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Berita Harian noted A/P Mukhlis’s opinion on the purpose of word borrowing in Malay especially in the teaching of Islam, and about the confusion caused by borrowed words whose meaning detracts from the original words in Arabic. He shared that word borrowing is common in all languages and happens whenever there is contact between different cultures such as between Malay and Indian and Arabic cultures in the past, and English presently. A borrowed word would be adapted in terms of the sound, spelling, and/or meaning based on the context in which it was borrowed. With the increased in knowledge about Islam and Arabic in the Malay community, the meaning attached to these borrowed words could change.  He suggested that changes in language that appreciates past contributions is better than changes that considers the past contributions as incorrect.

Source: Berita Harian © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction