Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Mengaku Tidak Bersalah or Tidak Mengaku Salah


This phrase has been bugging me. We read it in the papers, we hear it on TV notably in news covering court cases. And its very agitating. Its the phrase mengaku tidak bersalah or in English pleaded not guilty. I am not an expert in Bahasa Malaysia but hearing or reading mengaku tidak bersalah is just not right. It just doesn't sound right.

Consider these sentences:

1. Ali mengaku tidak bersalah melanggar seekor lembu hingga mati.

2. Ali tidak mengaku salah melanggar seekor lembu hingga mati.

I still believe sentence number 2 sounds better. Can anybody prove me wrong? I am open to clarification and it better be good!

13 comments:

Willie a.k.a Reptoz said...

If u ask me.. I am plain stupid when it comes to Bahasa Melayu. Didn't get good grade in my SPM. Hahaha

Coffee Girl said...

... 'Tidak mengaku bersalah' bos.

"bersalah" as in guilty, not 'salah' as in 'wrong' or 'mistake'.

abang sardon said...

willie: ok, fair enough.:)

oo(one other): so u agree with sentence no.2? i thot so!

tks.

GC said...

'Tidak mengaku salah' bos :)

abang sardon said...

hi tk! tks for yr opinion. kadang2 pencabulan bahasa ini buat kita pening. it can disturb your intelligence, know what i mean?:)

it's me said...

My opinion i think sentence 1 as 'bersalah' ialah kata imbuhan - imbuhan 'ber' n salah di cantum menjadikan ia satu perbuatan .. salah is kata nama as noun la kan
m'. nway m' not an expert..

abang sardon said...

now u get me more confused. tks anyway... :)

mock said...

Dari segi bahasa dan juga undang-undang, sebetulnya ialah "Mengaku tidak bersalah", iaitu membuat akuan bahawa dia tidak bersalah.satu pernyataan dan pengakuan.

abang sardon said...

doesnt soundlah pok. i wonder if dbp can clarify...sometimes sidak undang2 tok pun sik boleh diharap juak dr segi bahasa :)

mock said...

DBP pun sama pok. kejap2 berubah...

abang sardon said...

nya lah ya.....

mock said...

for example: the word "baru". after we used to it (simple, short and ez to pronounce)suddenly DBP says the correct word is "Baharu".

abang sardon said...

yalah i maok nak ngata "nam menjunam halimunam"! :)