Malaysian Language for Communication 02

Lecturer: Ms. Halimah Ma'alip

This subject is to teach Malaysian Language for communication. They focus on alphabet, pronunciation, sentence making, vowels etc.

For me  Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, is the only official language in Malaysia. Although English is widely spoken, you should not miss the chance of learning Malay. You will not only be able to communicate with Malaysian locals but also with people from the surrounding countries.

Malaysia is a very multicultural country, and apart from Malay and English, there are also other languages represented, such as Chinese and Tamil, or some indigenous languages.

The term “Malay” actually refers to a group of languages which are all closely related. Apart from Malaysia, Malay is spoken in Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Philipines and Southern Thailand. This means learning Malay gives you the possibility to communicate with over 260 milion speakers, which make Malay one of the most spoken languages in the world.

Malay in Malaysia is called Bahasa Malaysia. The term Bahasa Melayu, which is actually how the language is referred to in Brunei and Singapore, is also very common and is also used on governmental websites. The language became official in Peninsular Malaysia in 1968 and in East Malaysia in 1974, a few years after the Independence from the United Kingdom.