Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan dalam masyarakat.

Environmental laws protect all groups in society.

Breakdown of Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan dalam masyarakat.

• semua: all
• dalam: in
• masyarakat: the society
• melindungi: to protect
• golongan: the group
• undang-undang alam sekitar: the environmental law

Questions & Answers about Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan dalam masyarakat.

What does undang-undang literally mean, and why is it written with a hyphen and repeated?

Undang-undang is the standard Malay word for “law / laws / legislation.”

• Historically, it comes from the base undang, but in modern Malay, you almost never see undang on its own with the meaning “law.”
• The reduplication with a hyphen (undang-undang) looks like the usual way Malay marks plurals, but in this case it has become lexicalized: it’s simply the normal word for “law(s),” not a special “extra-plural” form.

So you can treat undang-undang as a single vocabulary item meaning “law / legislation” rather than trying to break it into parts every time.

Is undang-undang singular or plural? How do I say “a law” or “laws” in Malay?

In Malay, undang-undang can be singular or plural, depending on context:

• Singular (a law):
  • satu undang-undang – a law / one law
  • sesebuah undang-undang – a (certain) law (slightly more formal)
• Plural (laws):
  • Just undang-undang often already implies plural, especially in contexts like undang-undang alam sekitar (environmental laws).
  • You can emphasize plurality with pelbagai undang-undang (various laws) or semua undang-undang (all the laws).

In the sentence “Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi…”, it is naturally understood as “environmental laws” (plural).

What does alam sekitar literally mean, and how does it end up meaning “environmental”?

Literally:

• alam = nature, the natural world, universe
• sekitar = around, surrounding

So alam sekitar is “the surrounding natural world”, i.e. the environment.

In combinations like:

• masalah alam sekitar – environmental problems
• isu alam sekitar – environmental issues
• undang-undang alam sekitar – environmental laws

the phrase alam sekitar functions like an attributive noun, similar to an adjective in English (environmental). So undang-undang alam sekitar is most naturally translated as “environmental laws”, even though literally it’s closer to “laws of the environment.”

Could I say undang-undang persekitaran instead of undang-undang alam sekitar? Is there a difference?

You can see persekitaran used with similar meanings:

• persekitaran = surroundings, environment (more of a single-word noun)

However:

• undang-undang alam sekitar is a very common, standard collocation for “environmental laws.”
• undang-undang persekitaran is understandable but much less common and may sound slightly off or less idiomatic to many speakers.

If you’re learning Malay, it’s safest and most natural to stick with undang-undang alam sekitar for environmental laws.

Why is there no word for “the” in “Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan…”?

Malay does not have articles like “the” or “a/an”. Definiteness is normally understood from context, or specified with other words if needed (like itu = that/the, ini = this).

So:

• Undang-undang alam sekitar can be interpreted as:
  • “environmental law”
  • “environmental laws”
  • “the environmental laws”, depending on context

In this sentence, natural English chooses “Environmental laws protect all groups in society” with no explicit “the,” but something like “The environmental laws protect…” would also be a possible translation in the right context.

How is melindungi formed, and what’s the difference between lindung, melindungi, and perlindungan?

The root is lindung = to shield, to protect (base form).

Commonly used forms:

• melindungi

  • meN- + lindung + -i
  • verb: to protect, to safeguard (something/someone)
  • Used when there is a direct object, as in the sentence:
    Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan…
    Environmental laws protect all groups…

• perlindungan

  • peN- + lindung + -an
  • noun: protection, safeguard
  • Example: perlindungan alam sekitar – environmental protection

• lindung on its own is mostly seen in fixed phrases or as the dictionary/root form. In normal sentences, you’ll generally use melindungi (verb) or perlindungan (noun).

So in this sentence, melindungi is the correct verb meaning “protects / to protect.”

What is the object of melindungi in this sentence, and can the word order change?

The structure is:

• Subject: Undang-undang alam sekitar (environmental laws)
• Verb: melindungi (protect)
• Object: semua golongan dalam masyarakat (all groups in society)

So the object of “melindungi” is the entire phrase:

semua golongan dalam masyarakat
= all groups in society

In neutral Malay, the typical word order is Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), like English.
You cannot simply move the object in front of the verb without further changes. For example:

• ✗ Semua golongan dalam masyarakat melindungi undang-undang alam sekitar.
  This changes the meaning: now all groups in society are the ones protecting the environmental laws, which is different and odd.

So the given word order is the normal one for the intended meaning.

What exactly does golongan mean here? Is it just “group”?

Golongan can be translated as “group, category, class, segment”, especially for social groups or classes of people:

• golongan muda – the young (youth group)
• golongan berpendapatan rendah – low-income group/class
• golongan profesional – the professional class

In this sentence:

semua golongan dalam masyarakat

means “all groups (of people) within society”, i.e. all segments or categories of people, not just one specific club or gathering. It has a slightly more sociological feel than everyday “group.”

Why isn’t golongan marked as plural, like golongan-golongan? How do I say “all the groups”?

Malay usually does not need a plural ending. Plurality is understood from:

• words like semua (all), banyak (many), beberapa (several)
• the context of the sentence

Here:

• semua golongan is already clearly plural: “all groups.”
• Saying golongan-golongan is grammatically possible but would sound unnecessary and a bit heavy in normal speech.

So:

• semua golongan = all (the) groups
• golongan-golongan = groups (with strong emphasis on multiplicity, rarely needed here)
• semua golongan-golongan = generally avoided; sounds redundant

In natural Malay, semua golongan is the best way to say “all (the) groups.”

What’s the difference between semua golongan and setiap golongan?

Both relate to “all,” but they feel different:

• semua golongan

  • semua = all (as a whole, collectively)
  • Meaning: all groups taken together.
  • Focus: the collective coverage.

• setiap golongan

  • setiap = each / every
  • Meaning: each group / every group, looked at individually.
  • Slightly stronger sense that it applies to every single group with no exception.

In this sentence, semua golongan dalam masyarakat is more natural.
You could say:

Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi setiap golongan dalam masyarakat.

This would be understood as “Environmental laws protect every group in society”, with a slightly stronger emphasis on no group being left out, but it’s less common phrasing here.

What does dalam mean here, and how is it different from di in expressions like this?

Dalam literally means “inside / within”, while di is the basic preposition “at / in / on.”

In the phrase:

dalam masyarakat – within society

• dalam suggests “within the framework of / inside the sphere of”.
• It often appears in more abstract, conceptual expressions:
  • dalam masyarakat – in/within society
  • dalam kehidupan seharian – in daily life
  • dalam undang-undang – in the law

Di dalam also exists and can emphasize “inside,” but here dalam masyarakat by itself is completely natural and idiomatic.

You typically would not say ✗ di masyarakat for this meaning; dalam masyarakat is the standard phrase for “in society.”

How could I make the sentence more specific, for example: “Environmental laws in this country protect all groups in society”?

You can add “in this country” with di negara ini or use negara ini as a modifier:

1. Undang-undang alam sekitar di negara ini melindungi semua golongan dalam masyarakat.
   = Environmental laws in this country protect all groups in society.

2. Undang-undang alam sekitar negara ini melindungi semua golongan dalam masyarakat.
   = This country’s environmental laws protect all groups in society.

Both are natural.

• di negara ini = in this country (location phrase)
• negara ini directly after undang-undang alam sekitar makes it a possessive/associative phrase: this country’s environmental laws.

Can I drop dalam masyarakat and just say “Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan”?

Yes, you can:

Undang-undang alam sekitar melindungi semua golongan.

This is grammatically correct and means:

• “Environmental laws protect all groups.”

However, without dalam masyarakat, it’s a bit more abstract/vague: “all groups” could be interpreted a bit more broadly. Adding dalam masyarakat clarifies that you specifically mean:

• “all groups in society” (all segments of the population)

Both are correct; the version with dalam masyarakat is just more explicit about the scope.