Future Pathways in Malay Philological Inquiry
Keywords:
Corpus Linguistics, Digital Philology, Jawi Manuscripts, Malay Philology, Manuscript Digitisation
Abstract
This article examines future directions for Malay philological inquiry by addressing the gap between manuscript digitisation and the production of linguistically meaningful knowledge. It aims to propose a critical digital Malay philology model that moves beyond preservation toward corpus-based, Jawi-sensitive, and ethically grounded interpretation. Using a multilayered mixed-method design, the study synthesises philological interpretation, quantitative corpus mapping, and triangulation of recent manuscript digitisation data, Jawi literacy research, and Malay linguistic scholarship. The findings show that DREAMSEA’s 2024 documentation of more than 571,584 manuscript images from over 8,570 manuscripts across 168 owners and 57 regions provides a substantial empirical foundation for corpus-oriented philology. The 2025 inclusion of eighteen manuscripts, including eleven Malay manuscripts, in the Royal Asiatic Society Digital Library further confirms the transnational circulation of Malay textual heritage. However, digitised images generate philological knowledge only when transformed through transliteration, orthographic annotation, genre classification, semantic tagging, and discourse interpretation. The study also finds that Jawi spelling variation affects readability, searchability, and historical interpretation. The proposed model contributes by integrating classical philology, corpus linguistics, historical semantics, sociolinguistics, digital humanities, and community collaboration to reframe Malay manuscripts as living archives of language, law, religion, diplomacy, and civilisation.
References
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Sari Tri Anjani, & Iskandarsyah Siregar. (2023). The Existence of Palang Pintu Culture in the Opening Procession of Betawi Traditional Weddings (Case Study: George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism). Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research, 2(3), 641–666. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v2i3.3517
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Siregar, I., Anjani, S. D., & Yahaya, S. R. (2023). Projection of the Vitality of the Betawi Language in the Future Time in Jakarta. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 6(3), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2023.6.3.4
Syahrullah, S., Muhammad, W. I., Nugraha, E., & Jannah, A. R. (2024). Corpus Coranicum and Digital Philology: A Methodological Model for Advancing Qur’anic Manuscript Studies in Indonesia. Khazanah Theologia, 6(3), 201–222. https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v6i3.45610
Tang, X., & Li, J. (2024). Toward integrative triangulation in discourse-historical approach. Discourse & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/09579265231215473
Wahyuni, S. S., Siregar, I., Rachmawati, K., & Hamzah, N. H. (2024). Written language errors of dysgraphic children aged 9--12 years in inclusive classrooms. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa Dan Sastra, 10(3), 3420–3430. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i3.4126
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Yaqin, L. N., Yusof, B., & Damit, A. R. (2024). “Status quo” of {Malay} linguistics studies: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i2.1854
Anjani, S. D., & Siregar, I. (2023). Health vitality of the {Betawi} language in the future in {Jakarta}: A sociolinguistic study. Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research, 2(3), 623–640. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v2i3.3521
Bania, A. S., & Akob, B. (2025). Preserving the Jawi script in Aceh: Assessing literacy, cultural heritage, and modern paradigm challenges. Studies in English Language and Education, 12(1), 457–470. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v12i1.36629
Burhanudin, J. (2022). Two Islamic Writing Traditions in Southeast Asia: Kitab Jawi and Kitab Kuning with Reference to the Works of Da’ud al-Fatani dan Nawawi al-Bantani. Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 60(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2022.601.1-28
Daneshgar, M. (2022). A Very Old Malay Islamic manuscript. Indonesia and the Malay World, 50(147), 161–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2021.1975968
Daneshgar, M. (2023). Persianate Fiqh in Indonesia: Majmuʿih-yi Khani as a Rare Legal Manuscript in a Cosmopolitan Context. International Journal of Islam in Asia, 2(2), 144–169. https://doi.org/10.1163/25899996-20223006
Dewi, E., Munthe, B., Yasin, A., & Afriza, A. (2023). The Contestation of the Malay Arabic and Roman Literature: Shifts in Culture, Literature, and Religion. Arabiyatuna: Jurnal Bahasa Arab, 7(1 May), 1. https://doi.org/10.29240/jba.v7i1.5654
DREAMSEA. (2024a). Empowering scholarship: Insights on {Malay} manuscript preservation from {DREAMSEA}. https://dreamsea.co/empowering-scholarship-insights-on-malay-manuscript-preservation-from-dreamsea/
DREAMSEA. (2024b). Reviving history: {DREAMSEA}’s digital manuscript grant to {Indonesia}’s {National Library}. https://dreamsea.co/reviving-history-dreamseas-digital-manuscript-grant-to-indonesias-national-library/
Fajriah, F. N., Siregar, I., & Susanto, A. (2025). Implikatur variasi bahasa dan pengaruh gender pada komentar akun media sosial {X @Collegemfs}: Kajian sosiopragmatik. Pena Literasi: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 8(2), 164–175.
Gallop, A. T. (2021). Who reads {Malay} manuscripts? The impact of the {Bollinger} digitisation project at the {British Library}. https://www.ifla.org/news/who-reads-malay-manuscripts-the-impact-of-the-bollinger-digitisation-project-at-the-british-library/
Guenduez, A. A., Fuchs, S., Mergel, I., Mettler, T., & Frowein, S. (2025). From patterns to meaning: a mixed-methods framework that integrates computational and qualitative text analysis. Quality & Quantity, 60(1), 2713–2738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-025-02357-7
Hizbullah, N., Suryaningsih, I., & Mardiah, Z. (2019). MANUSKRIP ARAB DI NUSANTARA DALAM TINJAUAN LINGUISTIK KORPUS. Arabi : Journal of Arabic Studies, 4(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.24865/ajas.v4i1.145
Iskandarsyah Siregar, & Samsur Rijal Yahaya. (2023). The Betawi Lexicon of Kinship and Greeting. Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research, 2(3), 667–680. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v2i3.3522
Kalsum, N. U., & Rachmadini, N. (2023). The Threat of Discontinuity Ancient Scripts in the Islamic-Malay Manuscript. Arabiyatuna: Jurnal Bahasa Arab, 7(1), 363. https://doi.org/10.29240/jba.v7i1.7327
Korompot, C. A., Siregar, I., Khursanov, N. I., Abdullaev, D., & Mohamed, K. (2024). Investigating gender DIF in the reading comprehension section of the B2 First Exam. International Journal of Language Testing, 14(2), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2023.421011.1301
Maeir, N. (2025). Material philology and Syriac excerpting practices: A computational-quantitative study of the digitized catalog of the Syriac manuscripts in the British Library. PLOS ONE, 20(3), e0320265. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320265
Pangaribuan, R. E., Siregar, I., & Susanto, A. (2025). TINDAK TUTUR EKSPRESIF DALAM SERIAL FILM NANTI KITA CERITA TENTANG HARI INI PADA YOUTUBE KANAL TOYOTA INDONESIA: KAJIAN PRAGMATIK. J-Simbol: Jurnal Magister Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 13(1), 208–225. https://doi.org/10.23960/simbol.v13i1.460
Rachmawati, C. R., Sosrohadi, S., & Siregar, I. (2025). Analisis semiotika dan retoris dalam sampul majalah {Tempo} edisi “Tentakel Judi Kamboja.” Triangulasi: Jurnal Pendidikan Kebahasaan, Kesastraan, Dan Pembelajaran, 5(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.55215/triangulasi.v5i2.14
Royal Asiatic Society. (2025). New additions to the {Digital Library}. https://royalasiaticsociety.org/new-additions-to-the-digital-library/
Salehuddin, K., Jaafar, N. M., Jaafar, S. R. S., & Shamsudin, N. A.-D. (2025). Investigating the spelling pattern that can potentially propagate Jawi among speakers of Malay. Reading and Writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-025-10742-9
Sari Tri Anjani, & Iskandarsyah Siregar. (2023). The Existence of Palang Pintu Culture in the Opening Procession of Betawi Traditional Weddings (Case Study: George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism). Formosa Journal of Sustainable Research, 2(3), 641–666. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v2i3.3517
Shofiyanti, L., & Rahman, H. (2026). Hibah naskah {DREAMSEA} dan strategi pelestarian ingatan kolektif {Nusantara}. Manuskripta, 15(2), 269–293. https://doi.org/10.33656/manuskripta.v15i2.173
Siregar, I., Anjani, S. D., & Yahaya, S. R. (2023). Projection of the Vitality of the Betawi Language in the Future Time in Jakarta. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 6(3), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2023.6.3.4
Syahrullah, S., Muhammad, W. I., Nugraha, E., & Jannah, A. R. (2024). Corpus Coranicum and Digital Philology: A Methodological Model for Advancing Qur’anic Manuscript Studies in Indonesia. Khazanah Theologia, 6(3), 201–222. https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v6i3.45610
Tang, X., & Li, J. (2024). Toward integrative triangulation in discourse-historical approach. Discourse & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/09579265231215473
Wahyuni, S. S., Siregar, I., Rachmawati, K., & Hamzah, N. H. (2024). Written language errors of dysgraphic children aged 9--12 years in inclusive classrooms. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa Dan Sastra, 10(3), 3420–3430. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i3.4126
Wahyuni, S. S., Siregar, I., Rachmawati, K., Hamzah, N. H., & Yahaya, S. R. (2025). Kesalahan Bahasa Tulis Anak Disgrafia Umur 9 – 12 Tahun Siswa di Kelas Inklusi SDN Parakan 01. Stilistika: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 18(1), 191–202. https://doi.org/10.30651/st.v18i1.23343
Wardani, E. T., Siregar, I., Susanto, A., Hamzah, N. H., & Yahya, S. R. (2025). Strategi dan peranan orang tua terhadap pemerolehan bahasa {ABK} dalam komunitas masyarakat {Betawi}. Stilistika: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 18(1), 131–146.
Yaqin, L. N., Yusof, B., & Damit, A. R. (2024). “Status quo” of {Malay} linguistics studies: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i2.1854
Published
2025-12-30
How to Cite
Kembaren, M. M., & Lubis, M. H. (2025). Future Pathways in Malay Philological Inquiry. JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia, 5(3), 48-58. https://doi.org/10.62159/jpi.v5i3.2425
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Mardiah Mawar Kembaren, M. Husnan Lubis
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