Malaysian English: phonology 

Conclusion

The degree of phonological variation – be it segmental, suprasegmental or phonotactic – depends on variables like the education and socio-economic background of the MalE speaker – along with register and the style of discourse. Certain features are definite enough to be considered diagnostic of MalE – yet it is difficult to decide to which level of MalE they belong. The MalE speaker, on the whole, has a competence that is near-native, if not, even native. This competence includes an ability to `switch levels’ and perform in a lect well below one’s highest level. For example: the same speaker may use a style which enunciates all three consonants of a consonant cluster in public speaking, but will use a style that reduces the same cluster to just one consonant when speaking to, say, his colleague in the office or a parking attendant at the car park. There are, in addition, the ‘patois’ MalE speakers who can be placed rigidly at a single level, as they are unable to switch lects. However, the actual phonological variations between the educated speaker’s official and unofficial speech have yet to be studied carefully. Patois MalE features, on the other hand, are predictable and identifiable.