Saturday, September 12, 2009

The difference between 'kebanyakan orang' and 'orang kebanyakan'

In Malay, kebanyakan orang means 'most people'. You can construct a sentence such as the one below to bear out this meaning.

Kebanyakan orang suka membeli barang yang murah.
[Most people like to buy cheap things.]

On the other hand, 'orang kebanyakan' means 'commoner' (the opposite of royalty). Perhaps the following sentence containing 'orang kebanyakan' will make it clear to readers as to its meaning.

Pada zaman dahulu, seseorang putera tidak dibenarkan bernikah dengan orang kebanyakan. [In the olden time, a prince is not allowed to marry a commoner.]

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