Malaysian English

INTRODUCTION

This paper aim to discuss on the history, features, and future of Malaysian English. It will also covers the distinctions between Malaysian English and Manglish. Malaysian English refers to a form of English language that is used and spoken in Malaysia. It is distinct from Malaysian Colloquial English, which is also known as Manglish. Malaysian English developed over time with its own distinctive features and characteristics, just like in many other countries. Malaysian English is obviously influenced by some local cultures, customs, and the mother tongue of the speakers (Baskaran, 1987). Most of these influences have resulted in a very unique way of pronouncing words in Malaysian English compared to the pronunciation of the

English was first introduced in formal educational system and used to be described as the language of the ruling class. After independence in 1957, Malay language was recognized as the official language and thus, the medium of instruction in educational system was changed into Malay language. However, English still managed to prevails and always been used in the mass media such as television and newspaper. The changes in the official language and educational system was the turning point for the development of Malaysian English. Basically, during that time, the need for Standard English (acrolect) declined and the lack of exposure allowed the colloquial (mesolect) and broken English (basilect) to flourish (Rajandran, 2011, p. 27). All these three division of Malaysian English will be explain in the next

4; Baskaran, 2005, pp. 19 - 20). The acrolectal form of Malaysian English is the level aimed at language instruction (Maniam, 1998, p. 4; Baskaran, 2005, p. 19). This form is “not native in that it allows for some indigenised phonological and lexical features but is near-native in so far as the synthetic features still hold” (Baskaran, 2005, p. 19). Malaysian English is most apparent in the mesolect level which is the informal communicative variety (Baskaran, 2005, p. 20). The mesolect phonological system mostly varies from the Received Pronunciation in terms of the intonation and stress. An average educated Malaysian English speaker can easily switch from the acrolect into the mesolect which has systematic phonological, syntactic and lexical features. Next, the basilect is the ‘stigmatised’ form, or the lowest level of the variety as it is the tool used by those who acquire the language informally (Baskaran, 2005, p. 20). Some people might think that the basilect form is incorrect or deviant, however, it could still be considered as another variation of Malaysian English. Undoubtedly, the basilect lexis is highly encompasses of the local language items and the phonology varies from the Received