Serdang Malay

Serdang Malay (Serdang Malay: Bahase Melayu Serdang, Jawi: بهاسي ملايو سردڠ) is a Malayic language primarily spoken by the Malay people living in Serdang Bedagai Regency, the city of Tebing Tinggi, and eastern part of Deli Serdang Regency in North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is closely related to other Malay varieties spoken in the eastern coast of Sumatra such as Deli Malay and Langkat Malay. While Serdang Malay is the indigenous language of Serdang, it is no longer dominant due to migration from other parts of Indonesia, including Java and Kalimantan. Despite these influences, Serdang Malay is still widely spoken as the lingua franca and a common language for social interaction in Serdang. It coexists with migrant languages like Javanese and Banjarese. Many migrants, including the Banjar and Batak groups such as the Karo and Mandailing people, are also proficient in Serdang Malay. The language has been influenced by other Indonesian languages, especially Banjarese, brought by Banjar migrants from South Kalimantan. Their influence can be seen in Serdang Malay's phonology and morphology.

Serdang Malay is mainly used in informal settings, while standard Indonesian is reserved for formal contexts such as schools and government institutions. The role of Serdang Malay is evident in daily interactions, including greetings, casual conversations on the street or in markets, and discussions in rice fields, on the beach, and other communal spaces. It is primarily a spoken language, whereas written communication is typically in standard Indonesian. For instance, letters to family members, as well as sermons in mosques and prayer halls, are usually delivered in Indonesian or Arabic. It is also used for traditional Malay ceremonies and rituals. The traditional ceremonies of the Serdang Malay people are closely tied to the belief system of their ancestors, which continues to be practiced today. In these ceremonies, Serdang Malay plays a vital role. The language used in traditional rituals differs from everyday colloquial Serdang Malay. This distinction is marked by specific variations, particularly in word choice kinship terms, and the noble language of the Malay aristocracy, which is rarely used in daily conversation.