Standards and pedagogical norms for teaching English in Malaysia

This study argues a case for the necessity of maintaining acceptable standards of English, appropriate for learners of English as an international language, in Malaysia. This will have direct implications for the formulation of a pedagogical model of speech which provides a norm to aspire to in the teaching and learning of English. These issues will be contextualized by referring to a particular instance of a social reaction to the development of the different varieties of English in Malaysia. In addition, research that has been conducted at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, regarding the issue of the acceptability of the different varieties of English, will be discussed. These findings will provide support for the recommendation that basic formal features of a Malaysian pedagogical model of speech be developed in order to facilitate international and intranational communication.