| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語研究所 === 90 === According to Kachru (1981), the English language in Asia and Africa, introduced through earlier colonization by the British, has long adjusted itself to the multilingual and multicultural contexts there, and has gradually developed as new varieties of English distinct from its original norm (e.g. British English). The phenomenon Kachru (1981) describes is recommended as nativization of English, which has been a subject much studied in recent years. Being a post-colonial country, Malaysia is no exception to this kind of development of English. Something, however, is unique to the country─the language policies implemented there. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s, a series of language policies were adopted in Malaysia. According to the language policies, Malay was promoted as the national and official language, but on the other hand, English was removed from the official language and the medium of instruction in education. Since then, English has become a compulsory second language in education. Used in fewer domains, the general proficiency in English is said to have been declining in Malaysia. Still, the importance of English is never reduced because of its utilitarian advantages and its high social status.
Given this unusual background, Malaysian English is investigated on its linguistic, functional and attitudinal aspects in this study. With the collected linguistic data and the questionnaire survey in Kuching, a city of Malaysia, several major findings are yielded. First, certain linguistic features are found distinctive to Malaysian English, which not only reflect the influence of local languages, but are also used to cater for socio-cultural contexts. Second, although the Malaysian language policies withdrew the official role of English, and also it’s dominant role in education, English is still frequently used by Malaysians in their daily life, as shown in this study. Third, Malaysians tend to have a positive attitude toward Malaysian English, but they prefer using the variety in more informal situations. Many comments from the informants suggest that a sense of in-group identity is attached to Malaysian English. Using this variety can thus foster an intimacy among people.
Considering the language contact and socio-cultural contexts in a multiethnic society, the nativization of English is a trend in Malaysia. Therefore, while Standard English still firmly keeps its international and formal status, Malaysian English has already long rooted in Malaysian soil. Such a local variety of English not only reveals local flavor, but also serves to improve ethnic solidarity and intimacy. For further research, it is worth exploring the linguistic features of various sub-varieties of Malaysian English. Another direction for future investigation is the respective status, functions and domains of Standard English and different sub-varieties of Malaysian English.
|
|---|
