The language choice among Chinese-Indian mixed-marriage families in Malaysia

Abstract

In Malaysia, under certain cultural, social and political conditions, a
minority community might adopt a different language and become
monohngual, bilingual or multilingual. However, the morc general trend,
especially among well-educated individuals, is that they tend to become
English speakers. This may occur among children from inter-group
marriages where English is the only common language between the
spouses.
The main objective of this study is to examine the language choice
among Malaysian children from inter-group marriages where one of the
spouses is either Tamil or Chinese. Another objective IS to identify the
role of attitude in language choice. The Chindians comprise dyads of
Indian-Chinese mixed marriage children and their parents from urban
areas. The data will be gathered through questionnaires and structured
interviews administered across both groups. Analyses of the data will
include a comparison of the language choice among the Chindians in
the urban areas and the role of language as a marker of self/group
Identity. The domains examined are home, school, workplace and places
of worship.