ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the worldliness of English in Singapore and Malaysia, at how English in both countries is intertwined with relations of class, ethnicity, religion, development, nationalism, popular culture, the media, academic work and education. These countries are interesting for a number of reasons: They share a similar colonial history; they have diverged dramatically since that time so that the education system of one uses English as the first medium of instruction, while the other has established Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction; and in both countries, the topics of language, culture and education remain central points of debate, with constant letters and articles in newspapers raising and reraising these contentious issues. While Singapore and Malaysia therefore present ideal contexts to pursue an understanding of the worldliness of English, many of the issues that raise here are clearly of equal relevance to other contexts. The legacy of colonial language and education policies had deep implications for Malaysia.
