Questions & Answers about Dia mengukir dan melicinkan corak ini.
Why does dia not tell me whether the person is he or she?
In Malay, dia is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or sometimes they in a very general singular sense, depending on context. Malay does not usually mark gender in pronouns the way English does.
So in this sentence, Dia mengukir dan melicinkan corak ini, you need context to know whether the person is male or female.
What is the function of meng- in mengukir?
Mengukir comes from the root word ukir, meaning carve or engrave.
The prefix meN- is a very common Malay verb-forming prefix used for active verbs, especially when the subject is doing an action to something. When it is attached to ukir, it becomes mengukir.
So:
- ukir = carve / carving as a root
- mengukir = to carve, is carving
The form meng- is just one version of the meN- prefix. Its shape changes depending on the first sound of the root word.
Why is it melicinkan and not just licin?