Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Language Education During Colonial Rule and Post-Independence Period

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Language Policy Challenges in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

Part of the book series: Multilingual Education ((MULT,volume 8))

  • 1107 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter describes in some detail the factors that resulted in the build-up of the multi-ethnic landscape in Malaysia as a result of economic immigration, from the pre-British period to the period of post-independence Malaysia. In the pre-independence period, it discusses the development of an educational system that reflected the needs of the three distinct ethnic communities, the dominant ethnic Malays, the Chinese and the Indians, and the setting up of English-medium schools. In the post-independence period, it discusses the divisions caused by these distinctly different systems of education and the growth of the sense of dispossession among the dominant ethnic group and subsequently the growth of nationalism and the push for Bahasa Malaysia as the national and official language.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Referencess

  • Abdullah, Hassan. 2004. One hundred years of language planning in Malaysia. Language in India 4. http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2004/abdulla2.html. Accessed Nov 2004.

  • Asmah, Haji Omar. 1979. Language planning for unity and efficiency—a study on the language status and corpus planning of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: University Malaya Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asmah, Haji Omar. 1982. Language and society in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asmah, Haji Omar. 1987. Malay in its sociocultural context. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asmah, Haji Omar. 1992. The linguistic scenario in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asmah, Haji Omar. 2007. Malaysia and Brunei. In Language and national identity in Asia, ed. Andrew Simpson. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, A. B. 1975. Communication systems: An introduction to signals and noise in electrical communication. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chai, H. C. 1967. The development of British Malaya 1896–1909. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coulmas, F. 1988. What is a national language good for? In With forked tongues—what are national languages good for ed. Florian Coulmas, 1–24. Singapore: Karoma.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouch, H. 1996. Government and society in Malaysia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, R. 1960. From empire to nation: The rise of self-assertion of Asian and African people. Harvard: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, Francis, and Ee Thiang Hong. 1975. Education in Malaysia. Heinemann Educational Books Asia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill, Saran K. 2004. Medium of instruction policy in higher education in Malaysia: Nationalism versus internationalization. In Medium of instruction policies—which agenda whose agenda, eds. James W. Tollefson and Amy B. M. Tsui, 135–152. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hassan, Ahmad. 1988. Bahasa Sastera buku Cetusan Fikiran. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, J. E., and Beer, W. R. 1985. Language policy and national unity. New Jersey: Rowman & Allanheld.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayasuria, J. E. 1983. Dynamics of nation building in malaysia. Colombo: Sri Devi Printing Work.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamenka, E. 1976. Nationalism: The nature and evolution of an idea. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. B., and Baldauf, R. B. 1997. Language planning from practice to theory. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelman, Herbert C. 1971. Language as an aid and barrier to involvement in the national system. In Can language be planned? Sociolinguistic theory and practice for developing nations, eds. Joan Rubin and Bjorn H. Jernudd, 21–51. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. G. 2009. Ethnic relations in peninsular Malaysia: The cultural and economic dimensions. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghee, Lim Teck. 1995. Social and economic integration of different ethnic groups in South–east Asia, with special reference to Malaysia: A review of the literature and empirical material. Geneva: International Institute for Labour Studies

    Google Scholar 

  • Loh, Fook Seng Phillip. 1975. Seeds of separatism: Educational policy in Malaya 1874–1940. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowenberg, Peter H., ed. 1988. Language spread and language policy: Issues, implications and case studies. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahathir, Mohd. 1970. The Malay dilemma. Singapore: Times Books International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mauzy, D. K. 1985. Language and language policy in Malaysia. In Language policy and national unity, eds. W. R. Beer and J. E. Jacob. New Jersey: Rowman and Allanhead.

    Google Scholar 

  • Means, G. P. 1991. Malaysian politics: The second generation. Singapore: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohammed, Suffian. 1972. An introduction to the constitution of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Government Printer.

    Google Scholar 

  • The National Operations Council. 1969. The May 13 Tragedy; a report. Kuala Lumpur, 9th October 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nida, E. A. (1975). Semantic structures. In Language structure and translation: Essays by Eugene A. Nida, selected and introduced by A. S. Dil, 102–130. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parliamentary Debates. 25 February 1971. In Penyata Rasmi Dewan Ra’ayat—Parlimen Ketiga, Februari-Mac 1971, cols. 239–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piller, I. 2001. Naturalisation language testing and its basis in ideologies of national identity and citenzenship. In Negotiation of Identities in Multilingual Contexts, eds. A. Pavlenko and A. Blackledge. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Takdir, Alisjahbana. 1976. Language planning for modernization: The case of Indonesia and Malaysian. The Hague-Papris: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safran, W. (1999). Nationalism. In Handbook of language and ethnic identity, ed. J. A. Fishman, 77–93. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, Roger. 7 December 2008. Taking politics out of education. New Straits Times.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tham, S. C. 1990. A study of the evolution of the Malay language: Social change and cognitive development. Singapore University Press, National University of Singapore.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Star. 2 January 2007. Unique aspect of education.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Australian Government—Department of Immigration and Citizenship. 2010. www.minister.imm.gov.au. Accessed 16 March 2010.

  • Tollefson, James W., and Tsui, Amy, B. M., eds. 2004. Medium of instruction policies—which Agenda? whose agenda? New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • UKM. 2008. Niche Areas. http://www.lll.net.my. Accessed 27 Jan 2008.

  • Watson, K. 1999. Language, power, development and geopolitical changes: Conflicting pressures facing plurilingual socities. Compare: A journal of Comparative Education 29 (1): 5–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zawawi, Ibrahim, 2004. Globalisation and national identity: Managing ethnicity and cultural pluralism in Malaysia. http://www.apcss.org/Publications/EditedChapter9. Growth & Governance in Asia.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Language Planning and Policy & Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community Partnerships), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia), Bangi, Malaysia

    Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill

Authors
  1. Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saran Kaur Gill .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gill, S. (2014). The Role of Language Education During Colonial Rule and Post-Independence Period. In: Language Policy Challenges in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia. Multilingual Education, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7966-2_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation