Bahasa Rojak

The presence of local Malays, Orang Asli, Peranakans, Portuguese settlers, Siamese Thais, newly arrived Chinese and Indians, Sarawakians and Sabahans, as well as the others resulted in the wide use of mixed language.

The several involved terms in comparison to Standard Malay that is popularly used, such as: "Jangan lupa diri" ("Do not forget your roots") is a rallying cry commonly heard among Malaysians interested in protecting their linguistic heritage.

In 2002, Tun Dr. Mahathir proposed that English be 'a tool' to obtain knowledge in the sciences and mathematics, as part of education in Malaysia.

Consequently, this phenomenon has raised the displeasure of linguistic purists in Malaysia, in their effort to uphold use of the prescribed standard language.

By the end of 2003, Gempak magazine began using a more formal language style and minimizing use of Bahasa Rojak, including the usage of bold lettering for words deemed colloquial.

Warning signs at Malaysian electrical substations still use five of the country's most common languages (top to bottom under the high voltage symbol: Malay , English , Chinese ( traditional ), Tamil , Punjabi ).
An example of a multilingual signboard in Malaysia