Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, is the official language of Malaysia, but English, Chinese and Tamil (a dialect originating in India) are commonly spoken here, revealing interesting insights into Malaysia’s history with the countries from which these languages originated. The preservation of languages and unique dialects (especially Chinese dialects) over the course of generations is very different from the rapid loss of native language typical in America.
In the hostel where I live, we have our own unique subset of languages: Arabic (Yemen), Urdu (Pakistan), Hindi (India), Bangla (Bangladesh), Chinese (China) and English. Although we all speak different languages, we are all brought together by our ability to communicate in English. Also, my friends from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are able to communicate when speaking their mother tongues, which are Urdu (Pakistan), Hindi (India) and Bangla (Bangladesh). Can you guess why they are able to understand each other despite coming from different countries and speaking different languages? I’ll give you a hint: take a look at the map!
