I don’t know much about the Philippines, but Tagalog seems quite similar to Malay in Malaysia. Over here, Malaysia’s national culture and language are rooted in Malay traditions. On the Borneo side of things, we do recognize Malay—sometimes called “Bahasa Malaysia” by politicians—as the national language. Still, in Sarawak, English remains widely used, especially when dealing with the government. It’s the preferred language for official communication here, even though Malay dominates at the federal level. This was an informative piece—thanks for sharing.
Oh wow, English being the preferred language of communication checks out since English proficiency in Malaysia is very similar to the Philippines. The Philippines, like Malaysia, is multi-ethnic and multilingual, and thus local languages outside of the Tagalog region are preferred. In Cebu for instance, people prefer to use English first rather than speak Tagalog.
All very interesting traditions.
I don’t know much about the Philippines, but Tagalog seems quite similar to Malay in Malaysia. Over here, Malaysia’s national culture and language are rooted in Malay traditions. On the Borneo side of things, we do recognize Malay—sometimes called “Bahasa Malaysia” by politicians—as the national language. Still, in Sarawak, English remains widely used, especially when dealing with the government. It’s the preferred language for official communication here, even though Malay dominates at the federal level. This was an informative piece—thanks for sharing.
Oh wow, English being the preferred language of communication checks out since English proficiency in Malaysia is very similar to the Philippines. The Philippines, like Malaysia, is multi-ethnic and multilingual, and thus local languages outside of the Tagalog region are preferred. In Cebu for instance, people prefer to use English first rather than speak Tagalog.