Stefanie Pillai

Speaking English the Malaysian way – correct or not?

An examination of the give and take between local varieties and the expectations of classroom English. Like a microcosm of World Englishes, English in Malaysia is spoken in a multitude of accents characterizing different ethnic groups, socio-economic, education, language and geographical backgrounds. It is also not unusual for Malaysians to accent-switch according to context. Amidst the cacophony of local accents arise issues about whether such accents are correct or good or acceptable. This paper discusses the tension between speaking English with a Malaysian accent and the need for a pronunciation model from another variety, typically British English, in the teaching of English in Malaysia. Based on ongoing research on the pronunciation of Malaysian English, this paper suggests how this tension can be alleviated.

PROSODIC MARKING OF INFORMATION STRUCTURE BY MALAYSIAN SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH

Various researchers have shown that second language (L2) speakers have difficulties with marking information structure in English prosodically: They deviate from native speakers not only in terms of pitch accent placement (Grosser, 1997 ; Gut, 2009 ; Ramirez Verdugo, 2002) and the type of pitch accent they produce (Wennerstrom, 1994 , 1998 ) but also with regard to the phonetic realization of these pitch accents (Atterer & Ladd, 2004 ; O’Brien & Gut, 2010 ). This study investigates the prosodic strategies of first language (L1) Malay speakers of English for marking given and new discourse elements. Ten Malay speakers of English were recorded reading out a 179-word story that contained six given and six new words. Additionally, 10 Malay speakers read aloud a 152-word story containing six given and six new words in Malay. The given-new word pairs were analyzed both auditorily and acoustically in terms of type of pitch accent, syllable duration, phonetic realization of the rise, and pitch peak alignment. The results show that the Malay speakers of English produce longer rises on new than on given discourse elements but do not show different pitch accents, syllable duration, pitch peak alignment, or steepness of rises on the two types of words. The average extent and steepness of the rises as well as the pitch peak alignment are almost identical in Malay and the L2 English of Malay speakers, which suggests direct influence from the L1. However, differences in the type of pitch accents produced and the similarities to the patterns produced by other L2 speakers suggest further influencing factors.

Patterns of repeats in Malaysian English

Abstract This paper describes the use of repeats in Malaysian English. Speakers frequently repeat words in spontaneous speech, and this paper investigates the way in which words are repeated, the type of words that are repeated, and the functions of repeats in the speech of sixty-seven callers to a radio station. The findings reveal that there are preferred patterns of use, such as the frequent repetition of function words and the more frequent repetition of one word once. The findings also provide an understanding into the way in which repeats are used both as a hesitation device and as a repair mechanism.

Intonation patterns of questions in Malaysian English

ABSTRACT This article examines the intonation patterns used by Malaysian English (MalE) speakers when asking ‘wh-’ questions and ‘yes/no’ questions. Analysis on recordings of Malay, Chinese and Indian speakers revealed similar patterns in the intonation patterns of MalE wh- questions and yes/no questions regardless of the ethnicity of the speaker: wh- questions and yes/no questions tended to start with a level tone; yes/no questions ended with rises, while wh- questions ended with either falls or rises. These patterns cannot merely be attributed to the influence of the speakers’ first languages nor were they learner errors. However, whether these features are accepted as norms of MalE pronunciation will, to a certain extent, be dependent on the perception of MalE among Malaysians, which at the current point in time is generally inconsistent.

English(es) in Malaysia

Abstract This article provides a brief historical overview of the advent of English in Malaysia and the education policies that impact on English language education. We then discuss the concept of Malaysian English. We show that rather than being seen as an umbrella term for all varieties of English used in Malaysia, the term ‘Malaysian English’ tends to be associated with the more colloquial spoken one and thus viewed negatively. In view of the expanded use of English in Malaysia, we propose a revised model for understanding the different varieties and uses of English in Malaysia.

Vowels in Malacca Portuguese Creole

Abstract This paper examines the vowel system of present day Malacca Portuguese Creole (MPC) or Kristang, based on recordings from interviews with five female native speakers of MPC. A total of 1083 monophthongs were extracted from the recordings. The first and second formants of these vowels were measured and analysed. Considerable variation was found within and between the speakers in the way each of the vowels was produced. There were also noticeable overlaps between /i/ and /e/ suggesting that they were being used interchangeably. The quality of some of the vowels found in this study was also found to be different from those previously described. Based on the reduced vowel inventory, the variation in the way that vowels are produced, and the overlaps between vowels, the findings suggest the possibility of phonological instability of this endangered language.

The production of English monophthong vowels by Iranian EFL learners

Abstract This paper examines the production of English monophthong vowels by a group of Iranian learners of English based on an instrumental analysis of the vowels. Data in two speaking contexts were elicited from a group of learners between the ages of 16 and 17. To examine vowel quality, the first and second formant frequencies of the vowels were measured. These values and the duration of the vowels were compared to investigate the extent to which vowel contrast was maintained. The findings suggest that the learners tend not to contrast vowels (in terms of quality) when there is only one category of a similar vowel in Persian (e.g. English /i:/–/ɪ/ and /ʊ/–/u:/) whereas quality rather than length contrast is maintained for /e/–/æ/, both of which occur in Persian.