Dinamika Ilmu - Vol. 16 No. 2 - A View Into Successful Teaching Techniques, Teaching Malay Language as a Foreign Language in Malaysia

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper highlights successful classroom teaching techniques for the Malay Language 1 course at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The course aims to equip foreign students for academic study and to support basic communication with local Malaysians. The paper notes that Malay language teaching in Malaysia has historically emphasized grammar structure for Malaysians, leaving limited development for teaching Malay as a foreign language. It also argues that, due to scarce resources beyond phrase books, teachers must adopt practical in-class techniques for effectiveness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

A. Introduction

B. Malay Language in Malaysia

C. Malay Language as a Foreign Language

Dinamika Ilmu P-ISSN: 1411-3031; E-ISSN: 2442-9651 2016, Vol. 16 No. 2 A View Into Successful Teaching Techniques: Teaching Malay Language As A Foreign Language In Malaysia Mazlina Baharudin School of Languages, Literacies and Translation Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia. [mazlina@usm.my](mazlina@usm.my) Azlina Md Sadik School of Languages, Literacies and Translation Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia. [msazlina@usm.my](msazlina@usm.my) Abstract This paper will highlight successful teaching techniques used in class in teaching the Malay Language 1 course in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) . The course is to equip foreign students for their studies and also as means of basic communication with the locals in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the emphasis in Malay language teaching are focused to Malaysians and had been on grammar structure. There has been little development of teaching of Malay as a foreign language. However, the effort to introduce Malay as a foreign language is important since generally there are a growing number of learners who are aware of the benefits. Other than travelers guide and basic Malay phrase books, not many materials are found for teaching of Malay as a foreign language. Based on the lack of resources, teachers have to incorporate techniques to be used in class to teach the Malay language course. It is hoped that other foreign language teachers will find information useful especially in the teaching the Malay Language as a foreign language. Keywords: Malay Language, foreign language, teaching technique A. Introduction The Malay language originates to the Austronesia region. During the 16th century, the Malay language has emerged as a language of knowledge, religion, law, diplomacy and also trade (Gani & Talib, 2009; Ostler, 2005) . The Malay language is historically one of the most politically powerful languages of the enormous Austronesian language family. For centuries, Malay has served as a common language throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula, promoting a free exchange of commerce and culture among these areas. The Malay language is a member of the Austronesian, or Malayo-Polynesian, language family. The Austronesian language family is one of the world’s largest, with more than 1,200 distinct languages found from Madagascar to Hawaii. The Austronesian family can be further split into two primary groups, Central-Eastern and Western. Malay is a member of this Western branch, along with Indonesian, Javanese and Filipino. Most linguists agree that Malay has had the most significant political impact throughout the history of all Austronesian languages. Garvin and Mathiot (1956 as cited by Gumperz (1993) defined standard language as “a codified form of language, accepted by and serving as a model to a larger speech community”. And that what precisely happened back then because the standard Malay language has become the identity and part and parcel of life in that era for reading, writing and speaking. Fortunately, the Malay language is still widely used until today and has been handed down from generations to generations. Although the language has gone through changes throughout the centuries, but the root of the language is still similar. Presently, the Malay language has become one of the five most widely used languages in the world and serves as a national language for Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore (although the latter uses English more dominantly in everyday life) . Speakers of the Malay language are can also be found in South Thailand (which numbers up to a million people), Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and even outside South East Asia such as Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mecca, Australia, Holland, England and many more (Gani & Talib, 2009) . B. Malay Language in Malaysia In Malaysia, the Malay language has been bestowed the national language status and also as the official language s

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the Malay Language 1 course at USM?

It equips foreign students for their studies and provides a means for basic communication with locals in Malaysia.

Why does the paper say teaching Malay as a foreign language needs more development?

It states that existing Malay teaching efforts have focused mainly on grammar for Malaysians, with comparatively little development for foreign-language instruction, and there are limited learning materials beyond basic phrase books.

What role does learning Malay play for foreign workers and foreign students in Malaysia?

Foreign workers and foreign students are described as needing compulsory induction or learning of Malay to improve communication and relations with the local community.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado