This book provides an overview of the linguistic situation in Brunei, including a historical overview and a synopsis of the current education system. It investigates pronunciation, particularly the intelligibility of Brunei English and the vowels of Brunei Mandarin, and it also describes the acquisition of Malay grammar, Malay politeness strategies, the use of language online, language in the courts, a comparison of Malay and English newspapers, the language of shop signs, the status of Dusun, and lastly, English literature in Brunei. "This kaleidoscopic collection of reports of language use in Brunei demonstrates that Brunei is 'A Kingdom of Unexpected Linguistic Diversity', a diversity represented by varieties of Malay, Chinese dialects, English and indigenous languages including Kedayan, Dusun, Tutong, Murut and Iban. The chapters show how these languages operate in social interactions, education, the courtroom, the media, on the web, and in literature. Brunei's linguistic diversity and the relationships between its indigenous languages and Malay, Chinese and English exemplify the complex interplay of local and global discourses. Readers of this book - and these should be all those interested in linguistic diversity as well as language policy makers and planners - will come to recognise how linguistic diversity supplies the vital cultural energy that enables human communities to thrive and how this cultural energy is under threat of being extinguished as indigenous language struggle to maintain their status and roles in society." Professor Andy Kirkpatrick, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Autorentext
Noor Azam Haji-Othman is an Associate Professor of English Language & Linguistics, and he teaches communication and media modules at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).  His research interests include the interactions between languages in Brunei and bilingualism in relation to/as a result of state policy on language, education and society.
James McLellan is a Senior Lecturer of English Language and Linguistics at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He previously taught at secondary and tertiary levels in the UK, France, Malaysia, Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). His research interests include Malay-English language alternation, Southeast Asian Englishes, Borneo indigenous language maintenance, and language policy and planning in education. 
David Deterding is a Professor at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, where he teaches Phonetics, Malay-English Translation, Forensic Linguistics, and Research Methods. His research concerns acoustic measurement, phonetic description of English, Malay and Chinese, and the description of varieties of English in Southeast Asia, including those of Brunei, Singapore, China and Hong Kong.

Inhalt
1 Introduction.- Section A: Language Status.- 2 The Language Situation in Brunei Darussalam.- 3 The State of Indigenous Languages in Brunei.- 4 The Language of Shop Signs in a Modern Shopping Centre in Brunei.- Section B: Pronunciation and Grammar.- 5 The Role of Fast Speech in Misunderstandings in Brunei English.- 6 A Comparison of the Vowels of Brunei Mandarin and Beijing Mandarin.- 7 Comprehension of Aspect Markers by Brunei Malay L1 learners.- Section C: Language Choice.- 8 The Attitudes of University Students towards their Native and Non-native English Speaking Lecturers in Brunei.- 9 Patterns of Language Choice and Use in Interactions among Foreign Workers in Brunei Darussalam: A Preliminary Study.- 10 Courtoom Discourse: A Case Study of the Linguistic Strategies in Brunei Courtrooms.- Section D: Discourse.- 11 Politeness Strategies of Bruneian Malay Youths in Compliment Speech Acts.- 12 The Discourse of Online Texts in Brunei: Extending Bruneian English.- 13 Identity Representation in Press Releases of a Brunei-based Banking Institution.- 14 Similar Story, Different Angles? A Comparative Study of 'Hard News' Texts in the Malay and English Print Media in Brunei Darussalam.- Section E: Literature and Language in Education.- 15 Contemporary English and Malay Literature in Brunei: A Comparison.- 16 Bilingual Education Revisited: The Role of Ugama Schools in the Spread of Bilingualism.- 17 Changing Patterns of Education in Brunei: How Past plans have shaped Future Trends.