Where does “Tanah Melayu” come from?
Tanah Melayu (Malay) comes from Indonesian Melayu, from Indonesian meng-, from Malay meng-, from Proto-Malayic *mAN-, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *maN-, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *maN-, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maN- — inflectional prefix marking actor voice.
Tanah Melayu (Malay): Land of the Malays
Definitions
- Land of the Malays
Ancestry of “Tanah Melayu”, step by step
Tanah Melayu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Indonesian Melayu
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesian | Melayu | Malay ethnic group |
| 2 | Indonesian | meng- | agent focus, frequently but erroneously called... |
| 3 | Malay | meng- | agent focus, frequently but erroneously called... |
| 4 | Proto-Malayic | *mAN- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Chamic | *maN- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan | *maN- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *maN- | inflectional prefix marking actor voice |