In a famous Toastmaster’s Speech Contest that garnered One Million views (2009), Corporate English Communication trainer, (Canadian-born) Marianna Pascal, asks whether Malaysia’s “local English” or “Standard English” should prevail?
Should Malaysians “embrace” local language or dialect as a vivid and colourful part of their culture (“local English”)? Or should they “replace” (and efface) their hybrid, combination dialects with “Standard English” (The King’s English)?
Pascal observes that “linguistic habits are very difficult to break,” such as in the expression “get down [not “out”] from the car.” So efforts to impose “Standard English” above “local” adaptations of English would be doomed to fail.
And the change of a single word can entirely alter the meaning of a “local” statement: “You put in fruit [in a blender] after you switch on!” (Which clause does “after” modify?)
Pascal advocates for hybrid, combinations of the local language with English– a both/and . . . not an either/or approach to using English. She observes (as she further details in a TEDTalk from the same year), “how well somebody communicates in English actually has very little to their literacy level.”
Communication is about confidence, not feeling judged; assertiveness and being willing to experiment; and freedom from being shy.
This approach is consistent with community-based teaching and learning.
If you’re an adult seeking “local English” more than “standard English,” please reach out to me. I work with both forms of language and can support your learning journey!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=local+english+or+standard+english