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When is English not the right choice in Sarawak?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2003

Su-Hie Ting
Su-Hie Ting
Affiliation:
Applied Linguistics at the Centre for Language Teaching and Research, University of Queensland, Australia
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Extract

A discussion of language choices in a multilingual region of Malaysia.

Sarawak is a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. More than 20 languages are spoken there among only 1.99 million people in Sarawak. People who visit Sarawak for the first time are often baffled and intrigued by the diversity of languages and the ease with which Sarawakians switch between them. To add to the complexity of language choice, there is also some competition between English and Standard Malay for dominance in language use.

This paper considers the reasons for the complex language scenario in Sarawak, the social implications of language choices, and the important personal characteristics to consider in making language choices.

Type
Original Articles
Information
English Today , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , January 2001 , pp. 54 - 56
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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