Languages In Malaysia: Learn More About Malaysia

Malaysia’s national language is Malay which is also called as Malaysian Malay or Malay. 80 per cent of the country speaks this language. English is the second main language in Malaysia. One of the most commonly spoken languages in Malaysia is English. Malay, Mandarin and Tamil are the other main languages in Malaysia. Malaysia is a diverse country with a lot of nationalities residing in it. Hence, it is home to 137 living languages under one roof.

Languages In Malaysia

Malay: National Language of Malaysia

The most commonly spoken language in the country is Malay. It is also officially called Bahasa Malaysia. Being the national language of the country, it is spoken widely by 80 per cent of its people. There is a mixture of ten distinct dialects of this language used all over the country. Out of all these numerous dialects, Bahasa Indonesia is familiar to the southern Malay Peninsula. Malay emerged as the most prominent and extensively spoken by the population. Additionally, the national anthem of Malaysia is composed in the national language.

English – Most Commonly Spoken Language in Malaysia

After Malaysia, English is the second most widely used languages in Malaysia. It is the main medium of education, communication and government houses widely in Malaysia. The exams are conducted here are all in British English. English is widely spoken in the field of international business to settle deals. It has also been instrumental in building valuable relations among various cultural groups and has improved to bring harmony. There has also been an abrupt increase in English speakers with about half of of the population who are now literate in the language. Hence, English has become one of the most integral and important languages of Malaysia.

Chinese

Traditional Chinese or Mandarin and its modified Malaysian dialect appears beneath the category of Malaysian Chinese and is used by lot of the country’s population. About ninety-three per cent of Chinese families living in Kuala Lumpur can speak Mandarin. Additionally, they are are also well versed in some of its modified dialects. However, Mandarin is usually used by the Chinese residing in Malaysia, Hokkien is the most common dialect spoken all over the country.

Tamil

Does this come to you as a surprise? A large portion of Indians who are a part of the Malaysian population are fluent in Tamil as it is their native language. There are more than five hundred Tamil medium schools opened all over the country. Other South Asian languages in Malaysia that you will come across widely are Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Malayalam and Telugu.

Indigenous Languages in Malaysia

Kazadandusuns and Iban are the most extensively used indigenous languages in Malaysia. This language is known by the people in Sarawak. These two languages have also manifested into their own educational syllabuses in the country. Apart from these two, there are above thirty native groupings. Each language has its own dialects that are on the verge of extinction right now.

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