THE legendary P. Ramlee is celebrated for his countless contributions to Malaysian cinema, music and culture.
Beyond his films and songs, the multitalented icon also left his mark on the Malay language itself.
One word in particular has become synonymous with the movie-going experience in Malaysia. Did P. Ramlee coin the Malay word ‘pawagam’?
Verdict:
TRUE
P. Ramlee, whose full name was Teuku Zakaria Teuku Nyak Puteh, did indeed coin the Malay word “pawagam”, which is now commonly used to refer to cinema or movie theatre.
The word is a syllabic abbreviation of “Panggung Wayang Gambar”, as documented and confirmed by former minister Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, who was a close business associate of the legendary entertainer.
The creation of this word demonstrated P. Ramlee’s linguistic creativity and showed how his influence extended beyond entertainment into everyday Malaysian vocabulary.
The word has since become an integral part of the Malay language, used alongside other terms such as “sinema” and “teater”.
Another word that the film legend allegedly coined was “kugiran”, which is a syllabic abbreviation of “Kumpulan Gitar Rancak” which is a genre of pop rock that refers to a modern band or music group that plays energetic, popular music, often blending traditional Malay elements with contemporary pop and rock styles.
However, sources for this are split as some also credit subtitling officer Daud Abdul Rahman for coming up with the word.
References:
1. https://www.sinarharian.com.
2. https://sanusijunid.blogspot.
3. https://singapore60smusic.
