English(es) in Malaysia

This article provides a brief historical overview of the advent of English in Malaysia and the education policies that impact on English language education. We then discuss the concept of Malaysian English. We show that rather than being seen as an umbrella term for all varieties of English used in Malaysia, the term ‘Malaysian English’ tends to be associated with the more colloquial spoken one and thus viewed negatively. In view of the expanded use of English in Malaysia, we propose a revised model for understanding the different varieties and uses of English in Malaysia.