Language ecology and policy: balancing development and sustaining identities

Abstract

A multi-ethnic nation's linguistic ecology is made up of a rich and colourful multilingual environment - an environment where languages possess multi-functional roles and varying status. These languages extend across varying spaces and provide voices at the international, regional, national and community- based contexts.

In this paper, a sampling of the landscape of the language ecology and policy of Malaysia will be examined via the evolving dynamics of Bahasa Melayu, English and one of the many minority ethnic languages, Punjabi. The paper will analyse the issues and concerns of various communities expressed through these various linguistic spaces and voices. This examination will be based on macro sociolinguistic contextual factors as designed in Martel's (2001) heuristic framework - the political and national concerns, economic considerations, the knowledge economy based on science and technology ideology/policy and the values and customs of society which reflect national and ethnic identity.