Languages of Malaysia

The indigenous languages of Malaysia belong to the Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian families. The national, or official, language is Malay which is the mother tongue of the majority Malay ethnic group. The main ethnic groups within Malaysia comprise the Malays, Chinese and Indians, with many other ethnic groups represented in smaller numbers. The largest native languages spoken in East Malaysia are the Iban language and the Kadazan language. English is widely understood in service industries and is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary school. It is also the main language spoken in most private colleges and universities. English may take precedence over Malay in certain official contexts as provided for by the National Language Act, especially in the states of Sabah and Sarawak, where it may be the official working language.

Malaysia contains speakers of 137 living languages,^[1] 41 of which are found in Peninsula Malaysia.^[2] The government provides schooling in each of the three major languages, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil. Within these three there are a number of dialectal differences.^[3]

Malay

The official language of Malaysia is known as Bahasa Malaysia. It is a standardised form of the Malay language.^[4] There are 10 dialects of Malay used throughout Malaysia.^[3] Malay became predominant after the 1969 race riots.^[5] A variant of the Malay language^[specify] that is spoken in Brunei is also commonly spoken in East Malaysia.

Other indigenous languages

Citizens of Minangkabau, Bugis or Javanese origins, who can be classified "Malay" under constitutional definitions may also speak their respective ancestral tongues. The native tribes of East Malaysia have their own languages which are related to, but easily distinguishable from, Malay. The Iban is the main tribal language in Sarawak while Dusunic languages are spoken by the natives in Sabah.^[6] Some of these languages remain strong, being used in education and daily life.^[3] Sabah has eight sub-ethnic languages, Bajau, Murut, Rungus, Bisaya, Iranun, Suluk, Sungai, and Ubian. There are over 30 native groupings, each of which has its own dialect. These languages are in danger of dying out, unlike the major ones such as Kadazandusuns which have developed educational syllabuses. Iban also has developed an educational syllabus.^[7] Languages on the peninsular can be divided into three major groups, Negrito, Senoi, and Malayic, further divided into 18 subgroups.^[3] The Semai is used in education.^[7] Thai is also spoken in some areas.^[8]

English

Malaysian English, also known as Malaysian Standard English (MySE), is a form of English derived from British English, although there is little official use of the term, except with relation to education. Malaysian English also sees wide use in business, along with Manglish, which is a colloquial form of English with heavy Malay, Chinese dialect and Tamil influences. Most Malaysians are conversant in English, although some are only fluent in the Manglish form. The Malaysian government officially discourages the use of Manglish.^[9] Many businesses in Malaysia conduct their transactions in English, and it is sometimes used in official correspondence. Examinations are based on British English, although there has been much American influence through television.

English was the predominant language in government until 1969.^[5] English remains an active second language in many areas of Malaysian society and is compulsory, serving as the medium of instruction for Maths and Sciences in all public schools per the PPSMI policy, although this is pending reversal in 2012.^[10]^[11] The government however recognises the importance of English, and has committed to make English a strong second language.^[3]

Chinese languages

Chinese Malaysians mostly speak Chinese dialects from the southern provinces of China. The more common dialects in Peninsular Malaysia are Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, and Fuzhou.^[8] The dialect spoken depends on where the people originated.^[3] In Sarawak, most ethnic Chinese speak either Foochow or Hakka while Hakka predominates in Sabah except in the city of Sandakan where Cantonese is more often spoken despite the Hakka-origins of the Chinese residing there .Hokkien is mostly spoken in Penang and Kedah whereas Cantonese is mostly spoken in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. However, in Malaysia as a whole, the majority of ethnic Chinese speak Mandarin, due to it being the most widespread language of business.^[3] Some of the less-spoken dialects such as Hainanese are facing extinction. As with Malaysian youths of other races, most Chinese youth are multilingual and can speak up to four languages with at least moderate fluency - their native Chinese dialect, Mandarin, English and Malay.

South Asian languages

Tamil is used predominantly by Tamils, who form a majority of Malaysian Indians.^[12] It is especially used in Peninsular Malaysia where they still maintain close cultural ties with their homeland. However, many Indians in East Malaysia, especially the younger generation, do not speak much Tamil and speak either Malay or English as their first language.^{[citation needed]} This is because there are far fewer Indians in East Malaysia than in the Peninsula. Thus, the Indians in East Malaysia prioritise on Malay and English because those languages are more useful in daily life in that region. Malaysian Tamil is a significant dialect which is different from Tamil spoken in India, with many loan words from Malay entering into its vocabulary. Other south Asian languages are also widely spoken in Malaysia.

Creoles

A small number of Malaysians have caucasian ancestry and speak creole languages, such as the Portugese based Malaccan Creoles.^[13] A Spanish based creole, Zamboangueño Chavacano, has spread into Sabah from the southern Philippines.^[14]