Language Choice in Formal Situation in Goverment Office

This study examines the language choice made by government servants while executing their daily duties in their workplaces in Putrajaya. As government servants who offer services to the public such as services offered at the customer service counters and discussion rooms, they must ensure that communication with customers is all the time effective. This can be achieved through choosing the right language for business communication. Inappropriate language choice affects the image and quality of service in the government offices. The method of this research was based on fieldwork through questionnaire distribution and interview recordings with respondents. A total of 400 government servants were involved in this study whereby 320 of them were Malay and 40 of them were Chinese and Indians. The findings prove that Malay and English were the main choice to be used at customer service counters, discussion rooms and other daily jobs. However, it was found that there were government servants who chose to use only one language. Others used three languages while in the office. The Malay staff chose to communicate with Malay customers using Malay language and Malay mixed with English when communication with Chinese, Indians and other customers. Chinese and Indian staff were more inclined to using their mother tongue with customers whom they are of the same race.