Language Choice Of The Eurasian Community In Penang: A Sociolinguistic Study

Abstract

Although there are many studies conducted on language choice among minority groups in Malaysia, not many documented the Eurasian communities in Malaysia, particularly the ones in Penang. Due to this reason, the study outlines three main objectives: (1) to identify the most preferred language of the Penang Eurasian community based on the domains of language use, (2) to investigate the factors that determine language choice among the Penang Eurasians and (3) to examine to what extent language shift takes place among the Penang Eurasian community based on their language choice. Using Fishman’s (1972) Domains of Language Use, the chosen domains include family, friendship, education, employment, religion and entertainment. In order to investigate whether language shift occurs in the Eurasian communities, the research design employed an explanatory mixed-method design that consisted of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews participated by Penang Eurasian respondents. The results of the study show that a majority of the respondents prefer using English as their dominant language in all of the selected domains, where setting and interlocutors were found to be influential factors that determined their language choice. The study also reveals that there were instances of code switching and language shift taking place in the Penang Eurasian community. Subsequently, the study provides a basis of comparison with previous ones carried out in other Eurasian minorities in Malaysia, particularly the Portuguese Eurasian community in Melaka.