Malaysian English - Malaysian English and British English

Malaysian English and British English

In the first half of the 20th century, Malaysian English was exactly similar to British English (Br E) (albeit spoken with a Malaysian accent). However in the post-colonial era (after 1957), the influx of American TV programmers has influenced the usage of Malaysian English. There is no official language board, council or organization to ensure the correct and standard usage of Malaysian English, because after independence, Malay replaced English as the official language. The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate continues, however, to set and mark the GCE O-Level English Language "1119" paper which is a compulsory subject for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (the English Language paper set by the Malaysian Ministry of Education is the same as the English Language "1119" paper for GCE O-Level).

Unofficially, however, NST English (named after the New Straits Times, the oldest English language daily in Malaysia) is often used as the reference point for Malaysian English.