G Wayne Meaney
My current story takes place in 16th century Malacca. As you might expect, I am writing in English, which presents a bit of a problem. The language of the Malaccan sultanate was Bahasa Malay, of which I am no scholar. It has also changed in five hundred years with modernity and colonialism by three cultures—Portuguese, Dutch and British.
How do I portray archaic Malay in my English dialogue? Do I use the syntax of modern English-speaking Malays? This is a little bit pidgin, and would do nothing to convey the prestige of the sultans' royal court. Do I construct the dialect of Tudor England? While chronologically correct, this is geographically and culturally wrong. Perhaps a creative combination of the above? Or do I abandon attempts to represent the language, and just avoid using contemporary English?
How do I portray archaic Malay in my English dialogue? Do I use the syntax of modern English-speaking Malays? This is a little bit pidgin, and would do nothing to convey the prestige of the sultans' royal court. Do I construct the dialect of Tudor England? While chronologically correct, this is geographically and culturally wrong. Perhaps a creative combination of the above? Or do I abandon attempts to represent the language, and just avoid using contemporary English?