The following sections are included: Introduction, Background to the Malay Language, Johor-Riau Dialect as the Basis for Standard Written and Spoken Malay, The Internal (Community) Level, The National Level, Final Remarks, References.

The following sections are included: Introduction, Scholarship on the Malays: From Primordialism to Constructivist Theory, The Problems Related to the Official History on Singapore Malays, Bicentennial Year: Correcting Perspectives about the Malays, Reinstating “Missing” Malays, Conclusion.

During the early modern period in Europe, educated circles drew on dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopaedias, grammars, geographies, and cosmographies to understand the world in which they lived. These compendia built on information found in earlier publications of the same sort, supplemented by new details provided by traders and travellers with first-hand knowledge of different parts of the world. This article examines knowledge about Singapore and the Straits region circulating in Europe between circa 1511 and 1819, focusing on compendia entries touching on the Straits region, especially Singapore, Melaka, Johor, and Bintan. It traces the evolution of compendium knowledge as it moves through cycles of accumulation, transformation, and de-contextualization. © 2022 Royal Asiatic Society. All rights reserved.