Judges’ perspectives on Malaysia’s bilingual legal system

IF 1.6 Q1 LINGUISTICS Asian Englishes Pub Date : 2021-02-26 DOI:10.1080/13488678.2021.1879536

R. Powell, T. Saw

引用次数: 2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Use-based Englishes may act as professional gatekeepers and working languages in Asian societies even where other languages of wider communication are prioritised. Legalese is widely regarded as particularly resistant to societal changes, and in Malaysian law English remains indispensable half a century after Malay became the official medium for West Malaysia, with exonormative acrolects retaining professional prestige. However, legal practitioners also need Malay as it is a requirement for admission to the bar and used extensively in government dealings, as well as in the lower courts of West Malaysia. Courtroom discourse is under the control of judges empowered to interpret language policy in the interests of justice. While there have been a few studies exploring how Malaysian advocates orientate themselves toward bilingualism, this is believed to be the first to address the perspective of judges.

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法官对马来西亚双语法律制度的看法

摘要在亚洲社会，即使其他更广泛交流的语言被优先考虑，基于使用的英语也可能成为专业的看门人和工作语言。法律术语被广泛认为特别抗拒社会变革，在马来语成为西马来西亚的官方语言半个世纪后，马来西亚法律中英语仍然不可或缺，无格式的演讲人保留了职业声望。然而，法律从业者也需要马来语，因为这是进入律师事务所的必要条件，在政府交易以及西马来西亚的下级法院中被广泛使用。法庭话语由法官控制，法官有权为了正义的利益解释语言政策。虽然有一些研究探讨了马来西亚倡导者如何将自己定位于双语，但这被认为是第一个涉及法官观点的研究。

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来源期刊

Asian Englishes LINGUISTICS-

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

18.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： Asian Englishes seeks to publish the best papers dealing with various issues involved in the diffusion of English and its diversification in Asia and the Pacific. It aims to promote better understanding of the nature of English and the role which it plays in the linguistic repertoire of those who live and work in Asia, both intra- and internationally, and in spoken and written form. The journal particularly highlights such themes as: 1.Varieties of English in Asia – Including their divergence & convergence (phonetics, phonology, prosody, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, discourse, rhetoric) 2.ELT and English proficiency testing vis-a-vis English variation and international use of English 3.English as a language of international and intercultural communication in Asia 4.English-language journalism, literature, and other media 5.Social roles and functions of English in Asian countries 6.Multicultural English and mutual intelligibility 7.Language policy and language planning 8.Impact of English on other Asian languages 9.English-knowing bi- and multilingualism 10.English-medium education 11.Relevance of new paradigms, such as English as a Lingua Franca, to Asian contexts. 12.The depth of penetration, use in various domains, and future direction of English in (the development of) Asian Societies.