Writing about animals in Bahasa Malaysia is pain in the as_____paragus due to an annoying rule, they cannot be replaced with a singular personal pronoun -"He", "She" and "It".
Banned from using "He", "She", "It" - for being a monkey!
Here's a sample story about a baby orangutan:
Discovery in the Jungle
"She's an infant. She's thin,dirty with chicken manure and frightened. Apparently, a hunter kills her mother which left her straying into a field. The owner of the field captures her and keeps her in a cramp chicken coop. By the time she is rescued, she has been inside the chicken coop for 6 months tied to a chain around her little neck."
The Bahasa Malaysia translation:
Penemuan Di Dalam Reban
"Ini seekor anak orangutan. Anak orangutan ini kurus, dikotori tahi ayam dan ketakutan. Nampaknya selepas seorang pemburu membunuh ibunya, anak orangutan ini merayau ke sebuah ladang. Pemilik ladang itu menangkapnya dan membelanya di dalam sebuah reban ayam yang sempit. Apabila diselamatkan, anak orangutan ini telah dikurung di sana dengan rantai yang dililit pada lehernya, selama 6 bulan."
Which is something cumbersome like this in English:
"This is an infant orangutan. The little orang utan is thin,dirty with chicken manure and frightened. Apparently, a hunter kills its mother which left the little orangutan straying into a field. The owner of the field captures her and keeps her in a cramp chicken coop. By the time the baby orangutan is rescued, the baby orangutan has been inside the chicken coop for 6 months tied to a chain around its little neck."
I have to be careful not to use "he", "she" or "it" for the orangutan. ( Wah, as difficult as walking on tightrope ) However, pronouns such as "its" ( -nya) and "her" ( also, -nya ) are acceptable.
Concentrate: don't use IT, don't use IT ...
Exception: When Referring to a talking Pongo Pygmaeus
Pongo pygmaeus, a technical term used to classify the orangutans. If I address the orangutan as pongo pygmaeus in the story, theoretically I can use "he", "she" and "it" :
"Anak Pongo pygmaeus itu kurus, dikotori tahi ayam dan ketakutan ketika pegawai perhutanan menemuinya di dalam sebuah reban ayam. Dengan pilu IA menceritakan nasibnya yang begitu malang. IA terpaksa merayau ke sebuah ladang untuk mencari makanan bersendirian setelah seorang pemburu membunuh ibunya. Pemilik ladang itu menangkapnya dan membelanya di dalam reban.' Sudah enam bulan aku dikurung di sini,' IA berkata ketika pegawai membuka rantai yang melilit lehernya. Syukurlah akhirnya IA diselamatkan."
Which is something normal like this in English
"The baby Pongo pygmaeus was thin, smeared with chicken dung and frightened when forestry officers found her in a chicken coop. Sadly, she related her tragic fate. She had to wander into an estate to look for food alone after a hunter killed her mother. The estate owner captured her and kept her in a chicken coop. 'It has been six months I am imprisoned here,' she said as the officer opened the chain around her neck. Thank God she is freed at last."
Reviewing the Strategies of dealing with Animals in Bahasa Malaysia
1.You just have to stick to orangutan, orangutan, orangutan, orangutan.
2. Master the skill of inserting "nya" = its and her/his.
3. Make the orangutan talk , talking animals are granted the privilege of using "it" or
4. Make the context highly technical. Such as when scientific terms are involved, then the animal is also granted the privilege of using "it". :)))
I Have My Behind Covered, Click on Me to See It
Bahasa Malaysia & More Animals
Video on Common Animals
A little quiz related to animals
What is the name of this mythical bird?
Instead of greedy as a pig, in Bahasa Malaysia, it is as greedy as a _____.
As noisy as this bird.
As skinny as this lizard.
How to say octopus in the Malay language?
The name of this gigantic fish in Bahasa Malaysia?
We don't say as busy as a bee, we say as busy as _____