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The faces and facets of English in Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2004

Joanne Rajadurai
Joanne Rajadurai
Affiliation:
Has taught various linguistic courses to TESL undergraduates in the Faculty of Education, MARA University of Technology in Malaysia.
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Abstract

A discussion of both the selection and significance of sub-varieties of English in Malaysia. Malaysia is a multi-racial country, with a diversity of languages that includes Bahasa Malaysia (the national language), English (introduced during the colonial period from the late-eighteenth to mid-twentieth centuries), and a number of Chinese dialects, Indian languages, and other minority languages. Despite this complex linguistic tapestry, English continues to command considerable respect and prestige, and demonstrates an impressive range of intra- and international uses. It is a vehicle of communication within and across diverse linguistic and cultural groups at many levels of interaction, but clusters mainly around particular domains of use. It is important to the educational endeavours of the people and the technological, economic, and political aspirations of the nation.

Type
Original Article
Information
English Today , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , October 2004 , pp. 54 - 58
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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