"The ubiquitous word lah ( [lɑ́] or [lɑ̂] ), used at the end of a sentence, can also be described as a particle that simultaneously asserts a position and entices solidarity. Note that 'lah' is often written after a space for clarity, but there is never a pause before it. This is because originally in Malay, 'lah' is appended to the end of the word and is not a separate word by itself." SNEAKING SUSPICION: "lah" was originally from the Cantonese practicing south of China. The land of Malaya had relations with China since the Ming dynasty, when China was the protector of the Malaccan Sultanate (maybe even from the 5th-6th century), and the use of la as a sentence-suffix particle got integrated into the Malay language its formation, probably during the second phase is Early Modern Malay (1500-ca. 1850) that witnessed the indigenization of Arabic loan words, changes in the affix system, and a rather liberal word order. Confirmation alternatives: ...