411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
Malay/Vowels
Reference material by Wikibooks contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
There are 6 vowels:
A as in are (/a/)
E as in person/pear (/e/, /ə/)
I as in ink (/i/)
O as in or (/o/)
U as in put (/u/)
There are 3 native diphthong in Malay:
ai as in ice (/ai/)
au as in out (/au/)
oi as in boy (/oi/)
When an ‘a’ is at the end of the word, it can also be pronounced like an ‘ə’. Both ways are correct, but native speakers normally pronounce it as an ‘ə’. For example:
Ape (what) can be pronounced as ah-puh instead of ah-pah|
Due (two) can be pronounced as do-uh instead of do-ah|
Bahase (language) can be pronounced as bah-ha-suh instead of bah-ha-sah