Alamak is a short form alah emak.
Alah is an exclamation word which means more or less “0h no’. Johorean and Malaccan Malays use it a lot
Such as:
Alah engkau ni= Oh no, you
Alahai = oh no, hai ( for real disappointment
Ek alah ( mostly used by Johoreans) = Eh, Oh no ( for surprise)
alah, jangan lah buat macam tu = Oh no, don’t do like that lah
Alamak = oh no mother .
Emak is used a lot in Malay exclamation, because Emak is the most beloved being. Calling Mak is usually asking for help. So when they say ‘Mak oii, bukan main lagi awak ye’, it means oh mother- you are too much.
Alah is certainly not from the word Allah or originated from Portuguese.
More likely from the words Kalah, Salah, Malah all of them have negative connotations, or an elongation of the word ‘lah’ for greater emphasis.
i suggest NMs learn the colloquial Malay, which is more useful than trying to learn Arabic.
Alamak is a short form alah emak. Alah is an exclamation word which means more or less “0h no’. Johorean and Malaccan Malays use it a lot Such as: Alah engkau ni= Oh no, you Alahai = oh no, hai ( for real disappointment Ek alah ( mostly used by Johoreans) = Eh, Oh no ( for surprise) alah, jangan lah buat macam tu = Oh no, don’t do like that lah Alamak = oh no mother . Emak is used a lot in Malay exclamation, because Emak is the most beloved being. Calling Mak is usually asking for help. So when they say ‘Mak oii, bukan main lagi awak ye’, it means oh mother- you are too much. Alah is certainly not from the word Allah or originated from Portuguese. More likely from the words Kalah, Salah, Malah all of them have negative connotations, or an elongation of the word ‘lah’ for greater emphasis. i suggest NMs learn the colloquial Malay, which is more useful than trying to learn Arabic.