Editing Demographics of Malaysia (section)

==Languages==
{{main|Languages of Malaysia}}
[[File:7-11 Penang Sentral.jpg|thumb|A sign at [[7-Eleven]] stores showing common languages in Malaysia: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil]]
Malaysia contains speakers of 137 living languages,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MY |title=Ethnologue report for Malaysia |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=18 October 2010 |archive-date=18 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018162010/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MY |url-status=live }}</ref> 41 of which are found in Peninsula Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MYP |title=Ethnologue report for Malaysia (Peninsular) |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=18 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510095800/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MYP |archive-date=10 May 2011  }}</ref> The official language of Malaysia is known as [[Bahasa Malaysia]], a standardised form of the [[Malay language]].<ref name="CONSTITUTION 152"/> English was, for a protracted period, the de facto, administrative language of Malaysia, though its status was later rescinded. Despite that, English remains an active [[second language]] in many areas of Malaysian society and is taught as a compulsory subject in all public schools.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/9/nation/6630852&sec=nation |title=PAGE hands in second memorandum |access-date=8 September 2010 |work=The Star Online |date=9 July 2010 |quote=Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced last year that the policy of Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (known by its Malay acronym, PPSMI) would be scrapped from 2012. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018051457/http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2F2010%2F7%2F9%2Fnation%2F6630852&sec=nation |archive-date=18 October 2014  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/8/nation/20090708144354&sec=nation |title=Math and Science back to Bahasa, mother tongues |work=The Star Online |access-date=8 September 2010 |date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302232436/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2009%2F7%2F8%2Fnation%2F20090708144354&sec=nation |archive-date=2 March 2011  }}</ref> Many businesses in Malaysia conduct their transactions in English, and it is sometimes used in official correspondence. Examinations are based on [[British English]], although there has been much American influence through television.

[[Malaysian English]], also known as Malaysian Standard English (MySE), is a form of English derived from [[British English]], although there is little official use of the term, except with relation to education. Malaysian English also sees wide use in business, along with [[Manglish]], which is a colloquial form of English with heavy [[Malay language|Malay]], Chinese languages and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] influences. Most Malaysians are conversant in English, although some are only fluent in the Manglish form. The Malaysian government officially discourages the use of Manglish.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003643.html |title=Language Log: Malaysia cracks down on "salad language" |publisher=Itre.cis.upenn.edu |date=5 October 2006 |access-date=14 September 2010 |archive-date=20 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620134708/http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003643.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Malaysian Chinese mostly speak Chinese languages from the southern provinces of China. The more common languages in Peninsular Malaysia are [[Hokkien]], [[Cantonese]], [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]], [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]], [[Hainanese]], and [[Fuzhou dialect|Hokchiu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://phuakl.tripod.com/Chinese.htm |title=Book Review: The Chinese in Malaysia |publisher=Phuakl.tripod.com |access-date=21 September 2010 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717103539/http://phuakl.tripod.com/Chinese.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Sarawak]], most ethnic Chinese speak either [[Fuzhou dialect|Fuzhounese]] or [[Hakka dialect|Hakka]] while Hakka predominates in [[Sabah]] except in the city of [[Sandakan]] where [[Cantonese]] is more often spoken despite the [[Hakka]]-origins of the Chinese residing there. Hokkien is mostly spoken in [[Penang]], [[Kedah]] and [[Perlis]], whereas Cantonese is mostly spoken in [[Ipoh]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. However, in Malaysia as a whole, the majority of ethnic Chinese now speak [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], a non-native language from northern China (originally spoken by the Beijing elite and chosen as the official language of China), as their first language, while English is the first language for the rest. Some of the less-spoken languages such as [[Hainanese]] are facing extinction. As with Malaysian youths of other races, most Chinese youth are multilingual and can speak up to four languages with at least moderate fluency – their native Chinese language, Mandarin, English and Malay.

[[Tamil language|Tamil]] is the most common language spoken among [[South Asian ethnic groups|Indians]] in Malaysia,<ref name="West2009Encyclopedia">{{Cite book  | last = West  | first = Barbara  | author-link = Barbara A. West  | title = Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, Volume 1  | publisher = Facts on File inc.  | year = 2009  | location = New York  | page = 486  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC  | isbn = 978-0-8160-7109-8  | access-date = 5 August 2016  | archive-date = 27 July 2023  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230727121024/https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC  | url-status = live  }}</ref> especially in [[Peninsular Malaysia]] where they still maintain close cultural ties with their homeland [[Tamil Nadu]] & [[Ceylon]]. This is because there are far fewer Indians in East Malaysia than in the Peninsula. Tamil community from Ceylon have their own Tamil dialect known as Sri Lankan Tamil. Besides Tamil, the [[Malayalam Language]] is spoken by over 200,000 [[Malaysian Malayali|Malayalees]] in Malaysia, predominantly in [[Perak]], [[Selangor]], [[Negeri Sembilan]] and [[Johore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17433/MY|title=Malayali, Malayalam in Malaysia|access-date=21 March 2021|archive-date=13 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113141418/https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17433/MY|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Telugu Language|Telugu]] is also spoken by the Telugu community. [[Punjabi Language|Punjabi language]] is commonly spoken by the Punjabi community. Besides that, [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] is used by a small number of Sinhalese community from [[Sri Lanka]].

Citizens of [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]], [[Bugis]] or [[Javanese people|Javanese]] origins, who can be classified "Malay" under constitutional definitions may also speak their respective ancestral tongues. The native tribes of East Malaysia have their own languages which are related to, but easily distinguishable from, Malay. The [[Iban language|Iban]] is the main tribal language in [[Sarawak]] while [[Dusunic languages]] are spoken by the natives in [[Sabah]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5i1aMcmLWlMC&q=Dusunic+languages&pg=PA397 |title=The Austronesian languages of Asia ... – Google Books |access-date=21 September 2010|isbn=9780700712861 |date=1 January 2005 |last1=Alexander Adelaar |first1=K. |last2=Himmelmann |first2=Nikolaus |publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref> A variant of the [[Brunei Malay|Malay language]] that is spoken in [[Brunei]] is also commonly spoken in both states.

Some Malaysians have [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] ancestry and speak [[creole language]]s, such as the [[Portuguese-based creole languages#Southeast Asia|Portuguese-based Malaccan Creoles]],<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=30027570 |title=Malaysian Creole Portuguese: Asian, African or European?  |journal=Anthropological Linguistics |publisher=University of Texas |year=1975 |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=211–236|last1=Hancock |first1=Ian F. }}</ref> and the Spanish-based [[Zamboangueño language|Zamboangueño Chavacano]].<ref>{{Cite book
  | last = Michaelis
  | first = Susanne
  | author-link = Susanne Michaelis
  | title = Roots of Creole structures
  | publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Co.
  | year = 2008
  | location = Amsterdam
  | page = 279
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pPUeQLcGMOMC
  | isbn = 978-90-272-5255-5}}</ref> Thai is also spoken in some areas.<ref name="multiref1"/>