GE6413 LANGUAGE POLICY AND CURRICULUM PLANNINGGE6413 POLISI DAN PERANCANGAN BAHASA: IMPLIKASINYA TERHADAP PENGAJARAN BAHASAAssignment III Take Home PaperFor this assignment, you are to answerallthe questions:1) What are the processes that language planners would have to go through when conducting a sociolinguistic survey?2) Describe briefly (1/2 to 2 pages) the current linguistic situation and use in Malaysia. Based on your description, suggest language policy/policies appropriate for this country.3) What steps should the Malaysian government take to ensure effective implementation of the suggested language policy/policies?This assignment is to be done individually. This assignment must be type-written and one-and-half spacing. It should be between 5 10 pages excluding the title page. You must adhere closely to the Panduan Menulis Tesis Gaya UKM. Please submit your written paper byJune 12th, 2015.

IntroductionSociolinguistics is the study ofthe relationship between language andsociety.Sociolinguistics can help us understand why we speak differently in various social contexts, and help uncover the social relationships in a community.For example, you probably wouldn't speak the same to your boss at work as you would your friends, or speak to strangers as you would to your family. Sociolinguistics may also wonder whether women and men speak the same as each other. Or why do people the same age or from the same social class or same ethnicity use similar language? Sociolinguistics attempts to explain all these questions and more. Ultimately, sociolinguistics iseverywhere!To explain all these questions there are many differentmicroandmacroapproaches of sociolinguistics such as: Interactional Sociolinguistics Variationist Sociolinguistics Historical sociolinguistics Dialectology - this is equally similar to the study of different Varieties of English Discourse Analysis Conversation Analysis Language planning and policy

1. General facts about the study of sociolinguistics There are two approaches to the study of sociolinguistics 'micro' and 'macro'. Sociolinguistics focuses on'linguistic performance'. It is studied in relation to the actual language that is produced and the way it is used in its wider social context. As a fairly new discipline areas of inquiry in the past primarily studied language in relation to'linguistic competence'.

Micro SociolinguisticsMacro Sociolinguistics

The social and linguistic influence on specific linguistic features. They look at individual differences and the way they are used e.g. the variation between'singing'and'singin''.[4]Studies about language and communication more generally. Look at language data on a wider scale which leads to generalisations and conclusions to be identified e.g. the choices made about conversational structure.[4]

Sociolinguistics looks at the relationship between language use and social behaviours.As mentioned in earlier sections, sociolinguistics is interested in explainingreasons for speaking differently in different social situationsand howlanguage is used to convey a social meaning. Language is constantly used in spoken and written forms. Behaviour towards language is a concern shared on an international level by political and educational leaders, as well as the general public, so sociolinguistics is often seen in the headlines.If sociolinguistics is so prominent in society through our own use of language and reports of language use, then surely it is a worthy topic of study?There are endless examples of social behaviour towards language and language users; includingWelsh nationalists covering up English signs along Welsh roads. Sociolinguistics became more applicable to the interest of the ordinary person in the 1960s when linguists, focusing in the sociolinguistic field, turned their attention tolanguage variation.

The processes that language planners would have to go through when conducting a sociolinguistic survey .Depend on the questions that the survey is trying to answer. Methods used include collecting word lists (Bender 1971), playing recorded texts to assess comprehension (Casad 1974), sentence repetition tests (Radloff 1991), questionnaires (Hochstetler and Tillinghast 1996), group and individual interviews, retelling of stories (McKinnies and Priestly 2004), direct observation (Cooper and Carpenter 1976), and even internet surveys (tafesilafai.org).As with any form ofresearch, the methods used depend on the questions that the researchers are trying to answer. Also, the reliability of the results varies according to the method and the rigor with which it is applied, proper sampling technique, etc.

Language as a Social Institution: Language is an essential factor in social life which has a major role in a society. According to Verghese, The language of any group, people is the major carrier of those groups traditional beliefs and customs and history. Therefore sociolinguists see language as a social institution. Language as a social institution functions at a collective representation. Saussure (1875) has defined language as a social act (in Durkheims sense) or a social institution. Language as an institution however differs from others in that it functions at a level or collective representations which unlike individual representation are imposed on speakers and even dominate them. For him, communication is the primary function of language. Therefore, language develops more by the need of communication than by any other factor and this need to encompass all the aspects of life. As mentioned by Bronckert. Bronckert believes that language in fact is a Concrete institution, it is a usage, an instrument of communication based on a Covenant: language is based on a primitive contract agreed to by free men; it adapts to needs, meets new communication needs.. Different languages are selected for different functions in a society. Halliday defines three basic semantic functions: interpersonal, ideational and textual functions. These functions respectively deal with social relations ships of individual identity, and to construct a recognizable and situational appropriate discourse (communicative competence). The functional component of a language distinguishes it from other languages. Stewart has described the seven different societal functions by which a language can be distinguished.1. Official: the legally recognized use of language, for example to use the language for education for government. 2. Group: the use of language by members of an ethnic or cultural group. 3. Literary: the use of language for literacy or school writing. 4. Technical: the use of language for technical and scientific education. 5. Educational: the use of language for educational purposes. 6. Religion: the use of language in connection with religious practices. 7. Wider communication: the use of language for communication across language boundaries (another term for a language of wider communication is a linguafranca) Looking at the number of functions performed by the language, the selection of a language in a multilingual society is quite a difficult phenomenon. Example In Malaysian besides many languages,are used in peoples daily life. 1. Mother tongue Native language/malay,chinese or tamil2. National language Bahasa Malaysia. 3. Official language Bahasa Malaysia. 4. Language of mosque Arabic language for prayers and reading of the Quran.5.Language of hindu temple-Tamil language6.Language of Chinese temple-Cantonese In this complex situation language choice for dissemination of information and communication in Malaysia is of crucial importance in its economic, educational and social development. It requires a review of language policy and appropriate language planning to promote national development in the age of information and communication.Language Planning: Language planning is a recent branch of sociolinguistic which was discovered in 1960. According to Krishnamurti, it refers to conscious and organized efforts by the governments, committees and individual to solve language problems at national level. Although there is a large body of literature on language planning, but problems of language development are peculiar to individual language groups of language in different countries and nations. Consequently, no theory has yet been developed with a power to predict clear solutions under varying conditions.Definition of Language Planning: Wardhaugh defines; Language planning is a government authorized long term sustained and conscious effort to offer a language functions in a society for the purpose of solving communication. A language which can be used as a common means of communication, it is in fact a medium of inter communication to overcome the diversity of different mother tongues to have smooth functioning of the institutions and consistent development of the nation; It is the responsibility of the government to take into account all available resources and make bold decisions. According to Rubin and Jernudd Language Planning is deliberate language change which is based on the identification of the language. Language problems and issues need to be addressed quickly; it is not possible to rely on the slow course natural linguistic evolution to resolve various conflicting language issues but it is quite possible to change the course of language consciously to meet the social, political, religious and the educational factors. The Linguist Einar Haugen has defined the term Language Planning as, The activity of preparing a normative orthography, grammar and diction for the guidance of writer and speakers in a non-homogeneous speech community This is of course a practical application of linguistic knowledge. Its planning implies an attempt to guide the development of a language in a specific direction by the 210 planners. Pragmatics and judgment must be exercised while making choice among the available linguistic forms. Moreover, planners should make deliberate effort to influence and seek the desired results.

Importance of Language Planning: Language planning is important because the selection of a language portrays peoples identity. It is the image and reflection of their culture, tradition and heritage. According to Crystal, More than anything else language shows we belong; providing the most natural badge, a symbol of public and private identity. 11 In more specific terms he says that language can become a source of displeasure, pride, anxiety, offense, anger and even violence. Power of Language Planning In terms of language planning, Tollefson cited by London argues that power is the ability to achieve ones goal and to control ones events through intentional action. It is not a characteristic of individuals isolation, but instead individuals exercise power and as a result of their relationship within their institutional structures that provide meaning to their actions and also constrain them. There is a dynamic relationship between structure and power which is fundamental to both individual action and social organization. Foucalt contends that power does not emanate from some central or hierarchical structure but rather that it flows through society in a sort of capillary action. However, Rodney, quoted by London, contends that people who are the victim of it devise their own ways of controlling their daily lives and improve their stock of power from time to time depending on the organizational circumstances. In a way it suggests that individuals are like vehicles of power; not its point of application. Kinds of Planning Cooper has identified three major types of language planning: Status planning, corpus planning and acquisition planning. Although all three are interlinked yet they address a different social issue. Status planning is linked to the official recognition which national governments attach to various languages especially in case of minority languages and to authoritative attempts to extend or restrict language use in various contexts----. It includes issues like designation. If the language(s) of instruction in schools and decisions regarding whether and in which languages ballots may be used. Corpus, planning involves activities such as coining news terms, reforming spellings, and modification of old ones, or the selection from alternative forms in a spoken or written code Cooper proposes a third major type of language planning, language acquisition planning, which follows from this definition: Language policy-making involves decisions concerning the teaching and use of language, and their careful formulation by those empowered to do so, for the guidance of others. 16 The impacts of language planning are multidimensional. In countries where hundreds of languages are spoken, they face a very complex situation for the selection of the official or national language, because the decision to impose a certain language would lead to gain or loss of the status of language. For example as I see, that in India which is a linguistically and culturally pluralistic society, about 1064 languages are spoken. Therefore, the selection of a language was impossible. However the Three Language Formula was developed to save the country from conflicting situation. Though it is a compromise between the demands of the various pressure groups by designating Hindi and English as an official language, the government has saved the country from a 212 language controversy.The current linguistic situation and use in MalaysiaEnglish is an indispensable language in these countries. It is not only used for communication but also for other purposes. According to Baskaran, English is referred to as a link language in Kenya and Nigeria, an associate official language in India, an additional language in Ghana, a bridge language in Singapore, a coordinate language in the Philippines and a strong second language in Malaysia (1985, p. 69). Asmah (1977) claims that the function of English was first as an official language and then as a second language. She also claims that the languages in Malaysia for instance, the Chinese dialects and Indian languages are not foreign languages but are considered as the languages of Malaysia. Nevertheless, English had never been referred to as one of the Malaysian languages. English is only accepted as a second language, secondary importance in the ranking of languages of Malaysia. Malaysia was under the British rule from the late eighteenth until the mid-twentieth centuries. The colonisation included both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). The British administration policies (economic and politics) created a network of multi-ethnic, multilingual speech communities via immigration of Chinese and Indian (Platt & Weber, 1980, pp. 1-2). The Malay population which was pre-existent here was governed by state governments headed by Sultans.When, then, the Federation of Malaya got its independence in 1957, Malay was adopted as the national language. Though Malay was taken as politically and constitutionally the national language, English was not discarded. The importance of English in Malaya as a legacy of the colonial era was due to: 1) Its position as the only language in post-World War II Malaya that had appropriate registers for the myriad language domains of a modern nation. 2) The availability in Malaya of the English educated inter-ethnic elites as the only non-Europeans who had the training and experience to administer the new nation (Platt & Weber, 1980). It was agreed then, that Malay and English would be used for a ten year transition period. During these ten years Malay was to enhance and assume prominence in the major domains of language use (Platt & Weber, 1980). After 1967 no official status was given to English (Asmah, 1981). There were more serious steps taken to strengthen the Malay language (Bahasa Melayu/Bahasa Malaysia) as the national language. In 1969, the Ministry of Education initiated a policy whereby all English-medium schools were to become Malay-medium, a process which was virtually completed nationwide by 1983 at the primary and secondary levels. Malay-medium instruction at the tertiary level has increased in recent years (nearly 100% usage in most faculties).In recent years the English language has been viewed as an asset to achieve development and to acquire knowledge. There is more emphasis on how to create awareness to take English seriously. More English teachers are trained locally as well as abroad. The standard of the SPM English paper has been upgraded to coordinate with 1119 GCE English paper. Lowenberg (1991, p. 367) states that the current status of English in Malaysia is constantly developing and changing in terms of adapting the norms of English to the political, economic and socio-cultural contexts of contemporary Malaysia. The importance to acquire this language is again and again stressed by leaders and policy makers. Even then this is backed with the assurance that this language policy will not threaten the national language (Anthonysamy, 1997). According to Gill (2002), the development of English can be classified under two phases; the liberation and expansion phase and the linguistic pragmatism phase. In Malaysia, the liberation and expansion phase is where the English language has gone through the nativisation processes and the utilisation of the language for specific purposes namely international communications. The linguistic pragmatism phase is related to 1990 and current events. This period is marked due to a distinctive change in policy, rhetoric and tenor from one who relegated English to less importance to another who marked it as indispensable. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia claimed that in order to compete with the advanced countries, Malaysians and the other Asian nationalities still have a long way to go.

The Status of English in Malaysia Recently (NST 7, April 2011; cited in Thirusanku & Melor, 2012, p. 11), among the Asian countries where English is not the mother tongue, Malaysia was ranked with the highest English proficiency level. According to the EF EPI (Education First, English Proficiency Index), which is a global education centre that specialises in academic degrees, educational travel, cultural exchange and language training, Malaysia came out first followed by Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. The Asian countries were rated at five different proficiency levels; very high, high, moderate, low and very low. The report which was released on March 30 revealed that Malaysia was the only Asian country rated with a high English proficiency level.Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Education Minister said the Fulbright programme for fun learning is an agreement between the United States and the Malaysian Government. With the implementation of this programme, the English proficiency level among students could be improved. The implementation of a similar programme in the state of Terengganu showed successful results. By 2012, 50 scholars would start under the first phase. Based on this programme, the American scholars would volunteer to assist in teaching the language. Since there are already teachers assigned to teach the English subject, the scholars will instead teach fun related English activities to encourage students to speak in English during school hours. This Fulbright programme differs from the Master Teachers programme between Malaysia and UK where the Master Teachers guide the Malaysian teachers who teach subjects related to English. These Master Teachers will go to schools to assist teachers for a week or more on areas to improve the method of teaching in order to improve the language. The Education Ministry is to introduce the To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to Strengthen the English language (MBMMBI) policy in 2012.Brightons teaching English Language & Literacy (TELL) programme deploys 120 English language experts from around the world to mentor and coach approximately 2200 primary school English language teachers. They are based in 600 rural schools in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor. The company has also established its English Language Centres, which are rooms within schools dedicated to the teaching and learning of the English language (The Sun 3, July 2012). The British Council reports that the increasing recognition of English as necessary for good career prospects in Malaysia has led to a 10% increase in registration on part-time evening English language courses in the centre (The Sun 22, March 2012).Government was committed to promoting the use of English in schools to ensure the people had a better command of the language. He also mentioned that since English is widely used internationally, there is little choice but to encourage every child to be bilingually proficient in Bahasa Malaysia and English (NST 9, March 2013). The transformation of the education curriculum in the Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025 focuses on the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) concept which aims to produce knowledgeable students who are critical and creative in their thinking and can compete at the international level. HOTS are skills which would equip students with the ability to apply, analyse, evaluate and think creatively in and outside the classroom. It is aimed at producing a generation of Malaysians who are knowledgeable, have good leadership qualities, are multi-lingual and have strong moral and religious values, qualities which would enable them to compete at the global level (NST 30, January 2014, p. 7). These are some of the many steps taken to improve the standard of English in Malaysia and the education system in general. This clearly shows that the English language is given importance lately.Steps taken by The Malaysian Government.The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 has set clear targets that need to be achieved in terms of quality, equity and access within 13 years. The Blueprint is the result of a multitude of analyses, interviews, surveys, and research conducted with the support of national and international education experts, officials, teachers, principals, and parents all across Malaysia. In addition, through the National Dialogue conducted earlier this year, almost 12,000 members of the public and various stakeholder groups were consulted for their ideas and feedback.System aspirations there are five outcomes that this Blueprint aspires to for the Malaysian education system as a whole: access, quality, equity, unity, and efficiency.1.Access: Every Malaysian child deserves equal access to an education that will enable that child to achieve his or her potential.2. Quality: All children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education that is uniquely Malaysian and comparable to the best international systems.3. Equity: Top-performing school systems deliver the best possible education for every child, regardless of geography, gender, or socioeconomic background.4. Unity: As students spend over a quarter of their time in school from the ages of 7 t0 17, schools are in a key position to foster unity.5.Efficiency: The Malaysian education system has always been well-funded, yet improvements in student outcomes have not always matched the resources channelled into the system.The Ministry of Education aims to develop students who are proficient in Bahasa Malaysia and the English language, and who are encouraged to learn an additional language. Measures taken will include: 1. Implementing a new KSSR Bahasa Malaysia curriculum for students whose mother tongue is not Bahasa Malaysia in national-type schools or Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK); 2.Introducing LINUS 2.0 with an expanded scope to address English language literacy; 3. Strengthening the delivery of English language lessons, for example, via the Oral Proficiency in English language for Secondary School (OPS English) Programme or through a set system of teaching and learning where students are grouped based on their proficiency levels; 4.Intensifying testing and upskilling of all English language subject teachers based on the Cambridge Placement Test and the Aptis Test 5.Testing and upskilling of Bahasa Malaysia subject teachers focusing on National-type schools; 6.Introducing Bahasa Malaysia and English language remedial interventions and support programmes for students who do not meet the required proficiency level; 7.Making it compulsory for students to pass the English language subject paper at SPM from 2016; and providing access to learning an additional language at primary and secondary level.The provision for the teaching of other languages besides Bahasa Malaysia and English language is relatively good. Approximately 20% of primary school students attend National-type schools with instruction in either Chinese language or Tamil and an additional 2% attend religious schools with some instruction in Arabic. As per the Pupils Own Language Policy, all government schools are required to offer mother tongue language as a taught subject when at least 15 students request it. Under the KSSR, every child may also choose to learn an additional language depending on availability of teachers. Currently, 15% of students pass the optional Chinese language, Tamil or Arabic papers at SPM.Steps or Policy to overcome problems in Malaysian Education .What is an education? According to Oxford dictionary, an education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction. Based on this statement, it sounds like the engagement is either by learning and teaching an instruction given by teachers. Would it be good enough for the students? How can this approach help the students to handle difficult situation in the future?The learning process in the classroom is never enough for the students anymore. It takes more than academia tosurvive in such a stressful working environment. In Malaysia, the education system is indeedfacing problems in producing competent graduatesto face thisgruesome and depressingchallenging working world. What are the possible problems that caused such a bad system? What can be done to create a better education system?

Students Are Too Exam-oriented

The problem of education system in Malaysia is that thestudents are too exam-oriented. Due to societal pressure, the result is the sole indicator of determining your performance in the school. For manyinnocent students in Malaysia, education means scoring the test papers, acquiring more knowledge for the exam, and of course, aiming for higher number of As! There is amisconception that higher number of As indicates the person is smarter. For example, parents and relatives like to compare their own children with the number of As in result slip or how much salary they can make per month.Instead, the education policy should emphasis to create Jack-of-all-trades students in which utilize their talents by being productive in their fields.Students Lack Leadership Skills

Another problem I see within most students in Malaysia is they lack of leadership element. It may sound clich, but it is crucial to possess this a must element in every student. This element cannot be acquired through class unless theleadership role is taken by the student.This is why the roles of class monitor, secretary and treasurer exist even in primary school. However, how many students are able to take these roles? Not so many. Based on my experience, there should be more activities small groups to enable students to take turn in becoming leaders to present on coordinate their activities.Students Not Good in English

Have you ever heard of teacher-centered learning? It is where the teachers would talk and the students would listen. This kind of approach has made students who can read and write well, but could not communicate with people around them. This problem usually happens to the people learning second language (eg. English). The education system usually taught students to read and write first before they start to talk. This approach is actually very bad. Have you ever wondered why you can speak your native language (Malay, Tamil, or Mandarin) so well? This is because you use the language in most conversation.I hope the new education blue print would focus more on student centered learning. Relax education for first 3 years. From Primary 1 to Primary 3 school should be about fun and learning through fun. Books and exams should be outlawed at these classes. Psychological studies have shown that ages 5-9 is the formative age of a person's character so this is the time where teachers should emphasise character building education techniques.Make IT based education a core pillar of the educational system.

Conclusion Based on these realities, an appropriate approach and teaching materials have to be selected. It is important to select what is appropriate and suitable for our learners. Therefore, a pragmatic approach would be the best choice to produce students who are proficient in the language. Gill (1994) suggests that we adopt the exonormative norms and adapt according to our situation. Thus, the government should guide our teachers to perform better based on an endonormative model instead of spending money on foreign teachers and an appropriate learning theory relevant to our students, preferably the constructivist approach.According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Thus, with the Standard Malaysian English, our students will be able to mediate well with their social environments as the Standard Malaysian English itself has cultural related elements which will enable the learners to communicate their needs conveniently and appropriately. Unity, a vital component in Malaysias truly unique social context, is a key factor in realising a society of balanced and harmonious individuals as envisioned in the National Education Philosophy.There is a strong influence of the national language or Bahasa Malaysia over the learning of English among Malaysian learners. The teaching of English in our classrooms that emphasizes rote-learning and the mastery of specific language skills that are then tested via examinations should be revised. A language curriculum that advances on inclusive, learning-by-doing experiences would encourage a more meaningful learning. An improved English language curriculum that operates on reflective learning pedagogy would encourage learners to become independent and critical language learners, in line with the current trends in language learning. Exposure to the language and opportunities to use the language should be increased. Conducive English language environment should be created. The use of the language should be increased as language is a tool, a skill to be acquired for communication, not a subject to be mastered or a set of rules to be memorized.

Referenceshttp://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/415S-6.pdfhttp://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED104170.pdfhttps://sites.google.com/a/sheffield.ac.uk/all-about-linguistics/branches/sociolinguistics/example-research---jenny-cheshire https://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellooiby/upholdingstandards-vincentooi.pdfhttps://www.academia.edu/2433514/Malaysian_English_From_the_old_to_the_new http://www.recom.org/forum/showthread.php?7544-How-to-improve-Malaysia-s-primary-and-secondary-education-system

JournalsStatus of English in Malaysia Jantmary Thirusanku1 & Melor Md Yunus1 1 Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, UKM, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaAbd Ghani, Alias. 1995.Variability in interlanguage phonology of Malaysian learners ofEnglish University of Leeds: PhD thesis.

Musa, N. C., Lie, K. Y., & Azman, H. (2012). Exploring English Language Learning And Teaching In Malaysia GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 12(1). Nunan, D. (2003). The Impact of English as a Global Language on Educational Policies and Practices in the Asia-Pacific Region. TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 589-613. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3588214 Pillay, D. (1995) Fragments of a Vision: A Case Study of the Implementation of an English Language Curriculum Programmes in Five Malaysian Schools. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of East Anglia.

Anon. (1999). Mahathir Mohamad. The Sun. Anon. (2011). Najib proud of Malaysias English proficiency. New Straits Times, 8. Anon. (2012).English test not meant to belittle them. New Straits Times, 6.Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia. (2011). Benefits of MBMMBI: Capable of producing generation fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and English. New Straits Times, 23.