BM-Englishconundrum - The use of both languages must be enhanced - 12 September 2025

Aug 13, 2026

The article examines Malaysia’s escalating “BM-English” language debate, where different groups argue for increased English, broader use of Bahasa Melayu, or the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English. It describes political prompting to raise school English proficiency while noting the current reality of mixed usage that produces awkward, inconsistent language. It highlights loanword substitution, Manglish patterns, and the resulting erosion of BM lexicon, proposing a government-driven dual effort to strengthen and purify both languages.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

The BM-English conundrum

Competing positions on English and BM

English proficiency concerns in schools

Mixed usage and linguistic “horrors”

Loanwords, pop culture, and Manglish

Proposed solution: purify BM and improve English

TARIKH:12 SEPTEMBER 2025(JUMAAT)BERITA HARIAN□UTUSAN M'SIAN.STRAITS TIME□1 # The BM-Englishconundrum The use of both languages mustbe enhancedNST(2-9·2025 PG2 MALAYSIANS are combative when it comes totheir position on the use of the English lan-guage.Some groups are battling for the in-creased use of English.Others insist that theuse of English must be scaled down to elevate BahasaMelayu(BM)in every sphere of governance,educationand commerce.Then there are those who assert thatMathematics and Science must be taught in the colonialtongue.The there's the people interspersing English andBMin the same sentence. This is the rough-and-tumble English-BM landscapeconfronting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahimafter he implored the Education Ministry to improveEnglish proficiency in schools.Anwar contended thatEnglish is “too critical and important”,even as BM ispromoted as the national language.The PM's concern isMalaysians’poor proficiency in English,which isthe global language of technology,commerce and diplo-macy. The Education Ministry's task will be complex and confounding becauseMalaysians have blended En-glish and BMinto a cocktail oflinguistic horrors to practi-tioners of the King's Englishand BM. Instructive words like ram-paian,kehandalan,kekece-waan,maklumat,keluargahave to compete for usagewith antologi,osom(awe- some),frust(frustrated),in-formasi and famili,respec-tively.What about the loads ofEnglish nouns that were co-opted on a bout of transfor- mation(transformasi?)into official-sounding BM words?Let's face it:Malaysians are besotted with English (andAmerican)pop culture to the point of adopting the ac-cent,slang and quirks but not vocabulary,grammar andelegance.Their“Manglish”is a hodgepodge of belowaverage BM and bare English,with words or phrasesextracted from lyrics and TV and movie dialogues ofvarious Western selebriti.2 Meaningful Malay words have been irreparably sub-stituted by unnecessary English loan words throughoutthe decades.Neglected is BM's native lexicon,rich incultural and linguistic heritage,but now hounded byEnglish equivalents.This is the confusing state of En-glish,and with it,the mindless chipping away of BM. The solution is unavoidable:the whole governmentmachinery must boost the parallel objectives of purifyingBM and boosting good English.If the government fails,abizarre scenario might emerge in the future:to learnEnglish,Malaysians need only to learn BM because bythen,the two languages would have been truly fused.

FAQs

Why does the article say Malaysians have conflicting views about using English?

It explains that some groups push for greater English use, others want English reduced to elevate BM, and some advocate teaching Mathematics and Science in English. These competing positions create a turbulent language landscape.

What issue does the article raise about current English-BM usage in daily practice?

It argues that many people blend English and BM in the same sentence, producing awkward expressions and a “Manglish” mix that lacks vocabulary, grammar, and stylistic elegance.

What solution does the article propose for language policy?

It calls for the whole government machinery to boost two parallel goals: purifying BM while also improving good English proficiency. Without action, it warns of a future where learning English would effectively require learning BM instead.

Aug 13, 2026

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