There is a strange dilemma concerning Bazaar Malay among the contact varieties of Malay. On the one hand, it is often invoked as the source for certain features in many other varieties of Malay. On the other hand, there is a great lack of work on this variety. To my knowledge, there is not a single linguistic study devoted to structural aspects of Bazaar Malay.

In my presentation I want to present a structural sketch of Bazaar Malay as used in the mid-1940s by foreign military powers working in East Asia. The sketch is based on three language learning guides (two printed, one manuscript) for Bazaar Malay. They were all intended for use by the British, Australian and American military personnel in East Asia. I will focus on its main structural features, including social and structural variation, as emerging from these three sources. Further I will discuss briefly some early references to Bazaar Malay that could shed light on its origin.

My frame of reference will not be Malay dialectology. I will rather discuss Bazaar Malay typologically in relation to other pidgins, based on a comparative study of these contact languages.