of the Malay language. It is spoken in rhythmic sentences with a sort of sing-song intonation that incorporates unique pronunciation.
Visitors to Kelantan, needless to say, might find it hard to decipher daily conversations among locals.
Muhamad Mawardi Mat Yunus, 31, hopes to change that. The proud Kelantanese and social media content creator has been uploading video tutorials to his Vocab Kelantan YouTube channel to teach viewers the dialect.
“The vocabulary and the pronunciation is much different from the Malay word. And different pronunciations sometimes give very different meanings.
“That’s what makes the Kelantanese dialect so unique, but at the same time it’s quite challenging for outsiders to speak or understand.
“Many try to use the dialect, but they often pronounced some words and phrases in the wrong way, ” he said, adding that pronunciation is very important to speak the dialect correctly.
The channel features animated videos with voiceovers that illustrates the correct usage of the dialect.
The relaxed vibe of the video, according to Mawardi, will make the learning process more fun and engaging.
At the same time, Mawardi wants viewers to explore some of the dialect’s more extensive glossary.
“Ore (me), ghoyak (inform), make (eat), bakpo (why), tak dok gapo (nothing in particular), kelik (return) and bekwoh (kenduri) are some of the more well-known words and phrases. However, there are many other phrases that are worth exploring too, ” he said.
Vocab Kelantan joins an array of tutorial videos – usually produced by millennial content creators – on YouTube that teaches the Malay dialects or loghat found throughout the states in Malaysia.
A quick search would reveal many clips on learning loghat Utara, Negri Sembilan and even Sabah and Sarawak.
Mawardi runs Vocab Kelantan with his friend Khairul Anuar, a fellow Kelantanese who is currently residing in Kuala Lumpur.
Ultimately, the goal of the channel is to elevate the Kelantanese dialect and bridge the communication gap.
“We hope more people would be interested in learning the dialect, especially to communicate with the people of Kelantan, ” he said.
At the same time, Mawardi hopes the channel will appeal to youths whose roots can be traced back to Kelantan.
“Our channel’s main target is the new generation, especially those with origins in Kelantan but who grew up in other states or abroad.
“It may be difficult for them to understand and talk to relatives in the village, so Vocab Kelantan can be a good reference, ” he said.
According to Mawardi, the Kelantanese dialect – like many other regional dialects in the country – are at risk as people increasingly converse in standard Malay or English.
His immediate mission now is to try to slow the decline of the dialect through the videos uploaded.
“Dialects are among the identities or origins that are difficult to replace. It cannot be inherited unless it is practised from generation to generation.
“It is the same as our customs or culture others, if we do not try to keep it today, one day it may be swallowed up by time, ” he said.
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