English In Malaysia Case Study

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The teaching of English in Malaysia were introduced by the British Colonial in 1960 and still entrenched in current Malaysian Educational System (Asmah Hj. Omar, 1992). In present, English is the most important foreign language in Malaysia and use widely in many aspects in life, ranging from business transactions, production of products and advertisements. In order to hold this status, English language is taught as a second language in all Malaysian schools and a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools. In higher level of education such as university, local undergraduates are required to register a stipulated credit hour of English courses based on the result of their Malaysian University English Test (MUET), which is an English proficiency assessment course and a compulsory requirement for students who plan to pursue tertiary education at Malaysian universities (Malaysian Examination Council, 2006).

Apart from that, English and Bahasa Malaysia were the two languages that binds together a multicultural nation that made up from three major races; Malay, Chinese and Indians. These groups of ethnics differ from others in many ways such as mother tongue, cultures and even food, but they shared the same language to communicate outside their comfort zone (ethnic groups). By using English or Bahasa Malaysia, the will not only be able to communicate and understand each other, but unconsciously unite them under the same roof that also create a