We don’t have to sound American or British to speak good English

IF you have spent any time listening to Malaysian youngsters speak English today, you may have noticed something interesting. Some sound increasingly American—not because they have lived in the United States or attended an American school but because YouTube has become an influential language environment.

For today's young Malaysians, English comes not only from teachers and textbooks but also from YouTube, TikTok, Netflix and online communities. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; language has always travelled.