Bapak is used for ‘father’ in general. Bapa is reserved for ‘Heavenly Father’.
Analyzability
unanalyzable
Age
Early Malay [27]
(500–1700)
Register
General
Loanword Information
Borrowed status
2. probably borrowed
Comments
The word does not conform to Proto Malayic phonotactics (Adelaar 1992:209). The Proto Malayic congnate of bapa(k) was *apa, which has reflexes in numerous modern dialects.
