[9] In terms of pronunciation, Standard Bruneian Malay share more phonetic features with Indonesian than Malaysian such as rhoticity (i.e [r] at the end of words such as besar "big") and a lack of final schwa (i.e. [a] rather than [ə]) at the end of words such as saya ('I') and utara ('north').

[11] Standard Bruneian Malay is also unique compared to Malaysian and Indonesian for its tendency of cresting pitch in enunciating penultimate syllables unless a schwa is present.

The bilingual system of education was introduced in 1985, with the first three years taught in Malay while English was the medium of instruction for most subjects from the fourth year of primary school onward,[23] so all school children have had substantial exposure to English since then.

[26] One result of the promotion of both English and Malay in Brunei is that minority languages, such as Tutong and Dusun, tend to get squeezed out.

Noor Azam has described the situation using the Malay proverb: Gajah berperang, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah.

[9] Each of these five minority languages is threatened with extinction,[14] though it has been reported that Murut (which is spoken mostly in the enclave of Temburong) is relatively healthy, partly because it receives some support across the Malaysian border in Lawas, where it is known as Lun Bawang.

[11] Iban is also quite widely spoken in Temburong,[35] and there is a small community of Penan speakers living in a longhouse along the Belait River.

The official religion of Brunei is Islam[39] and as such, all adherents of the faith possess some proficiency in reading and speaking Arabic.

[citation needed] They are joined by a relatively large expatriate community, estimated at 7,500, from India.

Betawi, Javanese, Sundanese, Ambonese and Batak languages are also spoken by immigrants from Indonesia.