Anybody studied Malay, or other languages?
Besides English (native), and Tagalog (beginner student), here's mine.
Malay: high B2 level at peak
French: mid B1 level at peak
Thai: mid A2 level at peak
They have fallen down to A1 levels due to lack of practice, but should probably take just a few months to get back up to speed.
Malay was the most useful for learning Tagalog. Found so many cognates so far, unsurprising given that both are Austronesian languages. Here's a few.
Malay/Tagalog
bontot/buntot
ass, kinda vulgar/tail
puki/puki
p*ssy, vulgar
sekali/sakali
what if, slang/in case
tengah hari/tanghali
noon
sendiri/sarili
self
harga/halaga
value
sedap/sarap
delicious
babi/baboy
pig
timog/timor
south/east, directions seem to have changed for some reason
Many numbers and pronouns are similar too. Even some monsters! In Malay, there's a strange mythical creature called "penanggalan". It's a floating female head with its entrails dangling. It's so named because "tanggal" means "remove", as in "removed from body". In Philippines, there's a similar folklore, known as "manananggal". It's a female vampire who can separate her upper torso.
Malay Penanggalan
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Philippine Manananggal
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