Malaysian English
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Malaysian English (MyE), formally known as Malaysian Standard English (MySE), is a form of English used and spoken in Malaysia as a second language. Malaysian English should not be confused with Malaysian Colloquial English which is famously known as Manglish or Street English, a portmanteau of the word Malay and English, mostly spoken by the non-Malays.
[edit] Features
- Malaysian English is generally non-rhotic.
- Malaysian English originates from British English as a result of British colonialism in present day Malaysia.
- It has components of American English, Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other languages: vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.
- Like South-Eastern British English, Malaysian English employs a broad A accent, as such words like bath and chance appear with /ɑː/ and not /æ/.
- The /t/ phoneme in words like butter is usually not flapped (as in most forms of American English) or realised as a glottal stop (as in some other forms of British English, including Cockney).
- There is no h-dropping in words like head.
- Malaysian English does not have yod-dropping after /n/, /t/ and /d/. Hence, for example, new, tune and dune are pronounced /njuː/, /tjuːn/ and /djuːn/ rather than /nuː/, /tuːn/ and /duːn/. This contrasts with many East Anglian and East Midland varieties of British English and with most forms of American English.
[edit] Varieties of English in Malaysia
According to The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages & Literature, p 61, English in Malaysia has been categorized into three levels: the acrolect, mesolect and basilect. The acrolect is near-native, and not many Malaysians fall into this category - only those educated in core English-speaking countries from early schooling up to university may be found to speak the acrolect variety, so only tiny percentage of Malaysians are proficient in it. As with other similar situations, a continuum exists between these three varieties and speakers may code-switch between them depending on context.
Most academicians, professionals and other English-educated Malaysians, speak mesolect English. Malaysian English belongs to mesolect, and it is Malaysian English that is used in daily interaction.
[edit] Malaysian English and British English
In the first half of the 20th century, Malaysian English was exactly similar to British English (BrE) (albeit spoken with a Malaysian accent). However in the post-colonial era (after 1957), the influx of American TV programmes has influenced the usage of Malaysian English. There is no official language board, council or organisation to ensure the correct and standard usage of Malaysian English, because after independence, Malay replaced English as the official language. The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate continues, however, to set and mark the GCE O-Level English Language "1119" paper which is a compulsory subject for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (the English Language paper set by the Malaysian Ministry of Education is the same as the English Language "1119" paper for GCE O-Level).
Unofficially, however, NST English (named after the New Straits Times, the oldest English language daily in Malaysia) is often used as the reference point for Malaysian English.
[edit] Words only used in British English
To a large extent, Malaysian English is descended from British English, largely due to the country's colonisation by Britain beginning from the 18th century. But because of influence from American mass media, particularly in the form of television programmes and movies, Malaysians are also usually familiar with many American English words. For instance, both "lift/elevator" and "lorry/truck" are understood, although the British form is preferred. Only in some very limited cases is the American English form more widespread, e.g. "chips" instead of "crisps", "fries" instead of "chips".
[edit] Words or phrases only used in Malaysian English
Malaysian English has also created its own vocabulary just like any other former British colonies such as Australia and New Zealand and these words come from a variety of influences. Typically, for words or phrases that are based on other English words, the Malaysian English speaker may be unaware that the word or phrase is not present in British or American English.
| Malaysian | British / American |
|---|---|
| Handphone (often abbreviated to HP) | Mobile phone or Cell phone |
| Malaysian Chinese / Malaysian Indian | Chinese Malaysian / Indian Malaysian |
| KIV (keep in view) | Kept on file, held for further consideration |
| Slippers | Flip-flop |
| Outstation | Means both 'out of town' and/or 'overseas/abroad'. |
| MC (medical certificate). Often used in this context, e.g. 'He is on MC today' | Sick note |
| Photostat | Photocopy, Xerox |
| Mee | Noodles |
| Aircon | Air-conditioner |
| Remisier | Broker |
[edit] Different Meanings
This is a list of words and phrases that have one meaning in British English and another in Malaysian English
| Word / Phrase | Malaysian meaning | American / British meaning |
|---|---|---|
| last time | previously | on the previous occurrence |
| a parking lot | a parking space, e.g. "That new shopping mall has five hundred parking lots." | a parking garage (from US English) |
| an alphabet | a letter of the alphabet, e.g. "The word 'table' has five alphabets." | a set of letters used in a language |
| bungalow | A mansion for the rich and/or famous; or a fully detached house, regardless of the number of floors it has. Lately, some housing developers have taken the abuse of this word further and we now see terms like "a semi-detached bungalow". | A small house or cottage usually having a single storey and sometimes an additional attic storey that is free standing, i.e. not conjoined with another unit. |
| to follow | to accompany, e.g. "Can I follow you?" meaning "Can I come with you?" | to go after or behind, e.g. "The police car was following me" |
| to keep | to put away or store, e.g. a parent tells a child "Keep your toys!" | to retain as one's own, e.g. "I must decide which to throw away and which to keep." |
| to revert | to get back to someone, e.g. in an email: "I will investigate this and revert to you by tomorrow." | to return to a previous edit or state |
| to send | to take someone somewhere, e.g. "Can you send me to the airport?" | to cause something to go somewhere without accompanying it, e.g. "I sent this letter to my grandma." |
Most Malaysians are adept at switching from Manglish and Malaysian English, but are sometimes unclear as to the differences between Malaysian English and SABE (Standard American-British English). Awareness of these differences would prevent misunderstandings when dealing with people from different English-speaking backgrounds. This evolution in the use of English follows a worldwide trend and is unlikely to disappear.
[edit] Vocabulary
Many Malay and Malaysian words or phrases that describe Malaysian culture have become part of Malaysian English. Some of these are:
- Cik: Ms
- Dadah: Drugs (As in narcotics,etc)
- Encik: Mr
- kampung (archaic spelling: campong): a village
- lepak: loiter
- Mat Salleh : a white person typically a man
- Puan: Madam
There are also many non-Malaysian words used in Malaysian English that are not in standard English.
The following are shared with Australia, New Zealand or other countries:
- chips — "hot chips" US "french fries" and UK "chips".
- having-in/having here — eat-in at a restaurant
- takeaway — take-out food.
- apartment — a medium-cost and high-cost flat
- flat — a low-cost flat.
These are unique to Malaysia:
- bungalow — a villa or any semi-detached house regardless of the size or number of storeys
- blur — confused (used by Manglish speakers and considered as bad English)
- chop — to stamp (with a rubber stamp), as well as the stamp itself.
- condominium — a high-cost flat usually with common facilities.
- la(h)! — the prominent trademark in Manglish, the colloquial Malaysian English, it is used for emphasis at the end of a sentence, la(h)! (see note above on Malaysian influence. It originates from Chinese influence although the 'lah' is of the Malay language). Eg: “Are you coming over to the party tonight?’ — “Yes, of course lah.”
- pass up — to hand in "Pass up your assignments".
- rubber — meaning eraser as in "Can I borrow your rubber?" (This is also a sense given to the word in British English.)
- send — to take somebody to somewhere - "I'll send you to the airport."
- slippers — Japanese sandals; as in US and UK "flip-flops", Australia "thongs"
- spoil — to be damaged "This one, spoil, lah."
- uni — in Malaysia it refers to the university (as in British English), while ‘U’ is common in spoken Malaysian English.
[edit] Syntax
Syntactical differences are few although in colloquial speech 'shall' and 'ought' are wanting, 'must' is marginal for obligation and 'may' is rare. Many syntactical features of Malaysian English are found in other forms of English, e.g. Scottish English, British English and North American English:
- Can I come too? for "May I come too?"
- Have you got any? for "Do you have any?"
- I've got one of those already. for "I have one of those already."
- It's your shot. for "It's your turn."
[edit] Phonology and Pronunciation
Officially, Malaysian English uses the same pronunciation system as British English. However, most Malaysians speak with a distinctive accent. The accent has recently evolved to become more American, due to the influx of American TV programmes and the large number of Malaysians pursuing higher education in the United States. For example, this increased the emphasis on "r" in words such as "referring" and "world".
[edit] Role of Malaysian English in Independent Malaysia
Even though Malaysian English is no longer the official language of Malaysia, it is still used among Malaysians and is recognised as the language of business. About 80% of urban businesses in Malaysia conduct their transactions in English (both Malaysian English and Manglish). However, American English has quite a strong foothold in international businesses in Malaysia.
There are several English newspapers in Malaysia namely The Star, The Sun, New Straits Times and Malay Mail. There are also many English radio stations such as Hitz.fm, Mix FM, Light & Easy, Fly fm, Traxx FM and Red FM. However, Malaysia does not have any television station which is broadcasted purely in English. The Government National Language policy requires local TV stations to air at least 25% Malaysian-made programmes (either Malay or English). Some privately owned TV stations (such as TV3, NTV7, 8TV and Astro Hitz.TV) do air some English Malaysian-made programmes. A few Malaysian-made TV programmes in Malay carry English subtitles and vice-versa.
[edit] See also
- Singlish
- British and Malaysian English differences
- Malaysian English vocabulary
- Manglish
- Regional accents of English speakers
[edit] External links
- Manglish: For and Against, Should Malaysians speak Manglish or proper English?
[edit] References
- The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Languages & Literature, edited by Prof. Dato' Dr Asmah Haji Omar (2004) ISBN 981-3018-52-6
