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Part of
World Englishes in their Local Multilingual Ecologies
Edited by Peter Siemund, Gardy Stein and Manuela Vida-Mannl
[Hamburg Studies on Linguistic Diversity 9] 2025
► pp. 116–142

Chapter 6
Top-down policies and the language profiles of Malaysians in a multilingual language ecology

 | University of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
 | University of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia is a multilingual country with more than 100 languages comprising, among others, Standard Malay and its mainly geographical varieties as well as indigenous, Chinese, and Indian languages. Over the years, language and education policies have put the national and official language, Malay, at the forefront of the language ecology in the country, while English continues to be given considerable attention in the education and employment sectors. The language ecology in Malaysia is dynamic in reflecting the dominant languages within a multicultural environment. This chapter examines two interrelated aspects within the Malaysian multilingual language ecology: language and education policies and the language profiles of a group of Malaysian undergraduates. The examination of these two aspects against the demographic backgrounds of the undergraduates indicates that their backgrounds influence the language profiles of Malaysians. In short, this chapter offers a glimpse into the effect of top-down policies, as an ecological factor, on the language profiles of students from different ethnic and economic groups, language backgrounds, and medium of instruction streams at a public university in Malaysia.
Keywords: language ecology, language education, language policy, Malaysia, multilingualism
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Malaysia’s language ecology
    • 2.1Language and ethnicity
    • 2.2Language and education policies
    • 2.3English in Malaysia
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Respondents and context
    • 3.2The survey
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Demographic information
    • 4.2Language and education
    • 4.3Language profiles of graduates
    • 4.4Perceptions about language use
      • 4.4.1Fluency in Malay, English and Mandarin
      • 4.4.2Language mixing
      • 4.4.3Heritage languages
      • 4.4.4Perceptions about English
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
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