THE ACQUISITION OF MALAY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AMONG STUDENTS OF PONDOK BANTAN, THAILAND

Most of the students in Thailand are Malay origin, however in daily communication they use Thai as their mother-tongue and Malay as their second language. Therefore, this study examine empirically the acquisition of Malay as a second language in the Pondok Bantan’s students. A total number of 10 Form-Six students from Pondok Bantan school in Thailand who learn Malay as a subject were selected in this study. Error Analysis approach by Corder was use to describe the data related to students proficiency level through essay testing method. This study was conducted using the students’ written essay as the research data aimed to identify the grammatical errors they committed in their writing. The data of this study were also obtained by using interview and observation approach towards the subjects. The results shows that the proficiency level of students in Malay language remained at a weak level. Students were found make numerous morphological, syntax and orthographic errors in the sample essay. This study is aimed to benefit all parties including the teachers, parents, students, and researchers to improve the level of acquisition of Thai’s student in Malay language.