• Manga Translation and Censorship Issues in Malaysia
  Yean Fun Chow, Hasuria Che Omar and Wan Rose Eliza Abdul Rahman
  
  Abstract: In manga translation, when original image and written representations are regarded as inappropriate content to the target readers’ socio-cultural context, censorship is imposed. Nevertheless, research on censorship in manga translation in Malaysia has not been given due attention. Previous studies show that self-censorship influences translation, but it is not examined within the scope of manga translation. As such, the objective of this study is to examine the censorship practices in manga translation in Malaysia. This study adopts a qualitative content analysis approach to analyse six Malay translations and their respective source texts based on the publishing guideline of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 [Act 301] and translation procedures proposed by Klaus Kaindl. The analysis shows that the censorship practice in manga translation is a combination of institutional and self-censorship. In institutional censorship, the translation procedures of detraction, addition, substitution, deletion and couplets are used, while in self-censorship, the process is involves substitution, deletion and addition. The current study recommends the adoption of institutional censorship procedures as guidelines in handling sensitive representations and a review of the self-censorship procedures to ensure faithful translations.
  
  Keywords and phrases: censorship, sensitive representations, manga, translation procedures, self-censorship

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• Peranan Mufti dalam Pentadbiran Ekonomi dan Sosial Negeri Johor, 1885–1941
  The Role of the Mufti in Johor's Economic and Social Administration, 1885–1941
  Noorilham Ismail
  
  Abstract: This article analyses the role of the mufti of Johor in Malaya in confronting British imperialism between 1885 and 1941. It focuses on the mufti’s role in the Johor government’s economic and social matters in assuring the position of Islam in the state. Based on sources from Malaysian National Archive Johor’s branch and secondary sources, the article discusses the administration of four muftis, Dato’ Syed Salim Abdullah al-Attas, Dato’ Abdullah Musa, Syed ‘Abd Qadir Muhsin al-Attas and Syed Alwi Tahir al-Haddad. The focus is on the four muftis’ role in the economic and social matters of the state related to muamalat laws as well as issues in education. The current study found that the muftis of Johor, 1885–1941, played a significant role in the economic and social matters of the state through informative and authoritative arguments.
  
  Keywords and phrases: Johor’s government, mufti, British imperialism, economy, social
  
  Abstrak: Artikel ini mengkaji peranan yang dimainkan oleh mufti kerajaan Johor dalam mendepani imperialisme British dari tahun 1885 hingga 1941. Tumpuan diberi kepada peranan mufti dalam urusan berkaitan ekonomi dan sosial kerajaan Johor bagi memastikan kedudukan agama Islam terus dipertahankan di negeri tersebut. Berdasarkan sumber-sumber yang diperoleh daripada Arkib Negara Malaysia Cawangan Johor dan sumber sekunder, makalah ini membincangkan pentadbiran empat orang mufti, terdiri daripada Dato’ Syed Salim Abdullah al-Attas, Dato’ Abdullah Musa, Syed ‘Abd Qadir Muhsin al-Attas dan Syed Alwi Tahir al-Haddad. Menerusi peranan yang dimainkan oleh keempat-empat mufti berkenaan, kajian ini menilai aspek ekonomi dan sosial dalam kerajaan Johor yang mencakupi perkara-perkara yang berkaitan dengan hukum-hakam muamalat dan aspek pendidikan. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa mufti kerajaan Johor dalam era tersebut memainkan peranan dalam aspek ekonomi dan sosial menerusi hujahan yang informatif dan autoritatif.
  
  Kata kunci dan frasa: kerajaan Johor, mufti, imperialisme British, ekonomi, sosial

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• Prosedur Terjemahan Kata Nama Khas Taoisme dalam Hikayat Jelajah ke Barat
  Translation Procedure of Taoism Proper Name in Hikayat Jelajah ke Barat
  Cheah Poh Ying and Goh Sang Seong
  
  Abstract: Proper name contains lexical meaning as well as cultural meaning. This article identifies and analyses the translation procedures of Taoism proper names in Chinese-Malay texts. This analysis involves 312 Taoism proper names, collected manually from Xi You Ji, the classical masterpiece in Chinese literature by Wu Cheng’en (1506–1582) in China. The target text is Hikayat Jelajah ke Barat translated by Woo Tack Lock in 2015. For data collection and analysis purposes, the current study used the definition of proper names by Wang Li and Li Rui and employed the translation procedure of Taoism proper name by Zhang Wei Wei. The findings show that translation procedures, i.e., literal translation, transliteration, free translation, annotation, couplet and triplet can be used to convey the function of proper names. The current study also found new procedures, namely, generalisation, descriptive, addition, deletion and quadruplet employed in the translation. Exploring the lexical meaning and cultural meaning of proper names and the application of correct translation procedure are crucial in ensuring that target readers can fully comprehend the meaning of proper names.
  
  Keywords and phrases: proper name, translation procedures, Taoism, transfer of meaning, Chinese-Malay translation
  
  Abstrak: Kata nama khas bukan sahaja mendukung makna leksikal, malahan turut sarat dengan makna budaya. Makalah ini bertujuan mengenal pasti dan menghuraikan prosedur terjemahan kata nama khas Taoisme dalam terjemahan bahasa Cina-bahasa Melayu. Data kajian melibatkan sejumlah 312 kata nama khas Taoisme yang dikutip secara manual daripada novel Xi You Ji, iaitu karya klasik agung dalam kesusasteraan China yang dihasilkan oleh Wu Cheng’en (1506–1582) di China. Teks terjemahannya Hikayat Jelajah ke Barat diterjemahkan oleh Woo Tack Lok pada tahun 2015. Bagi tujuan pengumpulan dan analisis data, kajian ini memanfaatkan definisi kata nama khas Wang Li dan Li Rui serta prosedur terjemahan kata nama khas Taoisme oleh Zhang Wei Wei. Hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa prosedur terjemahan literal, transliterasi, bebas, anotasi, serangkai dan triplet dapat digunakan untuk menyalin fungsi kata nama khas. Kajian ini turut menemui lima prosedur baharu, iaitu generalisasi, deskriptif, penambahan, pengguguran dan kuadruplet. Sesungguhnya, usaha penerokaan makna leksikal dan makna budaya kata nama khas secara menyeluruh serta penerapan prosedur terjemahan yang berkesan adalah amat mustahak. Hal ini adalah untuk memastikan makna kata nama khas dapat diungkapkan secara penuh dan difahami oleh pembaca sasaran.
  
  Kata kunci dan frasa: kata nama khas, prosedur terjemahan, Taoisme, pemindahan makna, terjemahan bahasa Cina-bahasa Melayu

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• Kesusasteraan Melayu dan “Novel Persuratan”: Satu Pengamatan Kritis Tentang Sambutan Terhadap Pujangga Melayu
  Malay Literature and “Novel of Letters”: A Critical Observation of the Reception of Pujangga Melayu
  Nudra Shafini Halis Azhan, Mohd Zariat Abdul Rani and Salmah Jan Noor Muhammad
  
  Abstract: This study problematises how the novel entitled Pujangga Melayu by Mohd Affandi Hassan has been showcased. In the publication of its second edition in 2017, Pujangga Melayu was consistently and explicitly promoted, both on its front cover and in its blurb, as a “novel of letters”. Novel of letters is defined as a novel which displays thoughts/“discourse” as its main content. Prior to the second edition, the term novel of letters was never used in reference to the novel. This calls attention to the inclination of previous studies on the novel before 2017, particularly in summing up its strengths. The current study set out to analyse previous studies on Pujangga Melayu before 2017 and to summarise the strengths of the same novel based on findings of studies prior to 2017. The textual analysis that was carried out revealed that previous studies were inclined to showcase Pujangga Melayu with various labels, including “novel of discourse”, “novel of knowledge” and “work of letters”. Despite using different terms, the studies generally identified thought/discourse as the main content in the novel, and its narrative served as the medium in foregrounding thought/discourse.
  
  Keywords and phrases: Malay literature, Pujangga Melayu, Mohd Affandi Hassan, genuine literature, novel of letters
  
  Abstrak: Kajian ini merungkai permasalahan dalam soal pemeragaan novel Pujangga Melayu karya Mohd Affandi Hassan. Dalam penerbitan edisi kedua pada tahun 2017, Pujangga Melayu secara konsisten dan eksplisit diperagakan sebagai “novel persuratan” pada kulit depan dan rangsang sari novel. Novel persuratan ditakrifkan sebagai novel yang menjadikan pemikiran/wacana sebagai isian utama. Istilah novel persuratan tidak digunakan dalam pemeragaan novel tersebut sebelum edisi keduanya. Hakikat ini menarik perhatian terhadap kecenderungan kajian-kajian ilmiah sebelum tahun 2017 dalam merumuskan kekuatan karya berkenaan. Sehubungan itu, kajian ini menggariskan dua objektif iaitu untuk menganalisis kajian-kajian ilmiah terhadap Pujangga Melayu sebelum tahun 2017 dan untuk merumuskan kekuatan novel yang sama berdasarkan hasil dapatan kajian-kajian ilmiah sebelum tahun 2017. Hasil analisis mendapati bahawa kajian-kajian ilmiah sebelum tahun 2017 cenderung memperagakan Pujangga Melayu dengan beberapa label, antaranya “novel wacana”, “novel ilmu” dan “karya persuratan”. Meskipun menggunakan istilah-istilah berlainan, namun rata-rata kajian mengenal pasti pemikiran/wacana sebagai pengisian utama novel tersebut. Cerita dalam novel berkenaan pula lebih berfungsi sebagai wadah dalam mengutarakan pemikiran/wacana.
  
  Kata kunci dan frasa: kesusasteraan Melayu, Pujangga Melayu, Mohd Affandi Hassan, persuratan baru, novel persuratan

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• Strategi Imperialisme British dalam Dasar Desentralisasi Negeri-Negeri Melayu Bersekutu, 1927–1934
  The British Imperialism Strategy in Federated Malay States’ Decentralisation Policy, 1927–1934
  Mohd Shazwan Mokhtar, Mohd Samsudin and Suffian Mansor
  
  Abstract: Abstract. This article re-examines the argument for the decentralisation policy in restoring the Malay Rulers’ power at the State Councils in the Federated Malay States (FMS). It focuses on the early phase of the policy implementation, i.e. after the Federal Council reconstitution in 1927 until its full execution in 1934. In that period, the policy developed under the administration of Laurence Guillemard and Cecil Clementi as British High Commissioner for the Malay States. This fact is prove of the influence of the empire’s union policy in London, an implicit imperial strategy, in centralising the Malay States administration under the British High Commissioner. Although the Malay Rulers’ position was returned in the State Council, their power was limited to financial administration of selected federal services. This raises the question of the imperial’s intention in executing the decentralisation policy in FMS. The analysis of the FMS and Colonial Office documents shows that the execution of the decentralisation policy was a strategy by the British to form the Malayan Union under its control. The attempt was to combine the administration of the FMS colonial administration with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States under the British High Commissioner.
  
  Keywords and phrases: Malaysian history, imperial history, colonial administration, politics of development, Malayan Union
  
  Abstrak: rtikel ini menilai semula hujah pelaksanaan dasar desentralisasi British sebagai suatu usaha untuk mengembalikan kuasa Raja-Raja Melayu dalam Majlis Mesyuarat Negeri (MMN) di Negeri-Negeri Melayu Bersekutu (NNMB). Tumpuan diberikan pada fasa awal pelaksanaan dasar ini iaitu setelah Majlis Mesyuarat Persekutuan (MMP) distruktur semula pada tahun 1927 sehingga pelaksanaannya pada tahun 1934. Dalam tempoh tersebut, dasar desentralisasi NNMB telah melalui proses pembentukan ketika pentadbiran Laurence Guillemard dan Cecil Clementi selaku Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British di Tanah Melayu. Proses ini membuktikan pengaruh dasar kesatuan empayar dari London sewaktu wujudnya strategi imperial yang tersirat untuk memusatkan pentadbiran Tanah Melayu kepada Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British. Walaupun kedudukan Raja-Raja Melayu dikembalikan dalam MMN, bidang kuasanya hanya terbatas dalam pentadbiran kewangan bagi jabatan perkhidmatan persekutuan yang ditetapkan. Hal ini demikian kerana MMP masih lagi mempunyai kuasa kawalan pentadbiran kewangan pada peringkat persekutuan. Justeru, apakah matlamat British yang sebenar dalam melaksanakan dasar desentralisasi di NNMB? Hasil kajian terhadap dokumen pentadbiran kolonial NNMB dan Pejabat Tanah Jajahan mendapati bahawa pelaksanaan dasar desentralisasi di NNMB merupakan strategi imperialisme British untuk membentuk Kesatuan Tanah Melayu di bawah kawalannya. Pentadbiran kolonial NNMB cuba digabungkan dengan Negeri-Negeri Selat serta Negeri-Negeri Melayu Tidak Bersekutu dan diletakkan di tangan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British.
  
  Kata kunci dan frasa: sejarah Malaysia, sejarah imperial, pentadbiran kolonial, pembangunan politik, Kesatuan Tanah Melayu

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• Moral Judgement as a Method in Historiography: An Analysis of al-Biruni’s al-Athar al-Baqiyah ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliyah
  Mohammad Umair Abd Rahim and Mohd Syahmir Alias
  
  Abstract: The practice of moral judgement in historiography is a topic in critical philosophy of history. In general, there are two opinions on the practice of moral judgement in history: firstly, those who are against it, such as Croce, Bloch and Butterfield; secondly, those who are in support of it, such as Lord Acton, Ibn Khaldun and al-Biruni. Understanding the practice is crucial in facilitating “intellectual serenity” among historians in deciding on their research method. This article discusses al-Biruni’s position and epistemic justification on the issue of moral judgement in research in history. The analysis of al-Biruni’s perspective, based on his book, al-Athar al-Baqiyah ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliyah, shows that his epistemic justification on moral judgement in history was influenced by his religious tradition.
  
  Keywords and phrases: al-Biruni, moral judgement, philosophy of history, al-Athar al-Baqiyah ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliyah

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• Linguistic Features Differences in Arabic Textbooks Used at Islamic Schools in Malaysia
  Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani, Ahmad Sabri Noh and Nurul Iman Ahmad Bukhari
  
  Abstract: The dearth of studies that assess linguistic differences in Arabic textbooks is the motivation for the present study, which identified significant differences in the use of linguistic features in textbooks for different secondary school levels. The study analysed 315 samples of 100-word texts, randomly selected from 105 Arabic textbooks used at Islamic secondary schools in Malaysia. Seven linguistic features were analysed using descriptive and inferential analyses through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The analysis showed a moderate use of simple sentences, complex sentences and noun sentences. However, the use of complex sentences was higher than that of simple sentences. There were a high number of common and frequent words used, but the use of abstract words was low. Conjunctions and discourse markers were used at moderate levels. ANOVA analysis showed significant differences in the use of complex sentences, common and frequent words, conjunctions and discourse markers, and sentence length averages. The study also found that long sentences are higher in frequency in Form 3 textbooks compared to those in Forms 4 and 5 textbooks. The current study suggests that the frequency of linguistic features should correspond to students’ needs by taking into their school level, Arabic language proficiency and subject content.
  
  Keywords and phrases: linguistic features, Arabic language textbook, readability, Dini curriculum, religious school

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• Antu Language in the Sangin Oral Narrative of the Sihans in Sarawak
  Noriah Mohamed, Jamilah Bebe Mohamad and Mohd Tarmizi Hasrah
  
  Abstract: This article discusses the Sihan community and one of their traditional oral narratives, known as sangin. Sihan is an indigenous ethnic group residing in Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia, and sangin is an activity that can be considered a folklore, narrative in manner, and performed for entertainment and native remedy. Data on the community in this study was obtained through interviews with 71 Sihan informants in Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia. The sangin by one of its practitioners was recorded during the community’s leisure activities. The recorded sangin song, delivered in the style of storytelling, narrated for entertainment, not for remedy purposes. The description of the sangin indicates that the language in the oral tradition, called antu language (language of the spirit) is very different from the modern, every day Sihan language used by its speakers. In terms of usage, sangin can be considered extinct because of the reduced number of Sihan speakers (only 218 left) and lessening number of sangin practitioners (only three remain). Sangin as a native remedy no longer has a place in the community with the availability of modern medical treatment, the mass migration of the Sihans from their original area, and the change in the Sihans’ life style, from nomadic to community life.
  
  Keywords and phrases: Sihan, identity, native, sangin, antu language

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