Language Shift Among Tamil Language Teachers in Malaysia

Due to Malaysia's diverse ethnic composition, the Tamil community frequently interacts with various languages, leading them to make language choices during everyday conversations. In light of this, this study examines the language usage and preferences of Tamil language teachers in Malaysia. This study aimed to analyze language patterns by investigating the factors influencing their choice of words and languages. The research sample consists of 42 respondents from 6 schools. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed in this study. Data collection involved observation, questionnaires, and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using Paulston's theory to provide an explanatory framework. The study's findings indicated a significant decrease in the usage of the Tamil language among teachers, with only a tiny number displaying limited enthusiasm for language preservation. Social factors such as attitude, communication, economic value, ethnic nationalism, social identity motivation, and power and prestige were the underlying causes of this linguistic trend. The conclusion suggests that Tamil language teachers are experiencing a language shift, wherein they are adopting code-switching with English and Malay languages.