Language interference in Malay among higher education students has become an increasingly prominent linguistic and pedagogical issue, particularly within bilingual societies and digitally mediated environments. This article aims to identify the level of Malay language interference among students at UNITAR International University and to analyse the influence of linguistic factors, social media usage, and students’ attitudes toward the language. The study employed a descriptive mixed-methods approach, involving a questionnaire administered to 30 students and semi-structured interviews with six selected participants. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that the level of language interference was moderate to high (mean = 3.82), with social media factors recording the highest mean score. Qualitative findings further confirmed the dominance of digital language practices and code-mixing in students’ communication. This study contributes to the local higher education sociolinguistic literature and proposes targeted institutional-level interventions to strengthen the use of standard Malay as a language of knowledge.
Adnan, N. (2021). Pengaruh latar sosioekonomi terhadap penguasaan Bahasa Melayu dalam kalangan pelajar. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ali, A., & Mis, R. (2021). Tabiat membaca dan kesannya terhadap penguasaan bahasa. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu, 11(2), 23–34.
Andari, P. (2020). Indonesian interference in students’ Japanese essays of SMK Penerbangan Cakra Nusantara School. e-Journal of Linguistics, 14(2), 232–245.
Bukhari, N., & Kechik, Z. (2022). Struktur linguistik dan pengaruh bahasa ibunda dalam penguasaan Bahasa Melayu. Jurnal Linguistik Malaysia, 9(1), 14–27.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2023). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Derioh, M. M. G., Rahim, R. M. A. A., & Yahya, Y. (2024). A comparison between different ethnic groups in the usage of Bahasa Melayu and English language in ESL classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(9), 690–712.
Dewi, P. P., Suyarmanto, S., & Dapla, M. (2023). Language variation: Code-mixing done by Yahukimo students. English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, 16(1), 90–101.
Gashimov, E. (2023). Interference in language and culture communication. Allure Journal, 3, 56–63.
Ghazali, N. H. B. M., Mahadi, I. N. A. B., & Razak, N. B. M. (2025). Mastery of the Malay language among students of UNITAR International University. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(12), 1058–1071.
Hedzir, M. F., Ahmad, R., & Noraini, I. (2022). Sikap pelajar T20 terhadap pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu. Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia, 47(1), 33–45.
Kamarozzaman, N. A., Ab Rahim, R. M. A., & Apendi, Y. A. (2023). Amalan pengajaran media interaktif dalam kalangan guru Bahasa Melayu di sekolah menengah. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 8(49), 177–196.
Kihob, J., & Mahali, J. (2020). Fenomena kerancuan bahasa dalam kalangan murid luar bandar. Jurnal Bahasa dan Linguistik, 15(2), 12–28.
Majid, S. (2020). English to Malay and back again: An analysis of lecturers’ code-switching in English classrooms. Izvestiya of Altai State University.
Mee, L. Y. (2020). Analisis sintaksis pelajar tahun akhir jurusan Bahasa Melayu. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Kesusasteraan, 6(2), 67–80.
Nangle, B., López Parreño, J., Nangle, C., Valunaite Oleskeviciene, G., & Gulbinskien?, D. (2024). An analysis of the most common L1 interference grammar, vocabulary and syntax errors of Lithuanian learners in written English. Sustainable Multilingualism, 24, 79–105.
Nik Safiah Karim, K., Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin, N., & Zaharani Ahmad. (2023). Sikap pelajar terhadap penggunaan Bahasa Melayu di universiti awam. Jurnal Linguistik Malaysia, 11(1), 40–52.
Nurkhairunnisha Amani, M. F., Ahmad, N., & Zainal, Z. (2022). Penggunaan bahasa rancu dalam kalangan generasi muda di media sosial. Jurnal Komunikasi Digital, 4(1), 12–21.
Sivaraj, K. (2023). Bahasa Melayu dan pembinaan identiti nasional. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Suhaimi, N., & Shamsull, F. (2022). Pengaruh pempengaruh media sosial terhadap gaya bahasa pelajar. Jurnal Bahasa dan Komunikasi, 5(3), 20–31
Rahim, R. M. A. B. A., Shihabuddin, A. S. Bin, Sadon, N. B., Ramachandran, D. A., & Haidar, S. N. A. B. (2026). Malay Language Interference among Higher Education Students: The Influence of Linguistic Factors, Social Media, and Language Attitudes. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(3), 1–8.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
