English Language Teaching

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English Language Teaching

Vol. 3, No. 3; September 2010

Sociolinguistic Competence and Malaysian Students’ English
Language Proficiency
Mohan K. Muniandy
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Academy of Language Studies, Kuala Pilah Campus, 72000 Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Tel: [phone]

E-mail: mohan691@.ns.uitm.edu.my

Gopala Krishnan Sekharan Nair
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Academy of Language Studies, Dungun Campus, 23000 Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia
Tel: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail] edu.my

Shashi Kumar Krishnan @ Shanmugam
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Academy of Language Studies, Kuala Pilah Campus, 72000 Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Tel: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Irma Ahmad
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Academy of Language Studies, Kuala Pilah Campus, 72000 Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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E-mail: [e-mail]

Norashikin Binte Mohamed Noor
MA (Applied Linguistics) Nanyang Technological University
Ministry of Education Singapore
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Email: [e-mail]

Abstract
This paper aims to highlight the importance of teaching sociolinguistic competence to ESL learners in Malaysian schools. Sociolinguistic competence is the knowledge of socio cultural rules of language and of discourse. This type of competence requires an understanding of the socio context in which language is used. It is proposed that carefully designed language activities be carried out by instructors in order to impart sociolinguistic skills to learners. The importance of universal intelligibility should be stressed, as opposed to native accent. Furthermore students should also be taught proper contextual use of English, in accordance to cultural reference and cultural appropriacy should be part of the learners ' core

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