How Fluent Are You in Malay?

“Fluent.” 
“Pretty good.” 
“I use it every day.” 

Ask Malaysians how well they speak Bahasa Melayu (BM), and these are the answers you’ll hear. But what do they actually mean? Until recently, no one really knew — not students, not employers, not even researchers. 

Dr Soon Tat with his team - Dr Christine, Dr Walter (not pictured), Dr Jess (not pictured) - developed LexMAL.

 

In a nation where bilingualism is the norm and language switching happens seamlessly, it’s surprising that Malaysia lacked a scientific way to specifically measure BM proficiency. No standard test could distinguish between true fluency and self-assessed ability. That gap inspired Dr Lee Soon Tat, Assistant Professor at the School of Psychology, and his research team (Dr Walter van Heuven, Dr Jess Price and Dr Christine Leong) to create Lexical Test for Malay Speakers (LexMAL): a validated tool to objectively measure Malay language skills. 

“We wanted to study how Malaysians process two languages, but how could we, when we couldn’t even measure proficiency in one?” said Dr Soon Tat. 

Putting Proficiency to the Test  

LexMAL - an online test to measure Malay language proficiency.

LexMAL, the five-minute online test that accurately measures Malay language proficiency, solves this. Unlike self-assessments, it evaluates both native speakers and second language learners, revealing not just vocabulary skills, but how deeply words are understood. This database is already supporting teachers and researchers while holding strong potential for workplaces and hiring use. 

But that’s not all. The team also developed Malaysia’s first Malay-English translation norms database; a resource now widely used in bilingual research. This resource helps researchers design better bilingual studies, capturing how Malaysians naturally use language in daily life. 

This research isn’t just about advancing academic fields. It’s also helping teachers shape more effective lessons, give researchers better insights into bilingual development, and give employers a clearer way to assess language proficiencies required for multilingual workplaces. 

In our nation where language touches every part of life, this work is laying the foundation for clearer communication and stronger outcomes for all. By creating tools grounded in the local context, Dr Soon Tat and his team are shaping a more inclusive and better-connected Malaysia.