Since independence, disputes over the curriculum have tended to take on a politicised and ideological dimension that goes well beyond pedagogical and technical issues. This presentation will revisit the concept of indigenous language" by comparing the ideological positioning of a number of Malaysian languages in the public and private education sectors and also in nationist and nationalist discourses on education."
With both Malay and English playing an important role in the education system, and Chinese and Tamil official media of instruction in many government-supported schools, on a practical level bilingualism is a fact of life for most Malaysians. Since independence, however, disputes over the curriculum have tended to take on a politicised and ideological dimension that goes well beyond pedagogical and technical issues. Despite Malay being constitutionally the national language, as well as the first language of the largest ethnic community and the most important inter-ethnic lingua franca, Malay speakers have often felt economically and culturally threatened and tend to position their language as an indigenous tongue struggling for space with English and Mandarin, especially in the business sector. This struggle has overshadowed the plight of other indigenous languages, including some that have a large number of speakers but almost no written presence and a minor role at best in local schools. This presentation will revisit the concept of "indigenous language" by comparing the ideological positioning of a number of Malaysian languages in the public and private education sectors and also in nationist and nationalist discourses on education.
