Is English or Mandarin the language of the future?
English has been the dominant global language for a century, but is it the language of the future? If Mandarin Chine is to challenge English globally, then it first has to conquer its own backyard, South East Asia.
dfoIn Malaysia's southernmost city of Johor Bahru, the desire to speak good English has driven some children to make a remarkable two-hour journey to school every day.
Nine-year-old Aw Yee Han hops on a yellow mini van at 04:30. His passport is tucked inside a small pouch hung around his neck.
This makes it easier for him to show it to immigration officials when he reaches the Malaysian border.
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His school is located on the other side, in Singapore, where unlike in Malaysia, English is the main language.
It's not your typical school run, but his mother, Shirley Chua thinks it's worth it.
"Science and maths are all written in English so it's esntial for my son to be fluent in the language," she says.
ethnicAn estimated 15,000 students from southern Johor state make the same bus journey across the border every day. It may em like a drastic measure, but some parents don't trust the education system in Malaysia - they worry that the value of English is declining in the country.
Since independence from the British in 1957, the country has phad out schools that teach in English. By the early 1980s, most students were learning in the national language of Malay.
产品说明书范文As a result, analysts say Malaysian graduates became less employable in the IT ctor.
"We've en a drastic reduction in the standard of English in our country, not just among the students but I think among the teachers as well," says political commentator Ong Kian Ming.
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Tho who believe that English is important for their children's future either nd their kids to expensive private schools or to Singapore, where the government has been credited as being far-sighted for adopting the language of its former colonial master.
Nearly three-quarters of the population in Singapore are ethnic Chine but English is one of the national languages and very widely-spoken.
Many believe that this has helped the city state earn the title of being the easiest place to do business, by the World Bank
However, the dominance of English is now being challenged by the ri of China in Singapore.
The Singapore Chine Chamber Institute of Business has added Chine class for business u in recent years. rct
Students are being taught in Mandarin rather than the Hokkien dialect spoken by the older Chine immigrants.
The cours have proved popular, ever since the government began providing subsidies for Singaporeans to learn Chine in 2009 during the global financial crisis.
"The government pushed to provide them with an opportunity to upgrade themlves so as to prepare themlves for the economic upturn," says chamber spokesperson Alwyn Chia.
Some business are already desperate for Chine speakers.
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Lee Han Shih, who runs a multimedia company, says English is becoming less important to him financially becau he is taking western clients to do business in China.disappear
"So obviously you need to learn English but you also need to know Chine," says Mr Lee.
As China's economic power grows, Mr Lee believes that Mandarin will overtake English. In fact, he has already been eing hints of this.
"The decline of the English language probably follows the decline of the US dollar.
hama"If the renminbi is becoming the next rerve currency then you have to learn Chine."
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More and more, he says, places like Brazil and China are doing business in the renminbi, not the US dollar, so there is less of a need to u English.
Bilingualism
Indeed, China's clout is growing in South East Asia, becoming the region's top trading partner.
But to say that Mandarin will rival English is a "bit of a stretch", says Manoj Vohra, Asia director at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
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Find out more
∙ Listen to Jennifer Pak's two part documentary English in the East on the BBC World Service
∙ Listen to Part One
∙ Listen to Part Two
Even companies in China, who prefer to operate in Chine, are looking for managers who speak both Mandarin and English if they want to expand abroad, he says.
