Dewan Bahasa to Add “Selfie”, “Hashtag” and “Tweet” in National Language

The guardians of the national language, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), will be adding three new words to the Kamus Dewan. Internet-savvy users will be pleased to know that soon, the words “Selfie”, “Hashtag” and “Tweet” will be official words in the Malay language. Similar to the English-language Oxford Dictionary, where the word “Selfie” was named as 2013’s Word of the Year after it was included as an official word in the English language, the inclusion of these three words is seen as in line with the role of dictionaries to record words widely used by the public, according to DBP director-general Datuk Dr Awang Sariyan. Nevertheless, these three words will be appended with a “bp” in the Kamus Dewan, signifying “bahasa percakapan” (spoken language), denoting that the words are best used in an informal setting. So sorry, dear students, it is very likely that you will not be able to use these words in your next Malay language exams.