Language is fascinating precisely because it is confusing. There is no logical reason why the world cannot use one language. Yet the fact that languages belong to different cultures and peoples is exactly what turned a rabbit into global news.

In some countries, rabbits are pests, the bane of farmers. Elsewhere, they are pets or dinner. Fortunately, rabbits are not generally hated in Malaysia, although the poor rabbit can never seem to please everyone.

But back to arnab, which means rabbit in Malay. The word comes from Arabic, where arnab can mean both rabbit and hare. Malay has borrowed from many languages over the centuries, reflecting the different peoples with whom its speakers traded, worshipped, worked and lived.