Abstract
Abstract Based on the correlation between the multilingual ability of new generation Malaysian Chinese and language awareness within ethnic Chinese families, this study selects two typical fifth grade students of a Malaysian Chinese primary school as research objects and analyzes the impact of language awareness in two different ethnic Chinese families on children’s language ability. Research by means of two-way questionnaires, in-depth interviews, text analyses of Chinese and English compositions and comparison of Chinese, Malay and English language results reveals outstanding Chinese language ability in Case A while Case B shows remarkable English language ability. The findings indicate that Malaysian Chinese generally possess trilingual advantages while the ability of each particular language varies from person to person, which in turn is profoundly influenced by family language planning and attitude. The paper evinces that cultural consciousness among ethnic Chinese and awareness of ethnic language continuity, as reflected in family language practices, are main factors enabling Malaysian Chinese to retain a high level of Chinese language ability in a society substantially dominated by Malay culture.
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