Manglish: A Malaysian English Dialect

This assignment delves into the phenomenon of Manglish, a Malaysian English dialect influenced by Malay language sounds and structures. It examines how Manglish speakers deviate from standard phonetics and the implications this has on their ability to communicate effectively in diverse contexts. The document also highlights the importance of mastering standard phonetics for global communication.

ENGLISH
PHONETICS AND
PHONOLOGY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
a) Rowan Atkinson speaks in a “standard English accent”....................................................3
b) The Phonetics features of speech which makes difficulty for average Malaysian English
language speaker to understand this speech...........................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The word phonetics is driven from Greek word “phone” which means sound or voice.
Phonetics means to produce the correct sound while speaking a word and to make correct
pronunciation (English Phonetics and Phonology, 2018). While speaking a standardized word in
certain areas people can understand words properly and no misunderstanding situation is created
due to pronouncing the word. As sound are created to considered the human speech while
speaking certain words. The person who is expert in phonetic and is able to make sound as well
as pronunciation clearly are known as phoneticians. The phonology is basically classified into
sounds within the human system. If people understand phonetics then it become very easy for
them to understand speech as well as words. This report includes the standardised English accent
and phonetics features. Malaysian English is quite different as they can't understand the
phonetics English.
MAIN BODY
a) Does Rowan Atkinson speaks in a “standard English accent”.
Accent means speaking a word in an identifiable style of pronunciation which are often
varying regionally or even socio-economically (Baxter and Lowrey, 2014). The standard English
accent is not related with pronunciations but through this it is actually identified that where the
person actually came from. The accent needs be perfect while speaking standard English. It's
mandatory for people to speak a word with correct pronunciation or else it won't be
understandable to others and misunderstanding situation will be created. This standard English
portray that which country that person belongs, in phonetics people are focused more about
sounds rather than grammes. Rowan Atkinson belongs to United kingdom so he speaks in
British accent (Chen and et. al., 2014). In court, newspapers, church, media and official purpose
certain rules speaking as well as in writing English certain rules are set for English. The person
in video is belongs to defence that's why he speaks in standard English as well as he use the
British accent as well. The photonics are used in some area by people to make them different

from others and Britishers always used appropriate sounds and pronunciation to make people
understand. The people used phonetics to understand the language and way of speaking.
b) The Phonetics features of speech which makes difficulty for average Malaysian English
language speaker to understand this speech.
Phonetics is a sound in which way a person speaks word or its a pronunciation. The
Linguistic is a branch of phonology in which people are totally concerned with systematic sound
in a different ways. Phonetics can also be defined as a way of speaking in standardised manner
so as to make people understand word as well as pronunciation (Dresher, 2018). As in new era,
advance technologies are through which achievement can be examine and to analyse better
opportunity to track sounds in a particular changes in spoken language. It's essential for person
who teaches as well as learns foreign language to learn about phonetics. This phonetics is
common which people use while speaking (Fuchs, 2016). This makes people understand
difference source of sound or language and also make them understand to better and speak
language or word. The language and words which people are produced can't be stored to kept.
As this phonetics carries additional weight in languages and to makes different people in society
no standards English is used. The phonetics is not related with grammar its all concern about
way of producing sounds which person made while speaking a word. Malaysians can't speak
appropriate English as per the phonetics, they are liable to understand phonetics if they move
towards to another place. The vocabulary as well as grammar will be improved by person but its
very difficult for people to improve tone of speaking, it's essential for people to make appropriate
sound and use proper tone. For this, it's important to understanding phonetics by which they are
able to move another place had been able to produced exact sounds. Malaysian English is
different as comparison to English which speak in other countries. Malaysians can't speak
proper English as they speaks Manglish and thus they face difficulty in communicating with
other country people. To make their language understand to tourist, it's necessary for them to
learn phonetics so that they are able to make exact pronunciation. (Gut and Pillai, 2014).
Malaysian English is not a standardised English which other country people need to understand.
The types of phonetics are Acoustic, Articulatory and Auditory. An acoustic type of
phonetic in which property of sound of human being is categorised. In this sounds are perceived
by listeners as well as by speakers. The sound need to be acoustically as it consolidated into
properties (Li and Post, 2014). An articulatory phonetics in which sound produce will be

examine in this phonetics. The sounds should be speak in a way that would be understandable to
listeners. Phonetics are required to be analysed on timely basis. The auditory phonetics is to
examine way by which sounds are seems to be perceived by listener. If these categories
Malaysians understand then it become easy for them to make phonetic sound and comfortably
understand other area English.
The features of phonetics due to which average Malaysians face difficulty in
understanding phonetics language such as sound produce, tone, pronunciations etc. In phonetics,
people are used to speak words as per standards. Malaysians can't even speaks English
appropriately that's why its difficult for them understand phonetics (Low, 2014). The main focus
of people in new era is upon way of speaking a word rather than upon grammar. The tone which
people used should be correct otherwise it's very difficult them to make other understand their
language. The segments should chose wisely as to make sounds and tone should be specified.
The one segments can be influence by other segment if they can come after and before as
coarticulation or other articulatory process in language. Each segments in language are classified
into smallest unit in speech by which that smallest component can be known as features. Each
element of sound is controlled independently by people who speaks certain words. The features
phonetics are:
 Syllabic:- The syllabic is feature through which people is able to understand phonetic
clearly as well as properly. The syllabic is a unit of a speech of sound through which
people are being able produce appropriate sound. While speaking words blocks are build
so that people can understand appropriate pronunciation. Syllabic is a disambiguation in
phonetic feature (Luelsdorff, 2017). The person can sue this features as to understand
more clearly whether they able to understand phonetics or not. In new era phonetics are
become more popular so that to understand English properly and make other people
understand exact English. The way of speaking a word is different as to pertain
situations.
 Consonant:- The consonants is sound in a speech which is produced by people. It is not
a vowel but people is require to produce consonant. In this feature, an articulatory process
is considered while producing speech of sound. The sound need to produced through lips,
front tongue, back tongue, throat, narrow channels and air flow through nose of a person.
The people required to understand consonant rather than understanding and learning

vowels. These don't help people to pronounce appropriately, this is the reason why
Malaysians faced problems in pronouncing words and speaking different language to
other countries people. The person have to learn common why of pronouncing words so
that it can help people to understand certain practices.
 Labial:- The another feature of phonetic is Labial and in this sound is produced through
lip structure in alphabets like A, P, E etc. Some people make it difficult while producing
sound and constant is closure to lip to produced sound.
 Sonorant:- In sonorant, speech sound is produced through continuous, non-turbulent
airflow in vocal tract of people. It is essential for people to understand sound producing
way while pronouncing any speech or speaking a word. It's a way through which most of
articulation can be happen while producing any language (Morrow and et. al., 2014).
These are like vowels and some are consonants in this like m, n. Sonorant are narrower
terms, as its refers to all resonant except vowels and semivowel. The continuant is a way of
producing sound which is produced without a complete closure in oral cavity. Sometimes, Vowel
are known as frictionless continuants. The Consonant and Syllabic are basic features of phonetics
which people are required to learn as to understand more about pronouncing words. If Malaysian
lives in other country then they speak standard English and their accent are very much clear to
other people. As Malaysians always speak Manglish which means the words includes their native
language as well. The people faced a lot of difficulties in organisation as well. The understanding
of phonetics helps them in organisation while speaking.
Distinctive features of a phonetics are grouped into classified terms due to which
phonetics become understandable. It is essential for people to get properly aware about terms
which they are require to understand properly while speaking and producing sounds. This
includes class features, laryngeal features, place features and manner features. Tense are more
fully articulated as well as distinct from sound to be produced. The aspirated is produced without
constriction in vocal tract and also without voicing which is required to be produced. Diphthong
is a way in which two or more other phonemes are sequenced by which sound become easy to be
produced. The glottalized means to produced constriction with extremely low frequency as well
as vibration in vocal cords to produce sound. It's an actually another way of describing sounds
of English with an distinctive feature of a phonetic when they are composed to concluding
phonetics. The sounds which are classified in phonetic that need to taken from English

segments. When sounds are possibly classified then it term as a binary feature. Sometimes
phonetics are classified on basis of positive as well as negative (Plag and et. al., 2015).
The average Malaysian people don't understand the phonetics properly. If they are shifted
to some other place and been able to learn phonetics then it become easy for them to understand
other people accents. Malaysians accent is very different as compare to other countries like
London, India etc. It's essential for them to understand phonetics by which they are been able to
pronounce the exact words. The phonology is a sign language which is equivalents to system of
producing sounds in a spoken language. In this, block is build with a specific hand-shape
movement and locations. This term is came from phonological system in language which
produced specified sounds. The sound is required to produced in a way which is understandable
to other people. Phonetics is a way in which appropriate pronunciation through which words
clearly pronounced. Malaysians are not being able to speak words in a appropriate manner which
makes them different from other country and not treated in a proper manner. People need to learn
in a way through which they make correct sound as well as pronunciation. As phonetics deals
with combinations of sound produced as well as sound which are required to occur in a syllabic
way. The phonetics are also divided into rhyme as well, so people should considers those aspects
as well along with features of phonetics. The phonetics are important but people should
considered other aspects as well will pronouncing the words. The major structure of sound is
divided into sound of syllabic and concrete. As this is divide into onset or in rhyme and sub
divided into nucleus or right edge of word (Selkirk, 2015). If word is pronounced inappropriately
by person then it become very difficult for it to make other people understand who is not belongs
to Malaysia. Phonetics consists feature of sounds as well as sentences are produced along the
appropriate sound like in pitch, stress, and intonation. English which need used as per standards
by which phonetics will be followed but as they used Manglish due to which they faced
difficulty while communicating with other country people. As they are not being able to
understand sound is produced and word is being pronounced. Phonetics are essential item which
a person can use to make unbeatable impression on other person. If Malaysians will learn basic
features of phonetics then its become easy for them speak words in a correct manner as well as
pronunciation will also be correct. Phonetic basic fetuses like syllabic and Sonorant through
which are been able to speak words clearly. Malaysians can't speak Standard English which
creates difficulty for them to work in other country. (Zellou and Tamminga, 2014). Phonetics is

a way which makes Malaysian people stand different in even in Malaysia. If phonetics
Distinctive features are also understand by Malaysians then people are able to speak appropriate
standard English. Standard English is something when people are using exact grammar,
pronunciation as well as accent. Malaysians are not good at speaking standard English so its
essential for them to speak appropriate English through learning phonetics by which sound
producing is become easy for them and able to pronounce exact words.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded that Rowan Atkinson speaks standard English accent as the way
speaks in United Kingdom. Accents actually shows person where they belongs to as if person is
belongs to UK through the way of speaking its actual city can be recognised. The phonetics
which a person use to produced actual sound by which pronunciation will be correct as well as
this make other person to clearly understand speaking. The phonetics is used to make
pronunciation in a different way. The average Malaysians is require to understand as well as
learn phonetics which makes them understand other country people way of speaking the word.
Malaysians speaks Manglish as its become difficult for them to properly speaks the phonetics.
As phonology is a systematic way of speaking technical words. To speak anywhere in the world
then its compulsory to lean standard phonetics.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Baxter, S. and Lowrey, T., 2014. Examining children's preference for phonetically manipulated
brand names across two English accent groups. International Journal of Research in
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Chen, N. F. and et. al., 2014. Characterizing phonetic transformations and acoustic differences
across english dialects. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Audio, Speech and Language
Processing (TASLP). 22(1). pp.110-124.
Dresher, B. E., 2018. Old English and the theory of phonology(Vol. 4). Routledge.
Fuchs, R., 2016. Speech Rhythm in Varieties of English. In Speech Rhythm in Varieties of
English (pp. 87-102). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Gut, U. and Pillai, S., 2014. Prosodic marking of information structure by Malaysian speakers of
English. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 36(2). pp.283-302.
Li, A. and Post, B., 2014. L2 acquisition of prosodic properties of speech rhythm: Evidence from
L1 Mandarin and German learners of English. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
36(2). pp.223-255.
Low, E. L., 2014. Pronunciation for English as an international language: From research to
practice. Routledge.
Luelsdorff, P. A., 2017. A segmental phonology of Black English (Vol. 191). Walter de Gruyter
GmbH & Co KG.
Morrow, A. and et. al., 2014. Phonological skills in English language learners. Language,
Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 45(1). pp.26-39.
Plag, I. and et. al., 2015. Introduction to English linguistics. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Selkirk, E. O., 2015. The phrase phonology of English and French. Routledge.
Zellou, G. and Tamminga, M., 2014. Nasal coarticulation changes over time in Philadelphia
English. Journal of Phonetics. 47. pp.18-35.
Online
English Phonetics and Phonology. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/phono.htm>