THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN MALAYSIA

Introduction Nowadays ,English Language has grown to the most important language in the world. .Malaysia has grown rapidly in all aspects of life including the usage of English language in daily life. The main cause for this transformation is the rapid growth of Computer Science and electronical market. We live in fast world where speaking and learning English is a must. If we, havent begun yet,we better start picking up basics of the language, So that we will not left behind. Modern English is sometimes described as the world lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science,business,entertainment, diplomacy and on the internet. It has been one of the official language in the united nations and is considerd by many to be on its way to becoming the worlds first universal language. In Malaysian towns,for example,English is the main language of commerce and there are many signs advertisement found everywhere in the urban area. So, English can be a termed as second language in Malaysian towns.In the rural areas,however English is a foreign language because the rural child has very little environmental support in his learning of English.This because only very few people and institutions in the rural areas use English. There are many reasons why English language become so important in Malaysia and our pupils probably do so for one of these reasons. i. English language as a compulsory subject in curriculum. English language is a compulsory subject in the Malaysian Curriculum.So, for many pupils their reason for learning English is because they have to. Pupils learn

English as a second language.They have to learn proper English ,so that they would be able to use it for different purposes.For examples,ask for information,understand instructions,read textbooks or manual and write reports. This mean they need to learn ,listen and understand, speak and write accurately,fluently and appropriately. To achieve this ,they need to learn pronunciation,grammar,appropriacy and the language skills. ii. English language in educations English language is commonly used as a medium for the communication of information and news.Proficiency in English will open the door to greater opportunities for further educations, especially at tertiary level. It also enables pupils to gain access to the vast amount of literature and information in all fields of learning,especially in Science and Tecnology. English is the language of choice for teaching Mathematics and Science in school.The policy was implemented from January 2003.After 4 years of implementing Mathematics and Science in English, The Minister of Education should not hesitate about letting children carry on with the present policy. I believe that learning English itself will widen the horizon of our children. Most activities dealing with arts and culture held around city like Kuala Lumpur and even outside country are conducted in English.If the children are proficient in English,they will enjoy those activities to the fullest. At the end of the day ,this is their advantage. To gain knowledge from the available source. iii. English for business, Diplomacy and Professions. In Malaysia, English is a major language for international trades.It is the language that many businessmen are likely to use to communicate when dealing with their business.Important commodities such as silver,tin and currency are traded in English.

English is also an official language of many international organizations and many professional organizations.Businessman who has proficiency in English will have lot of opportunities regarding their field and expanding business. It is frequently the English language is used in international

conferences.Throughout the world,many professional papers are published in English.Many researchers in universities and companies attend international conferences to present the result of their research in English. Their papers are also published in international journals ,which are also in English. Even papers that are published in other language often have abstracts in English. iv. English language as a symbol of status. Many peoples feel that ability to speak English is a status symbol. It makes them feel better than those who can only speak their mother tongue.In Malaysia however,there some children especially those from middle-class homes,who do not know their mother tongue because English is spoken more than the mother tongue in the childs home. People from this middle-class communicate with their friends and neighbours. prefer using English when

Conclusion Based on the above even , I think English is very important for Malaysian. It is the second language and even use widely . The use of English language will make Malaysians ready to compete in the world. As for the student, proficient in English language is an advantage for them to reach the higher level of education.