What is Bahasa Malaysia?
Bahasa Malaysia is an official language of Malaysia. In Malaysia, the language is now officially known as Bahasa Malaysia ("Malaysian language"). In the consitution, it is still referred to as Bahasa Melayu. Bahasa Melayu is also the official language for Brunei. One of the most prominent language used in Singapore. It is also used as the national language in Indonesia but it is referred to formally as Bahasa Indonesia which literally translates as "Indonesian language". The language is also called Bahasa Kebangsaan (National Language) and Bahasa Persatuan/Pemersatu (Unifying Language) in Indonesia.
Where else BM is used?
Bahasa Malaysia is a member of the Austronesian family of languages which includes languages from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia. Malagasy, a geographic outlier spoken in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, is also a member of this linguistic family. Malay belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the family, which includes the Languages of the Philippines and Malagasy, which is further subdivided into Outer Hesperonesian languages and Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian of which Malay is a member. Malay's closest relatives therefore include Javanese, Acehnese, Chamorro and Palauan. (See http://www.ethnologue.com)
