DBP promises to replace 'Keling' with 'India' in word definition

 

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has promised to update its Kamus Pelajar’s definition of the word “Tambi” in the next edition.

This is after the existing definition which used the word “Keling” was seen to be derogatory towards Indians.

The current second edition of Kamus Pelajar defines Tambi as "panggilan utk orang Keling yg lebih muda drpd kita”.

DBP explained that the first edition of the Kamus Pelajar was published in 1987.

It added the second edition in 2007 did not see any update to existing definitions but only added new words and their corresponding definitions.

“However, DBP is planning an update and reorganisation for the third edition and improvements to the definition will be taken note of,” it said in a statement.

DBP said its fourth edition of Kamus Dewan published in 2005 and Kamus Dewan Perdana published in 2020 already use the word “India” instead of “Keling” to define the word “Tambi”.

DBP’s online dictionary draws definitions from Kamus Dewan, Kamus Dewan Perdana and Kamus Pelajar.

Its online definition of “Tambi” includes the second edition of Kamus Pelajar, which still uses the word “Keling”.

This generated controversy after it came to the attention of an activist from the Indian community.

DBP executive director Abang Sallehuddin Abg Shokeran

DBP executive director Abang Sallehuddin Abg Shokeran said the online version of its dictionary would also be updated to retrieve definitions from more recent publications.

“The online dictionary will be updated. The word “Keling” will be replaced with “India” (for definitions) in line with the more recent dictionaries published by DBP,” he told Malaysiakini.

While “Keling” is sometimes used to refer to Indians, particularly among older people and in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia, it is generally considered derogatory in this day and age.

DBP, in its statement, also addressed the word “Keling” and its definition.

It pointed out the latest version of Kamus Dewan Perdana mentions in the definition for the word “Keling” that it is taboo.

DBP stressed that its publications were a “living dictionary” that records history but is also updated with the changes in time.

It noted that in 2003, a challenge was brought against DBP to remove the word “Keling” from the Kamus Dewan, but the court ruled that DBP could record the word as there was no mala fide.

The recent complaints were not about the existence of the word “Keling” in DBP’s dictionary but rather the use of the word “Keling” to explain the definition of other words.

In this case, it was the word “Tambi”.

The word “Tambi” is derived from Tamil, which means “little brother” but is colloquially used by Malaysians to refer to any Indian male who is younger than them. - Mkini