Do Malaysians Speak Good English or Malaysian English?

Er, yes, we do – Malaysians speak good English to visitors and Mandarin to each other.

You speak to any Malaysian as you often do in English.

They will reply to you in Malaysian English.

They think it’s English, you hear it but can’t comprehend…

Most Malaysians speak more than a few languages.

Generally, Malaysians speak, read, and write in Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Mandarin.

The Indians speak, read, and write Tamil.

Malaysia hosts an impressive 137 languages, dialects, and indigenous sub-dialects throughout the nation regarding language- or languages.

You May Also Like To Know If Malaysians Are Good In English

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• Learn Malaysian Language Basics And Common Phrases

Learning Malaysian English (Manglish)

Welcome to Malaysia and Selamat Datang!

Visitors to Kuala Lumpur, George Town, and Ipoh are often impressed by the locals’ command of the English language.

“Why is your English so good?”

Ahem…Malaysian English

Malaysian English, formally known as Malaysian Standard English, is a form of English used and spoken in Malaysia.

Malaysians grow up with a good mix of Chinese, Malay, and Indian friends.

All Malaysians tend to mix certain words from the language of these 3 groups into one English sentence!

Ethnic Indians’ mother tongue is often Tamil, while for ethnic Chinese, it’s commonly Cantonese or Hokkien.

For the Malays, they speak Bahasa Melayu.

English is the second language for Malaysians.

What is Malaysian English or Manglish?

While Malaysian English can encompass a range of English spoken in Malaysia, it differs from Manglish’s colloquial form.

“Manglish (or sometimes Mangled English) is an English-based creole in Malaysia.

Manglish’s vocabulary consists of words originating from English, Malay, Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Malayalam.

Generally, most Malaysians are bilingual or even trilingual. Yes, Malaysians know exactly what each other means.

You may think Malaysians speak gibberish to a natural English speaker (British, American, and Canadian).

As with many creoles, tenses and plurals are simplified, as is sentence construction.

Malaysians use words from other languages in a sentence that may contain a mix of 3 languages.

These words sometimes have no direct translation.

Ane, I want to tapau Mee Goreng.

Malaysians think they are speaking in English when they say that.

The sentence is made up of Tamil, English, Cantonese (Chinese dialect), and Malay!

Ane – Elder brother (Tamil)

I want to – self-explanatory (English)

Tapau – Takeaway (Cantonese)

Mee Goreng – Fried Noodles (Malay)

Let’s start by saying hello to a Malaysian.

Malaysians say Halo! Instead of Hello!

So if you want to be friends and understand your new friend perfectly, you will realize that when they speak their charming version of English – it’s quite different from what you think!

Even English words have new meanings.

Let’s check out the Malaysian English Translation and that Malaysian English Accent.

Hey, what accent?

Do you mean we speak with an accent? No LAH!

A typical conversation with a Malaysian is quite an experience for a foreigner.

A Malaysian may smile and say, “Halo! Can I friend you?”

• In this instance, Friend is often used as a verb, such as “Can I befriend you?”
• Stay – Malaysians will ask, “Where you stay?” instead of “Where do you live?”

Right after some chitchat, most Malaysians will ask their new friend to join them for a “kopi” (coffee), “teh Tarik” (milky tea), or some “Makan” (a snack).

• Is it? For example, the catch-all tag – “We go out later, is it?” or even “We go kopi can?”

After some time, you may be accepted and invited to come along and go outstation.

Normally, this means a short drive from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh or Penang and vice versa.

• For example, outstation—any long trip out of the city: “Wanna go on an outstation Makan trip next week?”
• Revert – Originally, this revert means to return to. Malaysians say, “Please revert” instead of Please reply.
• Convoy – to travel in a car group, as “Let’s convoy to the restaurant.”
• OK – often linked with “lah,” it means moderately good rather than mediocre. “Okay, Lah?” – “Yes, I’ll do that.” “Okay, Lor” – I don’t really want to do it. And “Okay, Meh?” – Are you sure this is okay?
• Jam – “Is it very jam now?” This means, “Is the traffic terrible now?” If you’re in a cab and you ask this, the driver will tell you the traffic.
• So what do Malaysians say at an eatery?
• Already – used rather than “now,” so “Eat already?” – Have you had your meal? and “He’s so fat already.”
• Makan (Malay) – Eat as in “What do you want to makan?” Or even “Makan?”
• Minum (Malay) means drink, as in “What do you want to drink?” or even “Minum?”
• Boss – a common address, particularly in street stall eateries, such as “Order boss.”

Uncle or Auntie is an informal but respectful term for anyone older than you.

It is sometimes pronounced and written as Unker and Untie.

So if you don’t want to call someone Boss, you can use Uncle or Auntie.

Now you know, Malaysians aren’t all related to each other or the people selling us the food.

How to order like a Malaysian?

• Or not – Can this one do it or not? Is this spicy or not? These give different expressions to what you mean.
• Take – regarding food, it means “like,” for example, “I don’t take spice.”
• Not bad – means quite good; add “at all,” and it’s even more positive.
• “How you like makan?’ “Not bad at all!”

If you’re feeling generous or just won Toto, Magnum, or 4D, you might want to “belanja” your new friends a nice “makan.”

• Kira (Malay) – “Kira semua boss” – send me the bill. To which your friends will say in unison, “Wahhhh belanja! Thank you!”
• Belanja (Malay) – “I belanja you makan lor” – I treat you dinner.
• After dinner, your Malaysian friend will send you home…
• Send – to give someone a lift, such as “I send you home, lah.”

Warning: Manglish can be addictive — please use Manglish responsibly.

Let me know if you remember any amusing conversation with a Malaysian.

Source: British and Malaysian English Differences